do you think it is stealing?

Question

if you download a song off of the internet? Since I remember recording songs off of the Radio, and the record industry never sued any one for making mix tapes? now, Radio has changed to Internet, whats the differance?

Answer 1

Halleluyah! I got the same thought. & the same goes with recording TV shows with VHS.

Answer 2

I see your point, I used to record off of the radio too. It seems as if now that you can get a better quality copy without the DJ's voice interfering or the song being cut off too soon...NOW, it's illegal. The essence of recording songs for personal use is still the same, but record companies started loosing money when people began selling those copies really cheap to the public. As they say, a few bad apples... you know the rest. Had people made copies only for themselves, maybe things would be different. Then again, ya just never know.

vintage_davinci has got it right according written law. Then again, what about natures law... there is no such thing as stealing because there is no such thing as ownership. I think this is the answer I am giving.

Answer 3

Yes, it is. Technically it would also be stealing to record songs off the radio, and if you were to make and sell a mix tape, that would be selling stolen goods.

Answer 4

It's only stealing because the system hasn't caught up with the reality of the situation. Downloading songs increases a band's popularity which increases their concert sales as well as sale of fan merchandise. Achieving fame is a surer way to make money than simply producing and selling a quality product in today's society.

Answer 5

The person who put it on the net originally may or may not have violated some contract not to do so, but "stealing" is a word with many meanings, easily applied to denote criminality when no such thing has occurred.

The person who downloads it has no moral obligation to pass it by simply because he could spend money to buy it and therefor encourage the artists to produce more of the same.

It's a business folks. Don't blame the customers for taking your free samples.

Answer 6

The difference is people in the art industry don't do it for the love of art anymore. They just want to make money. Keep downloading off the internet and if you can't do that anymore, there are a ton of decent local bands that don't make it big because they do it for the love of art. You can always support them.

Answer 7

You don't get the same quality over the radio, plus the DJ's tend to interrupt song beginnings and endings or truncate a song for censorship. Downloading a file of music and giving it to someone else is giving them your CD. If you check copyright laws, copying music for an intent other than personal is illegal. you can make as many copies of your own CD's as you like as long as they are for you to listen to, not to hand out (or more often, sell) to people.

Answer 8

I think its probably because recording from the radio was usually bad quality and there was no way of catching you. With the internet people can catch you so they do in an effort to get their money back.

Answer 9

The law states you are not allowed to download and therefore it would be stealing..right? (Taking something that doesn't belong to you). As you know...the internet reaches the entire world on a much larger scale and the quality of music is outstanding on line...obviously the laws have changed... Compliance is your responsibility. You can justify it all you want... however, the rules still appy to you.

Answer 10

Some artists are offering directly to the public to get a following. As long as you are downloading for personal use, nothing wrong with it. If you are downloading, and then burning a CD, and then making 100 copies and offering them for sale, you are stealing.

Answer 11

its ridiculous how aggressive the riaa has become. i too remember the days of recording the mixes from the radio on my cassette tapes. what has the world come to? just goes to show you that big brother is watching. one way or another.