Do you download? If yes, do you ever feel like maybe you shouldn’t?
I’m sure you’re aware that it’s illegal…or is it?
No it’s not. It’s not illegal to download so download away, as long as you don’t Upload. The problem is, you can’t really download without uploading at the same time. To upload basically means to share information on the internet, and that’s just the point, it’s the spreading that’s illegal.
A lot of people download, it is generally considered to be ok. Especially young people today talk about it like it’s the most normal thing in the world and the most obvious way to get something.
But the producing companies and the film makers object strongly to this and try hard to stop it. They have succeeded in the sense that it is now illegal…at least to upload but not to actually download it. What confuses me though is that, it’s a strategy the producers use to release new artists on the internet. It’s a way for the artist to become known.
So…if part of the music industry use it as a strategy and the other half think it’s a crime, what are we to think?
It’s true that it’s a good way for artists and films to get publicity they wouldn’t otherwise get. For example, I first discovered one of my favourite bands by downloading their albums, and last year I went to one of their concerts.
When it comes to films, it’s a bit different I guess but at least in my case, if there’s a film I wanna watch that’s in the cinema, I go to the cinema. I go to the cinema not just for the film but for the experience. So I believe the film industry hasn’t got much to worry about there.
Those who oppose downloading say it’s because the producers and everyone else involved in making what you download, loose money. Ok, in the film industry, fair enough they probably do, but as I said, most people still go for the experience. But the music industry – they don’t even earn that much per CD, they earn the money from gigs and concerts. It’s a bad argument why it shouldn’t be allowed, a good argument is that they’ve put a lot of effort into what they do and they deserve proper recognition for it.
Personally I think illegal is illegal but I also think that those who try to keep people from downloading would get better results if they tried to make the world understand the argument I just presented instead of making it about money…
Cause honestly…it’s not like they can’t afford food on the table…
