The effect of piracy on music culture and the music industry

Llama

Llama

Hello Smogon,

I am currently doing research for a term paper on how the acceptance of piracy relating to music files has changed the music culture and the music industry. This is for an IT class of mine called Social Informatics, which is largely just a discussion based class, where we read articles and discuss how technology is affecting society, and vice versa. As part of the project we are required to survey people from an online source, whether it is Facebook, emails, or a forum. I have chosen to first use forums for this project, because I believe the members of the forums I participate in are very savvy to technology, and the issues surrounding many things in the online world, such as illegal downloads.

NOTE: In this survey I will take down no personal information from you other than your age which is necessary to the study. I will not even take down your username, and will probably not even mention these results as having come from this forum.

The Survey:

How old are you?

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file?

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)?

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores)

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?

How often did you go to concerts?
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs have you been downloading illegally, on average, per month?

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free?

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres?

How often do you go to concerts?

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?
)

How acceptable is piracy to you?

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?

Think of the answering of these questions as a means to inspire insight into an all too common practice by most savvy internet users (in case blatant surveys are against the rules), as well as helping me out immensely!

Also I realize that there is currently a piracy thread going on in this forum, but I feel that my topic and the purpose it has are specific enough to warrant a new thread.
 
beep.png



ROCK ON!!!!!!
 
How old are you? 13

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? I dont think so.

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? doesnt apply

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons? because people have to work to make the music and to get it for free is cheating them and its plain illegal,also you can just listen to it on da youtube
 
Llama said:
Hello Smogon,

I am currently doing research for a term paper on how the acceptance of piracy relating to music files has changed the music culture and the music industry. This is for an IT class of mine called Social Informatics, which is largely just a discussion based class, where we read articles and discuss how technology is affecting society, and vice versa. As part of the project we are required to survey people from an online source, whether it is Facebook, emails, or a forum. I have chosen to first use forums for this project, because I believe the members of the forums I participate in are very savvy to technology, and the issues surrounding many things in the online world, such as illegal downloads.

NOTE: In this survey I will take down no personal information from you other than your age which is necessary to the study. I will not even take down your username, and will probably not even mention these results as having come from this forum.

The Survey:

How old are you? 17

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? 12-13ish, limewire now it's all torrents / DDL

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) haha, what

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?

How often did you go to concerts?
) pirating and going to concerts are not mutually exclusive

Questions pertaining to if you answered yes to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? no idea, a fair amount

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? collectible purposes

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? 1000 ish artists, fuck genres, they're mostly incorrectly labelled when i dl them and i cbf to change 'em


How often do you go to concerts? sporadically, averages to about 1 a month

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? fine

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? infringement isn't stealing

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? better publication, awareness of artist

Think of the answering of these questions as a means to inspire insight into an all too common practice by most savvy internet users (in case blatant surveys are against the rules), as well as helping me out immensely!

Also I realize that there is currently a piracy thread going on in this forum, but I feel that my topic and the purpose it has are specific enough to warrant a new thread.
Click to expand...
 
How old are you? 19

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? Yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? 13, Limewire, but now Torrents.

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) Less than 1 per month.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? Before pirating: ~10.

How often did you go to concerts? Never.
)

Questions pertaining to if you answered yes to downloading music illegally
(

How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? ~1-2 Albums a months; 20 songs.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? None.

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? 600+; just about every genre (according to my ipod its like 50?)

How often do you go to concerts? As often as I can, 3-4 a year depending.

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? Yes.
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? Because, artists make enough money touring and/or by legit sales/merchandise.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? Because, its just music. Its not a tangible object so most people don't feel its stealing if you can't actually touch it.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? Yes. It has expanded the collection of many people and gotten artists more play than if everyone had to buy every song they like. I also feel like, because artists are aware of piracy they try to make better songs/albums when they come out. For instance, I really like Jay-Z so if he comes out with a new CD thats even better than the Blueprint:3, I'll probably buy it to support him.
 
How old are you?
19

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file?
no

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)?
N/A

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?
I like to own physical copies of my music. In addition, I don't have much trust for most downloads off the internet, unless the organization is reputable, or if I know the person from whom I am downloading. I wouldn't say that websites which torrent music are all that reputable.

