I’m sure all you pop fans are eagerly waiting to get your mitts on the new Coldplay album Viva la Vida, which gets released here next week. Or perhaps not, because the whole thing has been on youtube for the last week so lots of you have probably downloaded it already.
So, here is my first of two questions:
Is it morally wrong to download it without paying for it?
Technically it isn’t stealing, because you aren’t taking something physical from someone: it’s not like stealing a CD from a shop. It is copyright infringement which is illegal, but should even that be illegal?
And my second question:
What does this mean for the music industry?
Fans and those who want a CD of the music and don’t feel happy illegally downloading will still buy it, but lots will just rip it from youtube and stick it on their MP3 player for nothing. So why should record companies spend a fortune getting albums made in the most expensive studios, get the best producer in the world (Brian Eno) to produce it and then market it, when lots of people are just going to take it for nothing? Or perhaps you think it would be better if they didn’t.
What are your thoughts?
Cheers, Tom.
