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Pirating music is any method used to obtain
music that doesn¶t involve paying the artist.
This can take the form of peer-to-peer
networks (Limewire, Kazaa, Frostwire,
etc.) or using torrent programs (BitTorrent,
uTorrent, etc.) Another common way of
pirating music takes place when someone
purchases a cd and then shares the content
through burning a copy or sharing a digital
copy.
 

 eventually be an increase in the selling
Pirating music is a very common practice
not only in the United States, but
worldwide. In 2009, a report published by
the International Federation of the
Phonographic Industry found that 95% of
all music downloads for that year were

illegal. The report also found that 6.5
million people take part in piracy every
day.
Where People¶s Music Really Comes From
Pirating of music has many negative effects
on everyone involved. It is first very
harmful to your computer. Piracy can lead
to viruses and unwanted breaches into your
system by spyware, which is virtually
impossible to remove. Pirating also has a
profound effect on everyone in the music
industry. Artists depend on sales in order to
have a paycheck. With the decrease in sales
that accompanies piracy, there has to
million for illegally downloading 24 songs
price of the cd. According to analysis done
by the Recording Industry Association of
America, the music industry has lost a
combined $12.5 billion in sales this year.
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The penalties for illegally downloading
music can become quite expensive. US
copyright laws call for a minimum fee of
$750 - $30,000 regardless of the
downloader¶s intentions. Repeat offenders
can serve up to six years in jail and face
fines up to $150,000 per download. If
someone is making copies of cds and
reselling them for a profit, they can incur
even higher fines and possibly jail time
ranging from 2 ± 30 years.
It is a very common misconception that
only the people taking a massive part in
piracy can be caught. This simply is not the
case. In September 2003, a 12 year-old girl
from New York was convicted of illegally
downloading from the popular peer-to-peer
network Kazaa. After lengthy trials she was
charged a $30,000 fine. Another case
occurred in Minnesota in late June of 2009.
A 34 year-old woman was fined $1.9
from a site she thought was legitimate. The
court case is still pending, but all signs
point to the fine holding up.
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Music Piracy Cases The Last 5 Years
The number of music piracy cases being
taken to court has been on a steady rise
since 2005.
 Tyler Schwantes  


English 320 The simple way to avoid piracy is to get
music legally. This can be done through
 downloading from legal sites (iTunes,
emusic, rhapsody, etc.) Another way is to
 go out to the store and buy the album. This


  
is a great way to support your favorite
artists as well as to avoid further legal
trouble later.
 
 
 
 
 www.iTunes.com



www.emusic.com


  www.Rhapsody.com