Tom's Blog - The Download Debate

Hi Guys,

It's illegal, but everyone does it. Downloading copyright music, that is.

So why does everyone constantly break the law in this way? Quite simply, because they know that they can get away with it.

And it's not just the most popular songs, but virtually everything in existence. People who put their time and effort into something deserve to get paid for it. Our whole society is based on this idea, which includes people involved in the production of music and the artists.

Keep in mind, however, that not all downloading is illegal. In fact, downloading isn't illegal at all - it depends on what you download. Downloading a song intentionally provided for free is perfectly fine, but downloading one with copyright isn't.

So what to do?
Well, if you can, don't download music - buy it instead.

If there is an artist you really like, understand that for them to continue to produce your favourite music, they'll need to get paid. The more they get paid, the more songs they can make. So do as I do and go and buy their music.

And don't think that if you can't download music you can't use MP3 players like an iPod, because you CAN download music legally. All you have to do is register with an online store, like the iTunes store, and it only costs a couple of dollars to download a song.

Whilst kids have adapted to the internet, taking their demand for music with them, music companies have failed to keep up and haven't adapted quite as effectively. So I would recommend that music companies provide free songs to download online - and maybe put a few ads next to them, so they can still get money. Unless they do that, they really have no chance.

So my message is if you can help it - don't do it. But at least tell the music companies to get their act together.



Email me at: tomwoodpublic@gmail.com

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Do you download music from illegal sites, or official stores like iTunes? What do you think of people who download illegally? Do you think it affects the musicians? Have your say on our comment board below!