[TheMalcolmConnection]

I didn't mean to cause such controversy, but basically here's the deal. As far as the starving musical artists are concerned, I know that I personally do everything in my power to support them. However, when someone downloads a copyrighted work, it IS stealing but most people tend to turn a blind eye to that fact or justify it by saying the artist's make enough money as that is.

For me anyway, it's a two-wrongs-not-making-a-right kind of situation. It's a gross injustice that people who sing bullshit bubblegum pop like Britney Spears live lives of luxury while the underground/starving artists with talent flowing through every vein are kept down because they don't have the image, don't have the connections, etc. For me, when someone downloads one of Britney Spears' songs, for one they are getting punished enough to by having to listen to that bullshit and two, I feel that that is a small way of making Britney's figurative stock plummet just a touch.

Is it right? Nope.
Is it legal? Not at all.
Does Britney deserve the money she gets paid? Hell no.

Granted, I'm sure many people would love to say,"Aren't garbage men underpaid?" or "Aren't pro-sports players overpaid?" I'm going to say that this whole post is in reference ONLY to musicians.

On the rare occassion I DO somehow end up with a "Top 40" song on my computer, I DO know that it is wrong, I don't deny that fact, however I am one (of the many) who feel that people who have dropped out of college or just have the look don't deserve the money that people are willing to drop on a album they didn't write or have much of any part in. When I see the people behind the scenes making the big bucks that the producers/executives/singers do, I'll understand that I'm hurting the little guy.

Again, I just feel like the system of "Billboard" style music is completely screwed when a company can go out and find people with "the look" and market the hell out of them into platinum-selling artists. Now THAT is an injustice and SHOULD be illegal.