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As many of you may know, a while ago I wrote a piece called
Dare To Download. I've read and reread the piece many times and I see
that I only told one part of the story.
There should have been more articles following Dare to Download, but I've
lost interest in the subject. To me, it doesn't matter if downloading music off
the internet is legal or not. It's something I'll do either way. It's
convenient. You don't have to go to the store and spend $20 on a CD for one song
that you like. You could download the song off the internet and not waste any
money.
Mr. Editor brought up many interesting points in regards to my article. He said,
"Paying for my rent cuts into my income, too! Then why should I have to pay
for a meal at McDonald's, pay for gas for my car, etc? I have to eat, I have to
drive my car... but just because it may cost me money doesn't mean I have a
right to simply take something. This doesn't mean downloading is necessarily
wrong (though it might be!), just that I think your logic is faulty here."
This hit hard at first. I take criticism very badly and am usually hurt by it. I
was when I read this, but know I understand what the Editor means.
My point in this article was that I am just an average person. But music artists
are not. They may think they are, but they are not. They have a special talent,
a gift. Something I do not have and therefore they receive special treatment
because of it. They get to go to parties, and the Grammys and many other special
events over the years. This cost money. Lots of money.
In my opinion, many artists and actors/actresses are greedy. They complain when
they don't get a hit single or when their songs don't appear on the radio very
often. Most especially complain when people download their music off the
internet for free. I'm just an ordinary girl with an ordinary life. No job (I'm
too young), no way to get money and here I am expected to pay for a CD that
costs $20 when I don't get an allowance. And truthfully, if I didn't download
music off the internet, I probably wouldn't be buying all too many CD's, either.
But that's just me.
People need money. Money's a part of life. One needs money to survive. To buy
food and clothing. And hopefully one day money will no longer be necessary, but
that day is not today. Nor will that day come soon, and until then, I will
download music off the internet for as long as I can.
Just An Ordinary Girl. Expected To Follow Every Rule. But Lets Face It, I Can't
Follow The Rules All The Time. Until That Special Day Comes I Have To Break The
Rules To Get My Music. I Need My Music To Be Me And I Need Money To Get By.
I've left a lot to think about. I've got to go think through a few other
problems in my ordinary life.
Just A Day Just An Ordinary Day. Just Tryin To Get By,
Midget101
P.S. Mr. Editor, criticize away! I'm ready for it now and I can take whatever
you say and I'll be OK!
Editor's Note: Why are you expected to buy
that CD? If you can't afford it, why should the artist or anyone else
(including you) think you should have it? What gives you the right to own
that music? Why shouldn't you simply listen to the radio? That's
free, and legal too! *That* is the question you need to answer. I'm not
saying that downloading music is wrong -- just that I haven't yet seen a strong
justification for it in a Times article.
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