Since the inception of the internet, one of the fundemental functions was that of file sharing; the ability to transfer files from one node of the network to another. However, with the invention of the compact disk drive and the CD burner, both of which now come standard on most PCs, people realized that the computer and the internet can be used for more than just research or entertainment, but for communistically sharing music.

The idea for such programs as Kazza dates back centuries, to a time when what someone needed, such as food, was shared within a community. This idea has remained with us through the years, and resurfaced in the mid 20th century with the rise of communism. Communism is another way of collectively sharing resources for the good of the many, not the good of the few. This idea, however, failed because it was strictly enforced by a government. And ironically, communism doesn't work well with established governments.

With the advent of the Internet and the aformentioned components, the communist ideal resurfaced once again, but this time in an effort to provide an alternate source of music to the costly CDs and cassettes sold by the record companies. Thus, the birth of modern music piracy. And it took the government a while to figure out what was happening, but while the record companies were still in ignorant bliss, the rest of the world was downloading the music that they needed.

Now there are two ways to look at this piracy. The first viewpoint is that of the downloader. This person may be driven to download for a variety of reasons, among which may be convenience, lack of funds, or just a want for one particular song, not the entire CD. And then there are extenuationg circumstances. For example, songs that are no longer available in stores are mostly available online in music sharing communities. One prime example of this is the old man, who was fined so much that it forced him out of retirement in order to maintain a simalance of his previous standard of living. The old man in fact was not downloading hip music readily available in stores, but rare oldies available only illegaly online.

And then there is the perspective of the music companies. These corporations have been steadily losing income because of this piracy, and it has forced them to resort to drastic measures to ensure that people will once again buy their CDs. For example, they have drastically reduced the prices of their products, making them more available to the public. Also, they have started a smear campaign against piracy, in which it appeals to our morality in an attempt to make us voulentarily stop piracy of their products. In addition, they have filed lawsuits against every single person they catch downloading their music, which mind you is not many, but still significant.

So there it is, the basic arguments for and against music piracy as I see them. If anyone has anything to add to this, please feel free to do so, but keep in mind that this is not a legal argument, but a moral one.