Illegal Downloading

            
             In the past ten years Internet music sharing has become a huge issue in the recording industry. Recording companies are in mass hysteria, claiming that file swapping is destroying their album sales; and greatly hurting the artists. Music consumers are justifying their actions by stating that album prices are outrageously high. The record industry is trying to compromise with their new paid sites. Despite the industries "thoughtfulness," these sites are just as much if not more expensive than buying the albums right off the shelves. Until record companies can offer us a reasonable alternative to free downloading, we will continue.
             A main issue of consumers, concerning this debate, is the offensive price set on compact discs. Instead of spending nearly twenty dollars per compact disc, consumers are finding it much more reasonable to illegally download the songs they want. The risk is very minimal. Many people do not even realize what they are doing is wrong. The rewards are outweighing the consequences.
             Consumers are lazy and very cost-effective. We want to lounge in our comfortable office chairs and download free music, instead of having to go to the store and pay nearly twenty dollars on an album that we are only going to listen to half of anyway. The industry is calling us thieves. Nonsense. Consumers do not mind paying for entertainment, as long as it is within reason.
             Now the music company is trying to compromise with their new paid sites. They are the same idea as free downloading, only not! Most sites you pay a monthly subscription/membership fee of ten to twenty dollars a month. Then on top of that, they charge $0.99 for each track downloaded. Now I"m no mathematician, but that seems a bit absurd. The music industry is trying to play us for fools. We will not stand for it.
             The record companies are claiming that downloads are destroying their artists. They are just looking out for them.