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It is illegal to download copyrighted music and videos, but is it wrong? In the eyes of many, it is no more wrong to download music for personal use than it is for a judge to impose harsh, unrealistic, draconian punishments on those who are found guilty of such a crime.

Record companies, as well as some artists, have been on a crusade in recent years to stop music and video from being shared. As a result, those who have been prosecuted include pre-teen children, grandmothers, housewives, and everyone in between. These individuals, forever branded criminal, are fined thousands upon thousands of dollars. I suppose the idea is to "send a message". In other words, to make an example out of someone, even if that someone is just a kid or a single mother living off government assistance. I'm sure there are thousands of affluent and well-to-do people who illegally download music and video, but unlike those who have so far been prosecuted for piracy, these people are able to afford a good lawyer.

If anything, downloading a song or two from peer-to-peer file sharing programs is a boon to the economically struggling music industry. The only way a listener can buy an album is to first listen to a song or two. And let's face it, MTV stopped playing music somewhere around 1993 and mainstream radio seldom plays anything outside of the latest pop tart or teen sensation.

Record companies would have you believe that the Internet is responsible for the current decline in album sales. That's just passing the buck, folks. Perhaps it has never occurred to those in the music industry that nobody wants to shell out $19.99 for a 10-song album. Perhaps the record companies ought to look at their own practices before dragging everyday people into a courtroom.

Fining a housewife or a high school student thousands of dollars per song only serves to villify an already shady industry and cause distrust of the legal system. Most folks believe that the courts should be more concerned with locking up rapists, murderers, and drug dealers and record companies should be more concerned about putting out a product people will want to buy. If anyone should be forced to face the music, it should only be those who upload music for other people to listen to, not those who download the music for their own enjoyment. After all, it is illegal to sell drugs, not to use them. Likewise, it should only be illegal to provide pirated material, not to download it.

If the courts and record companies continue to operate this way, there is no telling what will be next. What it all boils down to is that whenever a song is played, an artist or record company has to get paid. Does this mean the next time you have a stupid little song like "My Sharona" stuck in your head, some judge, at the behest of a sleazy lawyer, will force you to pay $10,000.00 to The Knack? If someone drives down your street blaring "Paradise City" over his car stereo and you hear a portion of it, will you be forced to pay restitution to Guns N Roses?

Sure, these scenarios may seem ridiculous right now, but ask yourself this question: How ridiculous would it have sounded twenty years ago if someone were to tell you that you could be fined five grand for listening to a song over your home computer?

Learn more about this author, Marlin Bressi.
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