Illegal Downloading?

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheCuriousMouse
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TheCuriousMouse

Guest
Is it a mortal sin to take songs from a website like youtube and download to use it for only personal use? :confused:
 
This gets asked a lot so here you go.

If you only need a few songs, why not buy them legally off of Amazon MP3 ($0.99 each, maybe less, no membership fee)? Visit a used CD store? It’s better than being scrupulous.

(Insert joke about cat and mouse here) 😃
 
Cat_Herder said:
This gets asked a lot so here you go.

If you only need a few songs, why not buy them legally .

I agree–you can get them on ITUnes or Amazon. Also, I think there is some type of copy infringement if you do that from You Tube. I just assumed that technically, you couldn’t do it.

Sorry, I deleted part of the previous message. I think they said to either buy a used CD or to download it from Amazon if you want to be scrupulous about it.

Actually, most of them are pretty cheap unless you buy the album.
Click to expand...
 
You’re ‘stealing’ (this is debatable) from the utter filth who commercialise music.
 
To take what is wrongfully yours is stealing. If one illegally downloads a song from Youtube or whatever, one has stolen that song because it does not rightfully belong to them.
 
illmatic said:
You’re ‘stealing’ (this is debatable) from the utter filth who commercialise music.
Click to expand...
Yes, there’s plenty of filth in the recording industry. But “sticking it to the man” is not the Christian way to go about it. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
 
I think there is an argument for the ‘do not steal’ commandment and all that follows being reassessed in a capitalist/consumerist sense where 9/10 the money you give away will go towards something you do not want to be part of. Also, theft (and particularly music downloading which I don’t see as the same personally) is so cushioned by the distribution of wealth that you are not stealing from YOUR NEIGHBOUR, an equal human being, but rather a corporate entity complete with its own aesthetic, ethics etc. which, more often than not, it could be argued is wrong to support.
 
illmatic said:
I think there is an argument for the ‘do not steal’ commandment and all that follows being reassessed in a capitalist/consumerist sense where 9/10 the money you give away will go towards something you do not want to be part of.
Click to expand...
It isn’t a good argument. Some of your tax money goes to fund abortion and embryonic stem cell research. However, you still have to pay your taxes.
Also, theft (and particularly music downloading which I don’t see as the same personally) is so cushioned by the distribution of wealth that you are not stealing from YOUR NEIGHBOUR, an equal human being, but rather a corporate entity complete with its own aesthetic, ethics etc. which, more often than not, it could be argued is wrong to support.
Click to expand...
Your neighbor owns the corporate entity. (If you have a 401k at work, so do you.)
 
illmatic said:
You’re ‘stealing’ (this is debatable) from the utter filth who commercialise music.
Click to expand...
Your anger is misplaced here. And artists sign up with record companies even though the internet exists.

God bless,
Ed
 
Cat_Herder said:
It isn’t a good argument. Some of your tax money goes to fund abortion and embryonic stem cell research. However, you still have to pay your taxes.

Your neighbor owns the corporate entity. (If you have a 401k at work, so do you.)
Click to expand...
I don’t think the whole concept of voting with your wallet can be dismissed by saying ‘if you pay for some things that are bad, you might as well pay for everything bad’. There are legitimate efforts to de-commercialise/de-industrialise the music industry that are worth pumping your cash into - I’m not saying never pay for music - just pick what you’re willing to give money to carefully!
 
illmatic said:
I don’t think the whole concept of voting with your wallet can be dismissed by saying ‘if you pay for some things that are bad, you might as well pay for everything bad’. There are legitimate efforts to de-commercialise/de-industrialise the music industry that are worth pumping your cash into - I’m not saying never pay for music - just pick what you’re willing to give money to carefully!
Click to expand...
Of course you should vote with your wallet–by abstaining from (not stealing) bad music.
 
Its not the music that’s bad though. It still has artistic merit. The bad part is the industry middle-man. Downloading cuts him right out.
 
illmatic said:
Its not the music that’s bad though. It still has artistic merit. The bad part is the industry middle-man. Downloading cuts him right out.
Click to expand...
I don’t think Katy Perry or Lady Gaga or (insert pop artist here) are as innocent as you make them out to be. God gave them great talent and they chose to sell that birthright out for a lump of porridge–fifteen minutes of fame for promoting adultery.
 
Well, considering the record companies are obscene, and do their best to screw over their artists? Mehhhh…
BUT that doesn’t justify stealing…
However, I personally don’t see a problem with downloading illegally to sample something.
I want to know if I LIKE a song before buying it, even if a single song only costs a dollar.
 
I have a question, because i feel terrible about something i did last night.

A PPV called Royal Rumble 2011 was aired two days ago now and i discussed the issue with a friend (non-christian) about what if you download this from someone that bought the PPV and put it up for download.

This is theft? I know that you cannot get this one over here, before they release it on dvd in zone 1 and/or zone 2 format. When it does, i will buy it.

So did i commit a horrible sin checking it out and delete it once i was done? This may sound stupid, but i basically hurt inside and feel like going to confession as soon as i can.

If i am scared and feel like bad? Yes. My friend would say im over-cautious, me - i am not sure what to think or feel other that i have done some wrong as the curiousness got to me and well, made me do something i now feel very bad about.
 
Padraig1972 said:
I have a question, because i feel terrible about something i did last night.

A PPV called Royal Rumble 2011 was aired two days ago now and i discussed the issue with a friend (non-christian) about what if you download this from someone that bought the PPV and put it up for download.

This is theft? I know that you cannot get this one over here, before they release it on dvd in zone 1 and/or zone 2 format. When it does, i will buy it.

So did i commit a horrible sin checking it out and delete it once i was done? This may sound stupid, but i basically hurt inside and feel like going to confession as soon as i can.

If i am scared and feel like bad? Yes. My friend would say im over-cautious, me - i am not sure what to think or feel other that i have done some wrong as the curiousness got to me and well, made me do something i now feel very bad about.
Click to expand...
Laws for this can vary from country to country. I have no idea what are the legal statutes about this in Norway.

In any case, as it is causing you distress, I would certainly bring it up next time you go to Confession and ask the priest for counsel in the matter.
 
Joe_5859 said:
Laws for this can vary from country to country. I have no idea what are the legal statutes about this in Norway.

In any case, as it is causing you distress, I would certainly bring it up next time you go to Confession and ask the priest for counsel in the matter.
Click to expand...
I know one thing for sure: Yes, i will confess this tomorrow before mass, ask for counsel, pray and learn from this.

In the meantime, i will pray the rosary, read, have dinner and relax.
Thanks for the advice, much appreciated it is.
 
Suni_Moon said:
However, I personally don’t see a problem with downloading illegally to sample something.
Click to expand...
It’s not quite the same extreme but calling it “sampling” is the same thing as referring to abortion as a terminated pregnancy it doesn’t negate the sin committed, it just sugarcoats the language

Two questions need to be asked…
  1. do you have a copy of the song?
  2. did you pay for it?
If you can answer yes and no in that order then you stole it.

If you want to hear a song before you buy it, go to youtube and search for the song in question… chances are there’s a video of it up or even just a picture of the album cover while the song plays. That’s actually how I “previewed” August Burns Red before buying one of their CDs.
 
mdrummer5 said:
If you want to hear a song before you buy it, go to youtube and search for the song in question… chances are there’s a video of it up or even just a picture of the album cover while the song plays. That’s actually how I “previewed” August Burns Red before buying one of their CDs.
Click to expand...
That is of course assuming that music is actually buyable where you are at. :\
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top