Research Paper

Dmitri Zaderetsky
Yerks
Composition 106 Web
13 April 2010
The Silver Lining
In today’s world, people who are knowledgeable in using computers are aware of the action known as downloading. There are different categories of downloading, people could acquire programs, movies, and music for free if they so choose to. In the United States the act of piracy, defined as any form of unauthorized duplication and/or distribution of music including downloading, file sharing, and CD-burning (Music Piracy). By taking action in piracy, there are consequences to faced, because it is illegal in the United States. Although it is the law that downloading music is illegal, millions of people do it every day, but with only a few individuals answering the consequences (Music Piracy).
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has attempted to take action against people downloading music, but their efforts have shown miniscule results. The facts shows what is truly happening, and that is the RIAA can sue for as much as $150,000 per song illegally downloaded, almost 2000 individuals have been sued by the RIAA for illegally downloading as of March, 2004, but more than 400 individuals have settled, paying fines averaging $3000 (Music Piracy). The amount of people total in the United States was over 250 million at that time, and with the population continuing to grow, it becomes even harder for the RIAA to enforce its laws (Growth of U.S. Population). These numbers show that the system is very defective, because the association singles out people rather than finding a way to punish everyone that commits piracy. The efforts are clear that there is an attempt to lower the cases of illegal downloading, but it simply making matters worse when the public sees how few people are actually affected by the RIAA. The Industry also argues that people are stealing money from the artists by downloading the music rather than buying it (Record Industry Association of America). This may be true, but what is important to realize is that album sales are not the major source of income, it is the tours, merchandise, and record signings that the bands participate in. In the case of famous rappers and rock artists we can see their homes on a show called Cribs, which takes us through their lifestyles of owning several cars, pools, and extravagant homes. The RIAA has very intimidating factors and consequences for those who commit piracy, yet its lack of being able to uphold these laws makes the company look like hollow threats and more of a joke than something serious to consider.
The view of the public is crucial to understanding why piracy is being committed, because they have reasoning for it. I compiled a survey directed toward the age group of 15 to 25, in which twelve anonymous participants relayed their view. This was the best age range for the topic because this age group is most prone to using computers on a daily basis. The results were staggering, all but one person have downloaded music illegally, only three considered it stealing, and only one person would be against their own music being downloaded. It shows that the people do not agree with the law placed, and in the United States it is the people whose voices must be heard in order to make changes. On the essay response question “Do you think everyone has moved on from CD's to mp3 players, making it pointless to buy them?”, the mostly answered yes. The people claim that buying Compact Disks makes you ignorant of the advances in technology, and that it is much easier to have a CD become scratched and ruined rather than an mp3 player. Another important point made was that “Essentially yes. Soon, there won't be CD slots in cars. Just how tape players got ousted”. This analysis is very true, the world is changing, and as we move from radio to tapes to CD players, the next best thing will surely take over.
While studying the public I decided to interview an individual who was in a band, this would show the view firsthand. His name is Kars and he was part of a music group called Cita’s Wings. They have had several performances throughout the Detroit metro area and have recorded an album. His opinion on piracy was that it was important for a band, because groups like his cannot have their album in stores, but rather have to sell them at shows in order to get their name out into the world. Through piracy, the public can spread the music much faster and allow the band to be become well known. In his words, “I think it's about having the music and being a fan, you don't have to put money towards the album that the band will never see to prove that”. I can truly support this outlook, because many teens do not have a job or cannot afford buying the music, yet it is the teens that make up most of the fans in today’s world. The bands that become famous are due to the fans supporting their music and spreading it, therefore without them many groups would not be able to become popular.
A very popular argument against piracy is that it causes stores to lose business and overall effects the economy. This is only true on a small scale, because although the local businesses have taken a hit in sales over the years, the corporate stores such as Best Buy and Target have had a 1.3 billion dollar increase in CD sales over a period of seven years (CD Sales Chart). Such a vast increase in sales shows that people continue to buy CDs even though they have the choice to commit piracy and obtain the music for free. An interesting fact is that the music artists only make $1.60 from every CD sold, the rest of the money that a CD costs goes to manufacturing, rights, record companies, and retail services (CD Sales Chart). Another important thing to consider is that there are many albums that are not readily available in stores, some local and underground bands simply do not have their music in places such as Wal-Mart, and therefore people are led to download music more often. This is a very common situation, and because the popular music in today’s world is based around R&B and hip-hop, the other genres suffer and have less of their music available to purchase.
When first looked at, piracy seems very cruel and the consequences for committing it are overwhelming, but that is only on the surface. As I investigated into the topic, it was evident that the public is very comfortable with the act of downloading music illegally, and has understandable reasons for it. The facts are what is important when looking at piracy, because the inability of the RIAA to properly punish people for breaking this law shows a weakness in the system. The bands do not suffer from the public downloading their music, in fact it actually supports and speeds up their career of the group, ensuring a higher chance at becoming famous. The word illegal has seemed to have lost its power, because the public has not been intimidated by it when it comes to piracy.








Work Cited
"CD Sales Chart." Almighty Institute of Music Retail, 2004. Web. 15 Mar 2010. .
"Music Piracy." Christian Music Trade Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar 2010. .
"Growth of U.S. Population." Web. 15 Mar 2010. .
"Record Industry Association of America." RIAA. RIAA, n.d. Web. 14 Mar 2010. .