Would taking a CD or single from the store without paying for it be considered stealing?

Question

I've seen a lot of these questions lately. Just curious.

:)

lovnrckets - exactly. Your example is where it gets very gray to me. Hmmm...

Fonzie - right on.

Thanks to those who understood the point of the question. I can always count on you! :)

mcandy_74 - sometimes I do think it's time to move on, but every time I see a question on here asking how to get something for free it makes my blood boil. There are people involved, and not just the musicians, who are not fairly compensated and get screwed over whenever someone downloads for free. It's hard for me to move on from that.

Jakex :] - :)

lovnrckets - while I think any one taking something they haven't paid for should have some type of repercussions, you're right - it's not fair that everyone isn't punished equally. It's the file-sharing stuff that's a huge gray area, and your mixed tape analogy illustrates that - I made those all the time for people when that was the thing to do and didn't consider it "stealing" then. It's a completely different ball-game now, from my perpective (I think...maybe...I don't know) and the music industry's as well.

huevo - true, true, true. And I remember the days of disposable income too...vaguely. :)

Answer 1

I agree with Jakex on both counts, but I downloaded for years anyway. I'm not justifying it, but it seems worse than from a private establishment where concrete items are taken. The theft of artistic rights, to me, should be based on the opinion of the band and I tried not to download info from bands that did not believe in the concept. If it's OK with the bands, such as They Might Be Giants or Public Enemy, then I did not feel bad as the cost of a new CD runs anywhere from $12 to $16 and actually costs a minimal amount to make. I'm not sure what percentage goes to the band,but I know it's not high, which means our system of free enterprise (which I do endorse except for the scourge of the nation, the pharmaceutical companies) is charging big money just to serve as a distributor for other people's ideas. It probably sounds hypocritical but somehow I'm able to convince myself of it in my own mind. Whatever my stance, I have not illegally downloaded music in quite a while, quite probably why I don't have much of an inkling of what's going on in today's music world. I miss the days before car and house payments and kid's college funds, when I could recklessly throw my money away on albums and beer and other illicit (as well as sometimes illegal) activities.

Answer 2

Lovnrckets is definitely on the right wavelength here. Record companies must be scared s***less at the moment, and after Radiohead's recent "pay what you want" thing the whole industry is going to have to shake itself up. The question is where will it end?It's a big philosophical question...we're all conditioned by religion, "culture", and politicians, but is it time to move on?
I'll just add that without being a moralistic type, theft does disgust me( a contradiction, I know...). I'm open minded, but inherently old-fashioned as far as my ideals go. What worries me the most is that "policing" the web seems nigh on impossible, and as a musician who writes music I have trouble understanding the way things are developing. I'm 33 now, and started off in garage bands when I was 16, dreaming of a record contract....what now?( and I mean that in the sense of what are 16 year olds thinking now?...I can't imagine what it must be like)

Answer 3

I think I know where this is going. Clearly, that is stealing since you are involving the tangible object as well as the music. It becomes a lot grayer when you are talking about a download. Another example, if I make someone a mix tape, should they have to send a royalty to the RIAA?

Something else to think about. I am disgusted by the RIAA suing college students for "illegal downloading" while the peer-to-peer sites like Kazaa seem to get off relatively easy. From a public relations standpoint, it's the wrong move.

Answer 4

That actually baffles me. As someone who has worked in a place where people actually go to pretty ridiculous lengths to steal just a CD (they usually leave the case), I just have to ask: Why not pirate? Unless of course they don't have computers, which isn't unlikely.

Answer 5

Agree w/ lovn'

Yeah, it's stealing & as for (illegal) downloads, naturally it's far easier to steal when it's from behind a computer screen as opposed to brazenly walking out the door past security w/ a cd in a store.

Answer 6

Yes. Most stores have a policy about making sure everyone around see's you being hauled off by the police and taken to jail as well. Very expensive and embarrasing shopplifting is.

Answer 7

Taking anything from a store without paying for it is stealing and punishable by law.

Answer 8

i would say it's stealing simply because it's store merchandise. not because it's a single. personally i am anti downloadable, anti ipod/mp3, etc. if i really want to give support to musicians, i will honestly purchase their work be it single, LP, 8 track, tape, whatever, and none of those would i steal.

Answer 9

Definitely

Btw,have you heard about a girl who got sued for $222,000000 for downloading 24 songs?
In that case,i would be on the death row for stealing music lol

Answer 10

Yes.