In keeping with the new and improved policy of updating this blog daily, I will now talk about something very dear to my heart...

Downloading music ILLEGALLY.

If any of you know me, you will know that I have amassed a music collection of absurd amounts (38,209 song and counting) gathered almost entirely through "illegal" methods. (I do own around 200 cds though.) I am proud of the fact that I download illegally, and no government agency is going to stop me.

Wow, thanks Jon. Didn't know that. Can I come steal some music sometime? Sure, but I may have had a change of heart.

I have recently run into arguments against downloading music that challenge my belief in the free market system. A poster on the forum I frequent by the alias "Nolan" has lately left me dumbfounded with his statements. Here are couple samples...

Pinkk - "Hey guys, I just downloaded a Beatles albums, guess Paul and Ringo have to live on the street now."

Nolan - "Let's all steal a Ferrari because they are a successful company and therefore we have no moral obligation to trade value for value.

Anyone who claims to be for individual rights and the free market cannot honestly be okay with piracy.

Or better yet, Pinkk, let's just tax the rich more because they can afford it, right?"

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Nolan - "Why should all art be free (ie: valueless). Money is a store of value, it gives physical form and measure to the abstraction of value.

What defines art? To me, a Ferrari is a piece of art. I assume you're saying everything should be free... That is not idealism, that is, at best, stupidity, and at worst pure evil.

If an album is not worth $10 to you, then please don't listen to it."

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Nolan - "If intellectual property is not protected, we will enter a second dark age.

Why should someone, for example, spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars researching new medication, when they won't be able to get any return on their investment?

Whether you want to admit or not (or think it's right or not--it is right), people are driven by profit and the potential for profit. Stated in a different way: People expect to be able to trade value for value.

If I do something that other people enjoy, and they want to enjoy it, I expect value in return from them.

This is not "evil", but rather it is the greatest good possible."

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Most of these posts are taken from this thread and this one.

Some of his arguments are admittedly shaky, but I feel everyone should take what he says into consideration. I myself, one of the biggest 'stealers' of music anyone knows, will be taking this into account myself.

I will leave you with a humorous shirt of an era long ago.



But will this be true for illegal downloading?

Do comment on this post. Let's get some discussion going.