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Add to FavoritesWell, maybe the answer should be "downloading music can be done in an ethical way". It can also be done in a greedy and selfish way, which shows no respect for the music or the musician.
There are many different places from which music can be downloaded. If you search the Internet, you will find a plethora of sites which have been set up for the specific purpose of allowing musicians to make their music available for free download to the public. The reason that musicians are happy to put their music on these sites is that they want the exposure. Maybe if someone hears half a dozen of your tracks and likes them, then at some later date they'll pay to come and see you play or to buy an album of your music. Maybe they'll just send you a flattering e-mail about how good your music is. Or they might be another musician looking for someone to gig with or to re-mix one of their tunes for them. It all helps to build an amateur musicians confidence.
The next type of download location are the digital music shops, where users pay to download either entire albums or individual tracks. These are probably even more controversial than free downloads. Many musicians love these sites, enabling them to sell music to people all over the world without having to be contracted to a company, or having all the hassle and expense of running their own label. Others are very resistant, particularly to those sites which sell tracks individually. They say that their albums were conceived to be listened to as a whole and that is how they should be distributed. Sometimes they feel that the packaging is also an integral part of the artistic statement they are trying to make with the album. There are also concerns about the sound quality of the files that are distributed through these sites. Many people avoid the best known online stores, which host millions of files, in favour of smaller independent sites, which host music by fewer artists, but which store the music as higher quality files. (Many people don't hear the difference between a high quality and a low quality MP3, but to a musician, who has spent hours, or even days, getting a piece of music to sound just right, they want it to be distributed with the best sound quality possible.)
In the long run, though, musicians will embrace these stores, as they combine the convenience of instant global distribution, with actually getting paid for all that hard work that went in to making the music in the first place. Of course, some people are unscrupulous enough that they run sites where people pay for downloads, but none of the money finds its way to the musicians. If you're going to buy music online, do some research first about the site that you're buying from. Are they reputable? Do musicians trust them? If you look at an artists own website, they will probably tell you where you can buy their music and which site they would most like you to buy it from.
So, that brings us to the other kind of downloading, the kind where no money is charged, but the downloads have not been authorised by the artists who created the music. The kind that is carried on using special "peer to peer" software. Is this kind of downloading ethical? The answer is that individual users have their own particular set of ethics that they apply. It's known that many users download hundreds, or even thousands of albums, with no intention of paying for any of them. This approach tends to lead to the treatment of music as a throw away commodity - there's always more out there to be grabbed, so why take the time to really listen to and appreciate the music you've already got? For other people the peer-to-peer networks are a way to obtain rare tracks which are simply not available in any commercial format. And the other common attitude is that downloading is a way to "try before you buy" - music fans will download an album, listen to it during a few weeks, then decide whether to simply delete the album or, if they've enjoyed it, to purchase a copy on CD. When this works, everyone benefits, but of course it does take self-discipline to stick to this intention, when there is so much music being shared for free.
In conclusion, the ability to download music can be used in many different ways that benefit artists, record companies and listeners. It can also be used in ways that mean that at least one of those groups lose out. As time goes by, the ethical framework of digital distribution will develop - hopefully one that means that listeners can get the music they want and musicians get rewarded for their efforts.
Learn more about this author, Ben Deutsch.
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No
When evaluating the question of whether or not music piracy is ethical, all you need to do is ask yourself "Is stealing a CD from the store ethical?". In most societies the answer to this question would be no because in many cultures stealing is not only wrong, it's a crime. Downloading music without an artist's permission equates to stealing.
Many people try to justify and rationalize the practice of music piracy, but downloading songs illegally is no different than pocketing a CD at the local music store, except the technique used to steal it.
We teach our children it's wrong to steal candy from the corner store, copy someone else's homework, or take that CD from a store. Despite the fact that society is for the most part agreeable that stealing is immoral, many people don't seem to understand the ethical issues connected with downloading music without an artist's consent.
Supporters of the illegal download often argue taking songs off the Internet is the same as burning a copy of a CD for a friend, but it's not comparable. A reason its different is because of the mass audience that a CD can be shared with over the Internet.
Musicians do not lose out when you purchase an album and make a copy for a friend, but with file sharing, you can essentially give the same CD to millions of people. No one pays for it and the artist and/or copyright owner is not compensated.
It is understandable how illegal music downloading has become so attractive, as who wants to pay twenty bucks for something when they can get it for free? However, as attractive as it might be, it doesn't make it ethical. The biggest arguments I hear from those who advocate illegal downloads is that "artists make so much money anyway", and "that artist is making it about the money, not the music!"
It's one thing if an artist creates a website and chooses to release music for free download, typically in the hopes that someone will like and buy the CD or go to one of their shows, but what about artists who don't want their music downloaded?
Isn't it their right to maintain control over their intellectual property? Offering free downloads is a brilliant marketing tool for musicians, but the decision whether or not to utilize that tool should be made by the person(s) who own the songs, not Internet users who engage in downloading songs.
CDs are indeed overpriced, and though the artist may be rich and have more money that they could possibly spend, the bottom line is the music is still an asset they created and it belongs to them. If an artist has not given permission for their music to be available for download, then its theft, no matter how we try to rationalize it.
Is it easier to commit this crime with no conscience because one doesn't have to face their victim? Or is it because there no fear someone will physically see them commit the act? If the same crime was committed in a physical store, one would not steal with such a comfort level.
We live in a society of instant gratification and the simplicity of download makes it so quick and easy there is little time to think about it. People quickly move onto the next thing in their lives without truly reflecting on the consequences of those download(s).
Music piracy will continue to be an issue until those who steal music realize just because something can be retrieved illegally with ease doesn't make it ethical. Just because we "can" does it mean we "should"?
No, we shouldn't. Music piracy and unlawful music downloads is morally wrong.
Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
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