MOTUnation.com

Remember when you were a kid, borrowing your buddy's LP and taped it?
This you did cause you couldn't afford to buy it. The alternative would have been not listening to it at all. You bought as many records you could afford, starting with your favourite artists. Then you taped the ones that you liked, but didn't like enough to buy (or just plain couldn't afford it). However, since you had that record on tape you listened to it. And by the time that artist released a new album they had become a favourite enough to buy that next album or go to their show. This is sort of a musical equivalent of lending someone a book to read. And I believe it's kinda healthy for all parts.
People can only afford so many records a month.
Seeing every illegal download as a lost sale is very very unrealistic. As for the most part the alternative would be that they didn't buy it and/or didn't listen to it.

Where it has gone wrong is obviously the sheer amount and easy access to it. And most importantly: the attitude towards it. That more and more people don't even see anything wrong with downloading music, films and applications. That is the part to worry about.

I'm all for the deconstruction of the internet. It wastes more time than it helps, I think!

That might be true for some, but it is hard to embrace that premise with a kid who's dad is a Dr., who drives a new whatever, gets a studio built for him - rent pre-paid, goes to the best music school, etc., yet he pirates software and music on his top of the line 8 core Mac in his soundproof recording studio.

It has more to do with "why shouldn't I?" than it does with "I can't afford it." He can afford it. He just won't. This is a real world example, not a hypothetical. Others may fall somewhere in between that and the actual "can't afford it." But justice is blind, my friend, and stealing because you can't afford something is still stealing. Rationalizing it doesn't get them off the hook, not should it.

And I don't get me started on the guys who sell bootlegged movies! I've closed more than one of them down and would do it again without so much as a warning letter over the bow.

I agree with both of you, Future Legend and MIDI Life Crisis.
Once, a friend of mine lended me a DVD of a tribute to George Harrison (Concert for George). I don't like Beatles very much, so I never would bought it, but after seeing it, I was so impressed that I said: "I must have it". So I went to the music store and I bought it. So, sharing can be healthy and at the same times can help to the music industry.

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:And I don't get me started on the guys who sell bootlegged movies!

I can't understand why some people do this. What's the point in spending money for a bootlegged product..? how much money can you spare? It is a waste of money, please buy a legal copy and you will make the artist happy and your soul too.
Grooveshark.com is a good place to listen to music On-Line. It is like a radio, but better, beacuse if you like a song, there's links to buy it via iTunes Store or Amazon Store.

Shaman... lending is different than bootlegging. I've got nothing against lending legit copies of things. As you say, it can make you want to buy one for yourself.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have a former bandmate who downloaded the new documentary film about the band Rush. He offered to give me a copy when I mentioned that I want to see it and was going to buy it from Amazon. I told him I'd rather buy it so the guys in Rush get a few bucks. What's ironic is that he's also a big Rush fan. It made me think later of something good to say to people who do this. "If for some crazy reason, you were invited into Geddy Lee's home, would you steal something off his coffee table, for example, if he left the room to use the phone?" Because, it's the same damn thing.

In that scenario, most people wouldn't steal something from one of their favorite artists. The few who might would feel ashamed if they were caught doing this. There are some people for whom it's the risk of being caught that is the ONLY thing that keeps them from anti-social or dishonest behavior-- and that's unfortunate. Like the saying goes, real character is what you do when nobody is watching.

I've always been against any form of piracy, from cd's, dvd's or any kind of software, I believe whoever creates the work deserves to get some $ for it, I've been in some comercial studios, both in USA and Europe where most of the plug ins they use are all kraked!! hard to believe people would run a business and do that!
I've been offered pretty much everything in pirated software, but I'm happy to say that, there isn't one kracked program in my Mac! (Not accusing anyone here of having it..) I just feel it's the right thing to do, anything I can do to help stop piracy i'm in, I think if we all do just a little, by not giving copies of software, or dvd's etc, and joining groups like Flagapirate Yahoo Group etc, we'll all win in the end.

The only thing I can add to that is when someone posts their stuff essentially 'for free' on YouTube or Facebook, or the nearly dead MySpace, then it is really fair game. They gave it away and I wouldn't buy their CD or MP3 unless it was a teaser for something of better quality, or a longer work (album, etc).

Then again, I've yet to see one 'artist' of that ilk give away anything of value yet.