A few years ago the RIAA, (also known as the Recording Industry Association of America), held a Corporate event and decided to start cracking down on music downloading. But instead of going after the file-sharing networks, the organization decided to sue the little guys– teens and others who downloaded large amounts of music files.

However, despite filing hundreds of lawsuits, illegal downloading still continues. In some cases it’s even worse, as there are a few file-sharers who download more music as a way of ‘sticking it’ to the RIAA. Yet, is that really the attitude the public should have? Should the RIAA and their concerns automatically be attributed to corporate greed, instead of something more genuine?

Well, here’s the deal with illegal downloading. While it is true it won’t send Beyonce or Britney Spears to the poor house, it does have an effect on independent artists who don’t have the publicity to garner millions of CD sales. It also hurts studios and other smaller-scale enterprises that cater to the needs of these artists. A friend of mine who works at an seo company turned down work because he didn’t want to support the illegal downloading of music.

Now, some people argue that if an artist is good their talent will earn them money even with illegal downloading. Yet, how can an artist get to this point, if everyone is already distributing their work? Again, it’s not easy becoming a celebrity. Some artists may never see celebrity status, but can still make a decent living distributing their work online. Illegal downloading destroys this opportunity.

In conclusion, while I don’t consider the RIAA to be angels, I believe that they do have a point when trying to discourage illegal downloaders. Ultimately, if you can’t afford $20 for a CD, you need to consider legal file-sharing sites, (where the songs are 99 cents or less), or forego downloading altogether. Remember, just because illegal downloading is easy doesn’t mean it isn’t illegal and unethical. I mean, just think about how you would feel if thousands of people were distributing the work that you created. Thousands of dollars would be out of your pocket simply because some people feel they are ‘entitled’ to free stuff. So, do what’s right– go on and support the artists you love by purchasing their music.