Thou shalt not download songs from the Internet

Yes, the Recording Industry Association of America has sued almost 2,000 people to date…. Yes, the Recording Industry Association of America has sued almost 2,000 people to date. Most of these suits have been brought against college students. They have sued students who have become accustomed to peer-to-peer file-sharing services over the past few years and now expect to get music for free.

Downloading music is like shoplifting. In fact, downloading music is like stealing anything — it’s wrong. Yet so many people do it. The worst part is that they think that it’s OK.

Many of these students say, “Look, they are charging too much for CDs, so I’m not paying.” What’s up with that? What would happen if I went to the bookstore, decided that they were charging too much money for a book, then stole it? I’d get arrested. Just because I think that something costs too much doesn’t mean that it’s fair game for theft.

And wait until you hear this one; it’s my favorite. “Downloading music is like borrowing a book from the library. They don’t charge you at the library, so you shouldn’t have to pay to download. What’s the difference?” The difference is that when you borrow something from the library, you have to give it back.

Another classic is, “Artists don’t make any money on CDs. They make all their money on concert tickets. When I purchase a CD, the artists are only getting a few cents. Would Eddie Vedder pick up a few cents if he found them on the street? Probably not.”

I have a couple of problems with this logic. First, it doesn’t matter how much you steal from someone, it’s still wrong. And those few cents add up quickly. Second, Eddie Vedder probably would pick up a few cents if he found them on the street, if that’s what he did for a living. He makes music as a career, and all of those “few cents” are being taken from him. Third, CD sales mean power. If you don’t sell CDs, you are not going to get the opportunity to get money from concert tickets. CD sales also mean more freedom. For example, because Radiohead’s O.K. Computer sold well, EMI let them take as long as they wanted with their follow-up album, Kid A. And we all know what a masterpiece that was.

Many an artist has fallen prey to downloaded music. Some say, “Hey, downloading music increases sales.” A quick look at the CD sales charts proves this theory wrong. CD sales have been on the decline since 2002. I am willing to admit that, in some strange circumstances, Internet distribution may be fruitful for the industry. But for every artist who gets anywhere as a result of Internet distribution, there are 10 or 20 who get screwed.

One last thing — What is going to become of our beloved album? I fear that artists will only release singles. And it’s a shame. A great album of musical pieces is much greater than the sum of its parts. When we are old and gray, we will be telling our kids about something called an “album.”

“What’s that, daddy?” your child will ask.

“Well, it used to be a collection of different musical pieces packaged together,” you’ll reply. That’s a horrible future to even consider.

So, what’s my solution? I don’t have one. But I can recommend this golden rule: Do not download a song instead of purchasing it. Therefore, there should be only one way to download music — if you already own the CD.