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores)
I'm probably buying 3-5 albums per month on average.


Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?
About 200 artists, almost all of them rock and metal.


How often did you go to concerts?
)
about ten per year


Questions pertaining to if you answered yes to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month?
zero


How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free?
I buy all of my albums, for reasons stated above


Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres?
about 200, mostly rock and metal


How often do you go to concerts?
about ten per year


Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?
I do not download music illegally

)

How acceptable is piracy to you?
I'm not going to do it, but I'm not going to judge those that do.


Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?
They don't take anything physical. YOU WOULDN'T DOWNLOAD A PIZZA


Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?
People can say that because it gets lesser known artists out there better, it helps. Then again, a lot of artists who need that kind of exposure put their music on the internet for free anyway. However, I don't know if this idea stemmed from seeing piracy, and realizing that free music is a great way to get a fan base. If so, that's a pretty good thing resulting from piracy.
 
The Survey:

How old are you? 24

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? Yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? About 11 years ago, using Kazaa (in its prime), sometimes Limewire.

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons? I often don't have time to sit around searching for music.

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) None. I was thirteen and had no money, and hadn't developed a taste in acceptable music.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? None (see above)

How often did you go to concerts? Never
)

Questions pertaining to if you answered yes to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? Less than one per month, perhaps once a year.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? One a month, but this rate was much higher in high school. I purchase albums from bands that generally do not make a lot of money (Meshuggah, Devin Townsend), or obscure, long defunct bands (Failure and Hum) to name a few. I will also purchase albums of my favorite bands (311, Tool, Radiohead, Foo Fighters) to support their careers.

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? >200, If I were to venture a guess.

How often do you go to concerts? Three or four times a year, though I wish it were higher.

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? Yes.
)

How acceptable is piracy to you?
It's fine in moderation (which is arbitrary, I know). I feel it is justified with particularly rare or hard to find albums.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?
Music is an art hence it is subjective. It is not a tangible item.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?
This is a really long answer but hear me out. Music piracy gets the music out there, even without radio play, and is a protest against greedy record labels who promote too much shitty music and suppress a lot of great artists. In early 2000, when Smashing Pumpkins were denied funding by Virgin for their double album, Machina II, they released the whole thing, unproduced, free on their website. In fact, it has been available in full from that website since then, and I don't see it being taken down any time soon. They broke up for a good 6 years, so there was no touring to back it up. Radiohead faced a similar dilemma in 2008 when they lost their record label, and released the fully produced and mastered In Rainbows for an arbitrary amount of money from their web site. It was a really cool thing to do, and they eventually found a label and released the album to retail. When the music is out there, people WILL pay to go to concerts, and the band will profit either way.
 
I appreciate everyone who is answering the questions, but if you are going to take the time could to do it, can you answer all the questions? You may notice some questions are there twice, like for example "How many concerts did you go to (past tense)" which is under the before pirating. Then the question is repeated under the if you have pirated music section so I can see if the pirating of music has in anyway changed people's concert attendance. I guess I should have clarified that the "Questions pertaining to if you answered yes to downloading music illegally" is looking for answers on the information AFTER you started pirating. Your posts are almost worthless if you do not answer all the questions.
 
how old are you? 26

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? yar

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? around 2000 via napster

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) 1 or 2 per year

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? 3+ (+ referring to cassettes comprised of various artists)

How often did you go to concerts? never
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? not enough to make a guess

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? 0-1 per year, like the artist

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? lots of artists, mainly 1 genre

How often do you go to concerts? never

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? no
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? in regards to media (not including video games, or new release movies), very acceptable

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? we all wanna be rich and not spend money :D

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? of course
 
How old are you?
26

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file?
Several Times

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how?
Like 10 or more years ago, with kazaa.

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?
--------------------
Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores)
Like 2 per year, buying tapes and cds.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?
I only had one artist, rap.

How often did you go to concerts?
I lived in Punta Arenas, Chile in that time, a 180k person city in the edge of the world, near the antartica, so there where no concerts.
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month?
1 per month (album).

