Illegal Music Downloading Is a Crime

Illegal music downloading should definitely be considered a crime. Music lovers nowadays are too eager to satisfy their desire; but, what they do not realise that one should not steal from those who worked hard. Since the advanced in technology had occurred, the internet had turn into the main sources of this blatant illegal copyright. Illegal download of music profanes file-sharing website. This is because majority of these websites offer free music to people. These websites supposed to make people share their files via internet for great measure. Instead, plagiarism of music’s art and video are the reality of what happen today. Example of website that offers this activity is Napster. According to Jason E. Lane in his journal, “After a long battle between the record company and Napster, the court eventually ruled the Napster technology illegal, as the primary purpose of the technology was the facilitation of illegal behaviour and Napster failed to prove to the court’s satisfaction that Napster could effectively regulate its own system to keep copyrighted materials from being traded (Lane 537).”. Napster which was supposed to be a great medium for sharing documents had failed to align with the law. Thus, it suffers for court’s punishment. Other than that, illegal music downloading causes recording company to go into bankruptcy. As people started to enjoy their music illegally via digital copyright, CD album that are produced will no longer be beneficial to the people. As few companies are willing to produce an album to the artist, the possibility of an artist to survive in the industry is very little. A former American R&B singer, Toni Braxton, shocked the music industry when she had gone bankrupt. She stated that she had stopped her effort in making new album, yet she will be just doing some tour to please her fan. This singer who once had amazed the world with her single “Un-break my heart” is now gone bankruptcy. She was a talented singer but her album

Cited: Pages Lane, Jason E and Healy, Margaret A. “File Sharing, Napster, and Institutional Reponses: Educative, Developmental, or Responsive Policy?” NASPA Journal. Volume 42, (2005); 537. Web. 6 March 2013. Witherspoon, Chris. “Toni Braxton officially retiring from music; wants to play lesbian on film.” thegrio.com.N.p.,Web.5 March 2013.