I’m a composer. Here’s my take on this. If those MP3’s are songs from CD’s that are intended to be bought, then legally, it is a violation of copyright law to acquire them without paying. Morally, although it is not the same as theft, it is cheating the artist out of their fairly earned living–you want the song, you should pay for it. Although I believe that copyright law unfairly favors record companies in the situation of downloading, the law is the law and we Christians are required to follow all laws as long as they don’t directly contradict Christian morality.
Of course, this is an overly simplified answer to this very complex phenomenon.
Here are some more possible scenarios:
- If the MP3 is intended by the artist to be freely available for download, then go for it! No moral problem there.
- You might download the song to see whether or not it’s worth buying. I can’t see anything wrong with this as this is just like hearing the song on the radio. If you like it, buy it. If not, trash it.
- And, to answer your first question–use iTunes! It lets you download songs individually, for the price of 99 cents per song. This is perfectly legal, the artists get paid, and it is also legal to burn these downloaded songs onto your own personal mix CD. That way you can get that one good song without paying for the rest of the CD.
- Sometimes, you may want music that simply cannot be found anywhere else. In this case–as long as you’ve tried your best to find a way to pay for it–you can keep the file without moral reserve.
As for the AMV’s… have you seen that one with Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”? It’s so cool! Don’t you just love how… er, focus, Lontas! Focus! Okay then! AMV’s are a total gray area. On the one hand, they use copyrighted material and legally violate the law. But on the other hand, they are created out of a deep appreciation for the song and anime series from which the original material is taken. In fact, I find them to be free advertizing for the series they show! I actually bought and paid for “A Thousand Miles” as a result of seeing that particular AMV. I think it is totally idiotic for companies to consider this display of affection as something illegal. In the meantime, I wouldn’t worry about AMV’s. You might do well to actually buy the songs/anime series’s shown in the AMV’s if you feel it is a form of cheating, but I can’t say whether this is required.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject. Please note, these are only my opinions and are by no means authoritative. I, too, am looking for better answers regarding this type of file sharing.
