Memo

Subject: Outlook on the effects of illegal downloading (disgruntled artist will take action)
To: Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster
From:
Date:

SUMMARY:

Most of us would never even consider stealing something, for example, a piece of clothing from
a friend’s house or an item at a mall. Our ethics and morals keep most of us from doing
something so shady and illicit. Yet when it comes to stealing digital recordings of copyrighted
music, people somehow seem to think the same values don’t apply because they believe that the
chances of them being caught are very minimal, even though criminal penalties can be as high as
five years in prison or $250,000 in fines (Webopedia). Taking the position of an individual from
the music industry, music piracy is illegal and unethical because: it’s stealing, it has affects on
the users and it violates copyright laws.

PROBLEM

I would like to present the following stakeholders and analyze their decisions from an ethical
standpoint: The users (individuals who illegally download) and the music industry.

 USERS

This action embodies the habits and values of humans at their best. However, the opposite is
being done by the individuals who engage in music piracy. Instead of expressing honesty,
integrity and self-control, these individuals are stealing and are taking part in activities that
are affect them as well, not just the music industry. Illegal downloading or copying
copyrighted music is the same as stealing; there is no difference. It is illegal and there are real
consequences such as, but not limited to, it betrays songwriters and recording artists, it is
against the law, it stifles the careers of new artists, and it threatens the livelihood of
thousands of working people. In addition, when you use software that conducts illegal
downloads, you open your computer to unwanted spam including pornography, ads, and
viruses. Enjoy the music, but do so with respect to: copyrights, downloading from
unauthorized sites, uploading files to millions of users on the internet, and burning multiple
copies of CD’s.
  MUSCIC INDUSTRY

The music industry has dignity; it has a right to be treated as an end and not merely as a
mean to other ends. The rights of the music industry must be dutifully respected, but in
the case of music piracy, they are not. The music industry continues to sue and send
individuals to prison who are caught with downloading illegally (that is really all that
they can do) and they continue to get stricter, but individuals still continue to engage in
illegal downloading. Individuals must realize copyright laws and the effect music piracy
has on artists and the music industry. What is copywriting? Copyrighting is the principle
which states that the work produced by the creator, belongs to the creator and should be
controlled by them. Throughout the world, this principle is interpreted in law. When you
copyright a piece of work, it prohibits the unauthorized reproduction, modification or
allocation of the created work. In the music industry, there are usually two copyrighted
works involved: The copyright in the musical composition, which is owned by the music
artist and the copyright in the sound recording, which is owned by the record company.

HOW IT AFFECTS ARTISTS

The outbreak in illegal downloading is affecting the entire music industry. Songwriters and
recording artists depend on the royalties they get from the authorized sales of their recordings to
make a living. Many recording artists receive most of their income from royalties. For many
young artists, income from royalties means survival. U.S. album sales have fallen twenty-five
percent since 2000 which in turn has led to more than 5,000 record-company employee layoffs
and the closings of 2,700 record stores across the country. Additionally, the International
Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) claims in the report that for every legal music
download, there are 20 illegal downloads taking place (Music Industry). Simply, illegal
downloading is happening at a rate that is twenty times that of legal downloading. According to
the IFPI, this has lead to industry losses totaling more than $3.7 billion (Music Industry). By
illegal downloading, artists won’t be fully rewarded for their hard work and devotion to their
craft.

SLOW IMPROVEMENT

An estimated 8.6 million Americans were trading copyrighted songs at any given time in April
2005, up from 100 percent from 4.3 million in September 2003 (Trustsoft). The RIAA
(Recording Industry Association of America) has no plans to stop suing individuals who engage
in music piracy. However, many people are gradually realizing the affects of music piracy and
have taken steps to improve. More than 150 million songs have been downloaded legally from
the iTunes site alone (World Law). Even colleges have adopted a software program which
notifies them if a student tries to attempt an illegal download. Individuals have begun to realize
that music piracy is wrong because: The negative effects of downloading, it is stealing, effect on
songwriters and artists and copyright issues, amongst others. Although some individuals have
taken steps to improve by using legal download methods, the RIAA will continue to track those
who download illegally. Music piracy will never be right.
WORKS CITED PAGE:

Welcome to Trustsoft, Inc.Web. 01 April 2008. <http://www.trustsoft.com/article.php?category=5>.

WORLD Law Direct. Web. 01 February 2011.

<http://www.worldlawdirect.com/article/1395/downloading-music-legal.html>.

"Why the Music Industry Is Lying to You." Web. 1 January 2008.

<http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why_the_music_industry_is_lyin.php>.

"When Is Downloading Music on the Internet Illegal? – Webopedia. Web. 01 September 2010.
<http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2004/music_downloading.asp>.