Music used to be simple. Songs played on the radio and people paid for cassette tapes and CDs. The furthest music piracy ever went was people passing records on to friends who copied them.
Everyone knew that taking music from the store without paying was considered stealing. But now that music has moved into the digital age, people seem to have forgotten that taking for free is wrong. With peer-to-peer file sharing skyrocketing in the past decade, the music industry has taken a hit, but is now fighting back.
Many will remember when downloading for free became the new way to obtain music. Shawn and John Fanning first created the explosive Napster in 1999. Gaining popularity quickly, the site was investigated and shut down in 2001. Although access to the website was short-lived, the door had been opened for other sites to follow suit.
LimeWire soon emerged as the dominant method for obtaining free music. However, those who use the site frequently know the government is attempting to pull the plug. A disclaimer on the site warns users the government is tracking the site and those who download recognize it is an illegal act. By downloading copyrighted music for free, the artists who produce the songs aren’t paid for their work, creating animosity between some artists and their fans.
For those who continue to download music for free, be aware of possible jail time and hefty fines if caught. According to Federal law, illegal downloaders can be fined up to $150,000 per music track. In 2009, a woman in Minnesota was fined $1.9 million for downloading 24 tracks from the Internet.
Many San Diego State students, like most illegal downloaders, don’t weigh the consequences of adding to their music collections. It’s vital to understand nobody is exempt from the law when it comes to committing digital theft.
SDSU alumnus Ashley Feuerman is aware of what can happen if caught downloading music without paying.
“I knew this girl in my sign language class freshman year that got caught illegally downloading music on campus, and they shut off her Internet for a year and she had to pay a fine,” Feuerman said.
For those who remain skeptical of the situation’s gravity, the Recording Industry Association of America has sued more than 600 people and has contacted a number of Internet service providers in attempts to cut their connections.
As a way to educate the public on how to download music legally, the RIAA’s website offers a plethora of sites that are completely law-abiding. Here are some of the inexpensive and even free sites available for searching the newest music.
Napster’s once illegal site now provides legal downloading plans for as low as $5 per month, including mobile access.
Slacker Radio Plus also offers an affordable rate, about $5 per month, and is similar to the increasingly popular Pandora Radio. It offers unlimited song skips and lyrics to everyone’s favorite tunes.
Amazon and iTunes are already well known as ways to buy music, but many people are unaware the sites offer some free music. Sometimes users can obtain a free download from upcoming artists or new albums.
By attempting to download illegally, music lovers can be hit with major fines and risk losing access to the Internet. Pay for music and rock out legally. It’s way cooler than being busted by the government.