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free?
I dont buy any, only for presents.

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres?
I download music, listen to it, then delete it, so none.

How often do you go to concerts?
Never, they are to expensive.

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?
Yeap, a lot more.
)

How acceptable is piracy to you?
I live in one of the top 5 piracy accepting countries, it is completly normal here. So I have no big issue with it.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?
Its just a cultural problem, I believe its wrong, but not the same as stealing.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?
I wouldnt know about that.
 
Ignoring the rest of the survey because it's really uninteresting..


How acceptable is piracy to you?
- Completely, under the assumption you proceed to buy the albums / attend the shows of bands you pirate and find you actually like - with anything else you buy pretty much you either have some guarantee of quality or you can damn well take it back for a full refund if it doesn't mean your acceptable standards, with a CD you're stuck with it even if it sucks.


Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?
- Because it's not actually taking something from someone if you're not going to buy the album (even if you couldn't pirate it -- lots of people pirate stuff they'd never pay for).


Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?
- I'm neutral on this, on one hand it's a problem because big labels pumping out shitty music are blaming it for their decline in sales (as opposed to them continuing to put out lousy albums) and using the court cases when they do bother tracking people to make money which they used to continue producing their shitty "music". On the other hand, I can think of some bands who have just rolled with it (for an example, NoMeansNo are completely happy with people posting bootleg recordings of their live shows on YouTube) and as a result have received a bunch of extra exposure that would never have happened 30 years ago.
 
The Survey:

How old are you?
18

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file?

yes
If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster,
limewire, various other ways)?

i started at 13, with limewire
If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?
N/A
Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:

How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores)

5 or 6, it was fairly expensive

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?

about 150 artists in my best estimations, the only genre was classic rock and maybe some punk

How often did you go to concerts?

I was like an 11 year old, if you count going to see an orchestra maybe 3 times a year.

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month?

4 albums, less than 100 songs
How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to
buy them when you can simply download them for free?

about 1, if i want something vinyl thats when i buy it. Vinyl sound quality is significantly better than mp3 or mp4

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres?

slightly under 700 artists, im sure every genre other than disco and
screamo/death metal is represented

How often do you go to concerts?

maybe twice a month , but these are small time concerts with local artists. i went to coachella 2 years ago...

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?

Yes, but this maybe because the technology has gotten better and more accessible since then.

How acceptable is piracy to you?

it is foolish and ridiculous to pay $15 for an album, and the artist recieves almost none of the profits from these sales. I try to support artists by buying tshirts and things like that, as i am under (the false?) impression that they recieve more money for these tshirts than buying their music.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?

i think people really are conflicted, you have to understand that people want to pay for content, but no one can afford itunes and maintain a really extensive music collection. the internet has increased demand for music, people are more aware of different types of music, but the industry cant get a clue..., they have to charge less for material. WE WANT TO PAY FOR IT, this is not our fault it is the greedy execs ruining music for everyone.
Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?

yes, it has forced it to evolve past the $.99 cent mentality. what people dont realize is that the public is 100% willing to buy content legally and would not under normal circumstances pirate everything they can get their hands on. However music as it is on itunes and in CD stores is simply too expensive. Music isnt meant to be accessable only for the immensely wealthy and thus piracy is used by the masses to get music. we can see the truth of this in books, it is very easy to torrent books, even obscure ones, but most people buy them legitimately because the pricing of a book is relatively fair if youre willing to wait for a paperback.
 
How old are you? 16

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? I think about a year ago; there was a song I wanted that wasn't out in the US yet, but had been out elsewhere for about a year and I wanted it god damn it

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) i dunno about one?

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? a lot, I don't have an exact number. I'd say 150 artist, all genres.

How often did you go to concerts? never I'm poor
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? I've only downloaded the one.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? the same amount; it's against the law to pirate

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? probably closer to 200 artists, all genres.

How often do you go to concerts? never (I'm still poor)

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? no
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? If there's no way to get it legally, it's fine. Otherwise, no.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? Because it's on the internet so it MUST BE TRUE

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? Not at all.
 
