Pirating is such a funny word to describe how people get music and movies illegally. It makes it sound like we are attacking the RIAA with cannons and taking their songs as our plunder. In reality, pirating is something done by almost everyone in Gen Y and there are no cannons involved…at least I hope not.
I first learned about pirating music in high school. When I got my own laptop I learned how to take music off CDs and rip them onto my computer. Then I expanded to ripping my friends CDs. Eventually we were all passing music around from laptops, jump drives, and iPods. It never really occurred to me that this was wrong.
If my friend buys a magazine or a movie, there is nothing wrong with me borrowing it. In the same way, if my friend buys music, can’t I listen to it too? I use this justification to make myself feel better about stealing music, which is essentially what I am doing.
It gets even worse when I take music from my very large network of friends on a little program called Limewire. It is just like sharing music with my buddy, except my buddy lives half-way across the world.
I really do think Limewire is wrong, yet I continue to use it. I guess I am just cheap and I use my justification of sharing with a friend to help me sleep at night. I also use the justifications of supporting music and spreading the word about artists, so they can gain more fans. Of course, I could support a band even more by paying for their music, but that would be crazy, right?
Actually, I do support my favorite artists by purchasing their CDs. There is just something about owning a physical copy of a record that illegal downloading just doesn’t capture. I like to read the thank-you’s and look at the liner pictures. However I must admit the amount of music I buy, compared to the amount of music I pirate is insignificant. In the past year, I have bought one CD.
So I cheat the music industry, but what I take from them I make up for in support of the movie industry. I buy so many movies it is ridiculous. I have never even tried to download a movie illegally.
Movies are more difficult to download because of the file size, and in most cases there is a loss in quality. I think movies are meant to be seen on a big screen with good quality sound and picture. It is not worth watching a movie if it is pixilated and dubbed incorrectly. In addition, you usually download a couple viruses along with the stolen movie (I guess it is more like pirates than I originally thought.)
Ultimately, I don’t think that pirating music or movies will stop until the authorities make us walk the plank…err pay fines or go to jail. Gen Y is used to getting what they want at their fingertips, and if they can get it free that’s all the more reason the pirate. ARRR! I feel like watching my legally owned copy of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” now…
I first learned about pirating music in high school. When I got my own laptop I learned how to take music off CDs and rip them onto my computer. Then I expanded to ripping my friends CDs. Eventually we were all passing music around from laptops, jump drives, and iPods. It never really occurred to me that this was wrong.
If my friend buys a magazine or a movie, there is nothing wrong with me borrowing it. In the same way, if my friend buys music, can’t I listen to it too? I use this justification to make myself feel better about stealing music, which is essentially what I am doing.
It gets even worse when I take music from my very large network of friends on a little program called Limewire. It is just like sharing music with my buddy, except my buddy lives half-way across the world.
I really do think Limewire is wrong, yet I continue to use it. I guess I am just cheap and I use my justification of sharing with a friend to help me sleep at night. I also use the justifications of supporting music and spreading the word about artists, so they can gain more fans. Of course, I could support a band even more by paying for their music, but that would be crazy, right?
Actually, I do support my favorite artists by purchasing their CDs. There is just something about owning a physical copy of a record that illegal downloading just doesn’t capture. I like to read the thank-you’s and look at the liner pictures. However I must admit the amount of music I buy, compared to the amount of music I pirate is insignificant. In the past year, I have bought one CD.
So I cheat the music industry, but what I take from them I make up for in support of the movie industry. I buy so many movies it is ridiculous. I have never even tried to download a movie illegally.
Movies are more difficult to download because of the file size, and in most cases there is a loss in quality. I think movies are meant to be seen on a big screen with good quality sound and picture. It is not worth watching a movie if it is pixilated and dubbed incorrectly. In addition, you usually download a couple viruses along with the stolen movie (I guess it is more like pirates than I originally thought.)
Ultimately, I don’t think that pirating music or movies will stop until the authorities make us walk the plank…err pay fines or go to jail. Gen Y is used to getting what they want at their fingertips, and if they can get it free that’s all the more reason the pirate. ARRR! I feel like watching my legally owned copy of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” now…
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Love the new banner! Talledega Nights was full of shameless product placement - especially the Applebee's thing. I liked how they poked humor at the idea though.
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