Piracy Essay

Submitted By bthayer1
Words: 1687
Pages: 7
Open Document
The Effects Of Piracy On The Music Industry

Since the birth of the computer, people have partaken in many activities based on the web. Some positive, some negative, and some down right illegal. The most common incident of illegal activity online is through what some would call modern day piracy. The more accepted term used is file sharing, and it is just that: sharing files over the web, typically illegally. File sharing has been a controversy who’s legality has been frivolously debated since Napster in 1999. (Oberholzer) File sharing has been exaggerated to be an instrument of theft, thus leading to the downfall of the music industry. However, thanks to file sharing, users have been exposed to music they would have otherwise never known existed. File sharing of intellectual copyrights like music should be decriminalized, recognized by organizations such as the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) as a helpful tool for many artists, and be viewed as only a minor factor in the decline of the music industry instead of the leading cause. There are also other alternatives to file sharing where everyone leaves a winner. The RIAA has publicly stated that over the 6 year period, ranging from 2003 to 2009, it has lost more money in court costs than it has actually generated via the lawsuits against the citizens. (Mann) One could go as far as stating that if those funds could be applied to the economic crisis of the United States, it could have effectively lessened the impact that it is now facing. Currently, the fine can go up to $150,000 per song downloaded illegally. (HousePlanet) This is a terrible business model for a company to sue a client for that much for something that originally costs $0.99. The fact is, file sharing and piracy are here to stay. No matter how many lawsuits occur, file sharing networks will never close down; in fact they will continue to grow. Fans will always do a better job at making music available than the industry. (EFF) Most of history’s music is either no longer being copied, or has never been recorded in the first place. Yet you can find almost anything you want to listen to through P2P (peer to peer) networks. Piracy is not all about lawsuits and monetary compensation. However, it has a positive effect on the people who take part in pirating material and file sharing. Without piracy, it can be said that some artists would have never taken off or have been discovered by top labels. It can also be said that some artists would not have generated fans or sales because they would not have been discovered by their fans, who may have found it through piracy. Piracy is not only a helpful tool, but an underestimated one where its participants are prosecuted for an unethical and predominantly profitable practice. Each week, there are over a billion downloads of music files through file sharing. File sharing is big among youth, and more than 60 million Americans over the age of 12 have participated in illegal music downloading. (Oberholzer, Strumpf) In fact, in a survey done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2,755 musicians and songwriters were asked about this issue. (Sinrod) 35% stated that file sharing services are not bad for artists because they help promote and distribute the artists work, and only 23% of those artists said that file sharing is bad. (Sinrod) When asked about how file sharing had affected their careers, 37% said that file sharing has really made no difference, and 35% stated that file sharing has in fact helped their careers. Surprisingly, only 5% reported that file sharing hurt their music sales and careers. 83% of the respondents said that they have provided free samples of their music online. 35% of these artists have said that this practice has definitely helped their careers, but only 5% have stated that it has had negative effects. When asked about the threat that file sharing has on the industry, about one-third said there
Show More

Related Documents: Piracy Essay

Online Piracy Essay

Assessment 1 - Essay Online Communication How can traditional (or old media) enterprises such as film, television and music overcome the threat of online piracy and file sharing? Author: XXXXXXX Tutor: XXXXXXXX The rise of the Internet era opened the whole new market for traditional media full of opportunities as well as threats. Online piracy being one of them because the music and film industry loses £5.4bn in a year and if it was reduced by 10% it could have created up to 13…

Words 3014 - Pages 13

Piracy: File Sharing and Electronic Piracy Essay

7/22/2012 Copyright & Piracy | Lachlan Gepp | ITS | Piracy Must Be Stopped! | ITS | Piracy Must Be Stopped! | Piracy is defined as the “practice of a pirate; robbery or illegal violence at sea” (Collins English Dictionary), but piracy in the media and electronic piracy is a whole different forte. Piracy is the unauthorized distribution and/or reproduction of a creators work without giving back any recognition to the creator. Also, copyright is a legal notion introduced by the United…

Words 1660 - Pages 7

Essay on Software Piracy

Software Piracy I. Background a. Been an issue since the founding of digital media b. No proven effective method to combat it has worked for long term c. Internet has always been a bastion for “free speech” and thus large negative responses to any form of regulation d. Any copyright tools have always quickly been broken (safedisk, etc.) e. Has become a hindrance to the spread of technology into poorer countries II. Motivation for Piracy f. Price…

Words 335 - Pages 2

Piracy in the Us Essay

Piracy in the United States One of the biggest debates in the recent history of the US has been the ongoing attempts to stop illegal intellectual property theft. The two legislations Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) recently tried to be passed through the US Congress. These two acts in an effort to permanently stop all online piracy, would’ve essentially changed the face of the internet as we know it. 90 - 95% of websites would be shut down or fined all to combat…

Words 451 - Pages 2

Bootlegging and Piracy Essay

Bootlegging and Piracy ENG122 Suzanne Kissel May 13, 2013 Bootlegging and Piracy The World Wide Web is a great tool for sharing anything you want with anybody around the world. In just a few seconds you can upload a picture, video, song, and other types of multimedia to the internet. The problem with this what is this referring to? is when the material has been copyrighted. HOW IS IT A PROBLEM? The movie industry is one industry greatly affected by people’s ability to just upload…

Words 1125 - Pages 5

music piracy Essay

The short film Cyber Crime- World War 3.0 discusses the very real threat of cyber terrorism and war fare that is becoming increasingly common as our technology advances. In the last twenty years significant advances in global networking and technology have advanced rapidly. Today most Americans rely on technology a great deal in everyday life. Many American occupations depend upon technology in one aspect or another. Not to mention the advances in cellular and portable computing devices is no longer…

Words 1018 - Pages 5

Essay On Online Music Piracy

effective in reducing online music piracy. Online music piracy is the illegal sharing of copyrighted music over the internet and is a growing issue as the internet becomes more accessible. It has a damaging effect on the music industry, as the incomes of artists, producers, and others alike are affected. Research was conducted to identify the relevant legal and technological measures currently undertaken, and to determine if they are effective in curbing online music piracy. This was done through a survey…

Words 1725 - Pages 7

Internet Piracy Essay examples

Internet Piracy By Jennifer Sullivan Axia College of University of Phoenix Jacob Chaplinski, a 34 year old man from Calumet City, Illinois, recently learned that he can get music, movies, video games, and even computer software for free, and all he had to do was download it from a peer-to-peer client, more commonly known as P2P networking. What he did not realize was that companies like RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and MPAA (Motion Picture Association…

Words 2292 - Pages 10

Larkins A software piracy Essay

Software Piracy Abrillia Larkins April 20, 2015 Software Piracy is unauthorized copying of software. Most retail programs are licensed for use at just one computer site or for use by only one user at any time. By buying the software, you become a licensed user rather than an owner. You are allowed to make copies of the program for back up purposes, but it is against the law to give copies to friends and colleagues. Two organizations that work to prevent software piracy are: FAST FAST…

Words 429 - Pages 2

Copyright Infringement and Media Piracy List Essays

RESEARCH ESSAY PLAN: MEDIA PIRACY AND ITS AFFECTS The country with the worst history for media piracy is Armenia with a staggering 93% of the media market being pirated. A cause of piracy is low economic stability with the masses unable to afford movies but in countries with high economic standard like Australia it isn’t so prominent. The bottom 15 which is good in this case has as the worst 29% pirated media all the countries in the bottom 15 are financially stable countries, well in some areas…

Words 759 - Pages 4