How old are you? 14

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? Yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? About 2 years ago, via BitTorrent/Limewire

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:

How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) None, I never really listend to music before

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? 2 (both Rock)

How often did you go to concerts? Never (though I'd love to)
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? About 7000 over the course of 2 years, so almost 300 a month (man I feel bad now)

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? None

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? 124 artists in 39 genres (says iTunes)

How often do you go to concerts? Never (there are no good concerts out here >:( )

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? Definitely


How acceptable is piracy to you? Acceptable enough to do it.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? Because the people who make the music are rich enough anyways.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? Don't really have an opinion, I barely listen to 'new' music
 
How old are you? 17

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? Yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? When I was 11, people sent me songs over MSN and I downloaded anime openings from a particular site. I started torrenting when I was 12 or 13. I have used soulseek and http downloads as well.

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons? http://cristgaming.com/pirate.swf

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) - like a few a year. Due to the price I just bought singles.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? - I can't give a specific number, but since I mostly bought singles, if we discard those, like 5-10.

How often did you go to concerts? - Never
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs are you downloading illegally, on average, per month? - Depends, now I have my music collection back like 10-20 albums a month. I've downloaded thousands of albums over the years though.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? - I buy albums very rarely (maybe one or two a year), but mainly out of a desire to physically own my very favourite albums, which of course I have already downloaded. I like collecting merchandise of the things I like so I'd rather buy a $20 shirt than a $20 CD. I have paid for special edition things before like limited edition box sets.

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? - Maybe 500 artists? I don't really like classifying stuff by genre and delete all the genre tags from my files, but probably everything major except for country.

How often do you go to concerts? - Still not very often (you might want to discard this because I don't live in range of any major cities and find it hard to get to concerts)

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? - Illegally downloading and experiencing more is what changed me from a casual listener to a big fan, so, yes.
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? - Completely

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? - Because you aren't lifting the physical copy from the shop, because the people who majorly profit from each sale of a record are rich and most artists aren't, because it is about experiencing art rather than, say, stealing someone's car. I also think a lot of people don't really care because music is expensive and shouldn't be so inaccessible.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? - For executives? No. (I think you'll find pretty much nobody cares about that.) For artists? I can't answer that directly, but I do know it results in a lot more exposure for indie artists. I don't know too much about this so I can't answer with full accuracy but I think as piracy becomes more mainstream, people are able to listen to things they wouldn't hear on the radio, etc. For consumers? Yes, especially since it places the power in listeners' hands instead of the executives'.
 
How old are you? 19

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? Yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? Started way back when napster was legal, then kazaa and all that jazz.

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons? n/a

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) I was quite young but maybe 1 every few months.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? Not many, unless you include those garbage "NOW" cds which were compilations. Mainly just radio music and Eminem.

How often did you go to concerts? Back then? never. not one.
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs have you been downloading illegally, on average, per month? Honestly too many to count. probably up to 7-10 per month for at least the past year, as an average.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? Since ive started illegally downloading stuff, ive bought a couple albums from stores. Mainly for artist support and sometimes for the sensation of owning an album for once.

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? "lol" ill refer to my last.fm for this Roughly 440 artists. Genres: pretty diverse probably at least 5 substantially different genres with many subcategories.

How often do you go to concerts? 1-2 times a year. Mainly for financial reasons because id love to go to more.

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? Yes, but I might just credit it to technological improvements and accessibility than actual time constraints.
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? Its important for discovery, but you should support artists you like by going to their concerts and buying merch of theirs.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? Some people might not think of music as property, and some people believe its not something you should pay for either way. Almost like a right, instead of a privilege.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? New artists get recognized way quicker and easier these days. People dont have to go to the music store and spend money on an album to discover an artist they might enjoy. Artists that previously went undiscovered because of lack of exposure are being explored and benefiting from it.
 
How old are you? 18

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? No

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? N/A

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons? I am wary of downloading a virus. Also, I like to have a physical copy of the CD so I do very little downloading in general. It's not really a moral issue to me; I'm pretty sure my friends have given me CDs they have pirated.

