Loading... Why do teenagers and 20 year olds feel it is perfectly OK to steal music?

I think it's because if they can get it for free why not. As a teenager you don't always have a great disposable income and most of your friends have the same taste in music anyway so why not borrow that CD and make a copy for yourself?

It's not a new thing. I remember my mum copying a friends tape back in the day. ok it's more prolific than it was back then, with easy access on the internet, but it did happen.

I don't think they ignore it copyright as such. I think most of them are unaware of the consequences of their actions as they only think about what's infront of them at that moment in time. They are not thinking longer term and what impact their actions are having on the industry. If there are no immediate consequences, punishing them for their bad behaviour, then what's to make them stop doing it? Nothing.

They believe that the technology has basically given the music to them freely. If it is there, they should take advantage of it. Most teenagers think like that. If it is there, use it. If something is free, take it. Besides, they rarely hear about anyone getting busted or harmed over copyrights. It is just like how they consider looking at porn.

Copying published and copyrighted music is illegal. The only exceptions are if the holder of the copyright gives permission for it to be copied, or if you are quoting some lyrics in something you are writing.

It is easy to copy music and burn a CD. However, this is one of those things that just because you can do it, does not mean you should. I know plenty of people who do, I voice my opinion once and then it is up to them.

The artists, i.e. the singers, songwriters, musicians, have to paid. Before the internet, they sold records and then CDs and made a small amount on each sale, which added up. CD sales are down because piracy is up.

Some would argue you could make a copy for your own listening pleasure. Try copying a book at the library for your personal pleasure. It will not be free and someone will stop you.

You can loan a book or CD to someone, but you cannot actually loan a downloaded song, because you are just sending a copy and accordingly you both possess something for which neither of you paid.

When we still use VCRs a tax was built into the sale of the tape and divided based on showings of movies on the major networks. You can buy single songs for $1 or less. So you can buy one song and determine if the artist has some talent and is not just another garage band.

The music industry will someday come up with a way to encode something into music that will cause the file to be corrupted when it is placed on a CD. But that does not solve the problem of MP3 players, telephones, etc. The solution is honesty on the part of the consumer. I hope that is not an impossible dream.

Simey, it's not just teen agers you know.

I will never give real money for something I will listen only for half an hour, just to see the group is an average garage one that will dissipate and disappear in the matter of months.

And I don't think there is any way the big publisher companies will make me pay $40 for the latest album of my favorite band, just because they are greedy. (cough-Meta-cough-llica)

Big sound recording companies should learn something from the Napster period:

Vinyl is over.

To copy is very easy.

Copying and pirating content is not exactly stealing, it is literally - making a copy.

Imagine your newspaper "pirated".

In the morning you see your paper still on the stairs and a thief is reading a copy ... it simply does not make sense to call the cops at all.

Same with music. You buy latest music (one that both you and your kids love). Do you buy 2 copies or simply upload the music to your kid's unlocked iPod?

I am doing this since the era of the tape recorders.

And I don't feel guilty.

If it is absolutely easy to take something that noone is watching - why should you give money for it?

And believe me - $40 in Bulgaria is more than you can eat for 5-6 days.

Exactly what Lauryallen said. As a teen myself, I always purchased my music via iTunes. Not really to support the musicians (if I wanted to do that, I purchased the CD straight from the musicians), but because with my OCD it drove me nuts when I didn't have the album artwork, info, etc. etc.

However, now I completely stopped purchasing my music, and I use music streaming sites (Rdio) where I pay a fixed amount per month ($5-$10) and I get to build and listen to my collection wherever and whenever i want. Before that, I would also use Grooveshark, which is sort of like a giant music sharing platform, completely free and does exactly what paid music streaming sites do. However, i chose to pay because (1) I get more accurate and verified music files, and (2) I'm at least making sure musicians are paid still.

As long as they share the terrible songs of today, I just don't care. The problem begins when they steal quality music, but don't worry, that's the rarest thing to happen nowadays.

since i am not from that generation, and i have seen my kids do this, they tell me radio is free, so why not be able to pick and choose what songs you want instead of buying the cd.... to me, there should be a way to buy the particular song you want off the net and download making your personalized cd.... it isn't about copywrite, it seems more like personal choice....

First of all, why is this just limited to teenagers and twenty-year-olds? The problem exists across the board. The real limitation is computer savviness.

Second, as Lauryallan said, this problem is nothing new. Since the advent of the recordable cassette tape, copyright infringement has been an issue. Admittedly, not as much as now-a-days, but a problem none-the-less. And this is not just limited to music as the motion picture industry has the same problems as well.

Why do they do it? Because its free, and they want it, and there is almost no effort to get it accomplished.

The question in my mind is: Is it ever acceptable to download music, movie, book, etc. ?

What if the media in question is out of print with no forseeable plans to have it re-published?