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Is pirating music immoral? Why or why not?

In one way I think it must be immoral because it involves gaining the unearned, but there have been (granted I know little of the music industry) many claims that illegal file sharing has actually been good for the music industry in a number of ways. There have also been arguments that it is not technically theft because it involves copying information instead of physically taking it from the owner i.e. the original owner (and creator) has not lost the music even after you have copied it, but this argument seems shoddy by its concrete bound concept of theft and ownership. Simply put, to me, it feels immoral, but I have trouble conceptualizing exactly why.

Kyle Serrecchia , 04.01.2011, 13:27
Idea status: completed

Comments

Martin, 04.01.2011, 16:48
I myself got a lot of music from Napster 10 years ago. Back then I did not consider it as immoral. It was just too convenient: I heard a song, found out its name and 15 minutes later I had it thanks to Napster. The internet was made for this kind of thing.

Years later I bought almost all of those tracks from iTunes or Amazon and "illegal" downloading of music has almost stopped for me. Meaning that only in extremely rare cases where I cannot find even a trace of a legal download-possibility I would download music using "other means".

Would it not be for Napster and others, I would have never had bought all that music. So yes, it is immoral. But kinda not. Like you Diana, I have trouble expressing as to why.
DianaHsieh, 04.01.2011, 22:58
Just to be clear, the question was asked by Kyle, not by me. I'm clear about the moral problem with pirating music, and I'll happily give my reasons in an upcoming webcast.

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