How acceptable is piracy to you? Moderately acceptable. I would do it if I've tried to find the song/album legitmately, but it was unavailable.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? They cannot see the people it may be hurting. Plus, music is free from many other sources, such as YouTube and Pandora... if they can get the music for no cost that way, why is illegal downloading so wrong? I've been at concerts where the band gets on stage and says, "We don't care how you get our music, just get it!" If even the band says it's OK, it is easy to see why people download illegally.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? The music is probably reaching more ears now, but profits are dipping...
 
How old are you? 18

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? yes

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)?

It was mainly on limewire a few years ago

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons? N/A

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores)

As many as possible, may be 30 albums a month or so.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?

haha, idk. They was way too many to count. Probably at least in the tens of thousands.

How often did you go to concerts?
)

At least 3-4 times a week

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs have you been downloading illegally, on average, per month?

Around 2000+ songs a month

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free?

I dont buy them

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres?

Pretty much any genre imaginable, excpet country, gospel and jazz.

How often do you go to concerts?

I try to go at least 2 times a week

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?
)

Yes, definitive

How acceptable is piracy to you?

It isn't the right thing to do at all

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?

Umm, I guess because once it's out, its out. It's like you release a movie to the public, and its pretty much out there for good.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?

I think pretty much every change is a good one, but I'm not really familiar with the affects of piracy
 
The Survey:

How old are you?
16

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file?
Every day of my life.

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)?
A few years ago when I got my first mp3 player; I used some random website that I found

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?
N/A

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores)

I never bought any albums, vinyls, etc. because I was 1. really young and music wasn't that important and 2. Everything was gifted to me

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres?

A bunch of shit

How often did you go to concerts?
)

Never...

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs have you been downloading illegally, on average, per month?

Depends on how much I really want new music...between 50-100 a month probably. I'm always discovering new stuff.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free?
Only two albums (Protest the Hero Fortress, and the Tron Legacy soundtrack)

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres?

EVERYTHING

How often do you go to concerts?

I've only been to one concert :( Muse. On my birthday

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads?
)

Most definitely. A big part is that I'm able to find more music and more music styles easier on the internet now a days and my taste in music changes as I grow up

How acceptable is piracy to you?

Go for it.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people?

Sure. People just want their music and do whatever it takes to get it.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better?
In a way, yes. More artists are being discovered and people can share their music easier, getting bands spread more.
 
How old are you? 20

Have you ever illegally downloaded a music file? yep

If so then when did you start downloading music illegally? And how? (napster, limewire, various other ways)? i was 17 iirc and torrented.

If you don’t pirate music what are your reasons?

Question pertaining to a time before you ever pirated a music file:
(
How many albums were you buying, on average, per month? (Whether from paid download services such as Itunes, or buying cds from stores) uhh i was never that well off so i just bought cds sporadically throughout the year and usually at christmas/birthday.

Roughly how many different artists were featured in your collection, how many different genres? i think i had around three bands or something lol.

How often did you go to concerts? where i am concerts just don't happen ever.
)

Questions pertaining to AFTER you started to downloading music illegally
(
How many albums or songs have you been downloading illegally, on average, per month? probably 20-30 albums a month depending on the month.

How many albums or songs are you buying, and if so why do you choose to buy them when you can simply download them for free? i only buy cds when they're really cheap ($15 or less roughly) and when i know the album is worthwhile. i buy them basically for collecting, and because it feels good to help out a band that i know is worthwhile.

Roughly how many different artists are featured in your collection, how many different genres? i have 220 artists atm.

How often do you go to concerts? never, like i said they just don't happen here.

Would you say you listen to music more now than you did before illegal downloads? fuck yes.
)

How acceptable is piracy to you? it's part of the internet really. it'll happen no matter what.

Why do you believe piracy is not seen as stealing by many people? i don't have an opinion on the matter.

Do you think piracy has, in anyway, changed the music industry for the better? i think so. if you have to buy a cd to even check out a band that you might like it gets very very costly very quickly and you may not even like what you purchase. but when you can download an album it makes things much easier. i doubt many bands would get any exposure at all if they didn't have their albums distributed any way other than by downloading off the internet, so even though they don't get paid they're still getting publicity for it.
 
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