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No One Likes a Pirate

I used to be a criminal. I pillaged, plundered and was pretty much the poster child for illegality. I never got caught, don’t have a record, and best of all, those I stole from have no idea that I was the culprit. I used to be a pirate. And I bet you are, or were, one too.

Over the last couple of years, I stole over 1,000 songs from the Internet. "Free download?" That’s an unassuming way to describe what illegally downloading music really is: theft. Be honest, you’re guilty of it too. Limewire, Frostwire, BitTorrent - even if you pay for the downloading system, you are still stealing from the artists themselves.

Now, I’m not going to deny how convenient it is to have a program like Limewire. If you hear a good song on the radio or at a friend's house, it's only a few free clicks away. What I am going to talk about is why everyone who has illegally downloaded music should feel guilty about doing so.

There’s a reason that music costs money. There’s also a reason why clothes cost money. But do we all spend our afternoons jacking shoes and T-shirts from Urban Trade? I’m going to say that the majority of us don’t, because we know that it’s wrong and that we will get caught. The same concept applies to downloading music. Just because it’s difficult to get caught doesn’t make it the right thing to do. Clothes cost money to us because they cost money to make. Phenomenal, isn’t it?

Sarcasm aside, the same is true for the music we listen to. Every song costs money to record, produce and release. The artists playing the music, the engineers, mixers, producers, managers and record label personnel all need to make a living somehow. So they play live shows and spend months in the studio working like crazy to make that album you are currently stealing from them. By downloading an album for free instead of paying the $6 to $30 at HMV or on iTunes, you are practically telling all of these hard-working people, the ones who have spent their lives working towards getting their music out to you, the fan, that you really don’t care how many years of effort they have put into that album.

Until I began talking with these artists and individuals through my experiences with Youthink, I never thought twice about illegally downloading music. Then I almost downloaded a Trojan virus along with a song. In all honesty, it was the virus that first stopped me from downloading more music illegally. After I was forced to actually pay for my music in fear of having a virus blow up my hard drive, I began thinking more about my previous criminal activities, and started to realize how wrong it really is to illegally download music.

I’ve also had the chance to talk with the men and women behind the music I had been stealing. Learning what I did about the journey that takes artists from their dreams of a career in music to the career itself prompted me to come to this understanding: these artists have dedicated their lives to producing music. As both a fan and a consumer, I have a responsibility to support these artists through the purchase of their music so that they are capable of continuing to provide me with the songs I love.

Musicians give their blood, sweat and sick guitar riffs to me, and I return the favour by actually buying the album. It’s neither a difficult concept nor an unbalanced one; it’s a give-give relationship. So spend the money and support the band, 'cause nobody likes a pirate.