Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
the music on the Web without the permission of the artist, and you
downloaded the music. In a commercial setting where you paid for
the songs, all or part of your purchase price would go to the musi
cian, but in this setting the artist receives nothing.
Sometimes folks argue that the downloading of music can gen
erate publicity and increase demand for the artist, thereby having a
longterm positive effect on the sales of recordings. However, the
relative balance of income lost from downloading individual pieces
and possible longterm increased sales can be speculative at best. If
the musician decides that free downloading now will generate ap
propriate sales later, then the musician may post the recordings as
part of a publicity campaign. Such an action would be reasonable
and proper. Musicians, like other speculators, may gamble on long
term strategies.
Conversely, a musician also may decide that longterm sales are
unlikely to cover lost revenue now. If lost current income prevents
the musician from paying current bills, the individual cannot devote
the time desired to her or his craft, cutting back on performances,
practice, or new venues. Over the long term, we all may suffer be
cause the musician cannot continue playing at the same level we en
joyed earlier. From this standpoint, downloading music from sites
beyond a musician's or author's control may have a direct effect on
the person's financial circumstances and undermine the person's
continued work in the field.
Although artists and authors want their materials to be used and
enjoyed, they also expect income to offset their expenses and provide
a livelihood. You may like to think that information and music are
free, but the creators of those materials are rarely in a position to
subsidize your enjoyment. From this perspective, when you down
load music or materials of others without their consent, you are ask
ing the creators of the work to subsidize your habits and behaviors.
Such an expectation seems neither fair nor financially viable.
my own personal use?
This question is somewhat tricky, as different legal issues can
come into play. On the one hand, downloading a copy of a work is
usually considered as appropriate. However, this normally assumes
that the source of the work has been authorized by the author,
