A Closer Look Into Music Piracy

A Closer Look Into Music Piracy

Whether it’s your younger cousin listening to the newest nursery rhyme CD on the drive to kindergarten or the noisy neighbor blasting heavy metal from his or her stereo, just about everyone enjoys listening to some form of music. Music is powerful. In the past music has been controversial due to some artist’s subject matter or their appearance. But recently a new debate is taking place, and it has nothing to do with the music itself, but the way in which it is being distributed. Music piracy has been a great concern in the last decade as music lovers across the globe have begun to share music without purchasing it from the rightful owners, and while this is viewed as a negative effect of recent technology, music piracy should be tolerated because it has many positive effects for musicians as well as the music industry as a whole.

Music has defined eras and shaped cultures, seamlessly uniting different people together for a common purpose. Music is usually used as a form of entertainment, but it has served many other purposes as well. Some medical practices have offered music therapy to help patients overcome obstacles in their lives. Others have used its powers to make political statements, such as songs that protest war and government action. No matter what someone’s age or background might be, it is a safe assumption that just about everyone enjoys some genre of music. And it is even more pleasurable when it is free.

Music piracy can be defined simply as the illegal sharing of music. Piracy is made possible by host websites which create a ground for internet users to upload and download music files to one another without having to pay. Music has evolved from vinyl records to tapes to CDs a...

... middle of paper ...

...sembly. Columbia University, n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. .

3. Siwek, Stephen. "The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy > IPI Issues > Institute for Policy Innovation." The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy > IPI Issues > Institute for Policy Innovation. The Institute for Policy Innovation, 21 July 2007. Web. 4 May 2014. .

4. "The History Of Internet Piracy." Cracked.com. Cracked, n.d. Web. 2 May 2014. .

5. Thompson, Paul. "Radiohead's In Rainbows Successes Revealed." Pitchfork. N.p., 15 Oct. 2008. Web. 5 May 2014. .