Download This- Revision to Draft C
Written by FSUMike on November 4, 2003 - 12:27
Issues such as war, violence and abortion are major, yet neither of those topics stand out as much as one topic in particular that is so widely over exaggerated that it becomes frivolous. This topic is piracy. Is piracy the root of evil or a fast and efficient way to download something desired? It’s probably the easiest and most used way to obtain music.

It all started with programs such as Napster, then Kazzaa and now there are hundreds of programs that can be used to download anything from music all the way to full-length movies. The number of programs is growing each day, and will most likely continue.

Movies are where things get even better. The fact of being able to download movies before they even hit theaters is just great. Movies cost millions and sometimes billions of dollars to create and when people go out and steal them via Internet it saves the average moviegoers about six dollars per movie. The ability to watch a movie before it hits theaters can very work as a promotion, I’ve even downloaded a few movies before, but once I saw it, I just had to see it in theaters. Downloading movies also helps for school, I had to watch a film for my film class, but I missed it at the Student Life Building. I then downloaded it from a not so popular movie torrent so that I wouldn’t fall behind. I was then able to discuss the movie the next class and receive participation points, all thanks to downloading movies.

Even video games are available to download through these torrents. Video games are the most efficient of all the possible downloads. Unlike movies or music, downloading one game allows you to have the game and not have to go out and buy it. The money saved from the video game you downloaded can be put towards something useful like groceries or rent. One game I am so glad to have downloaded was the ever so poplar snood. This game has helped me surpass many hours of boredom and without it I would’ve gone insane.

Now as for downloading music, it’s by far the best way to get obtain music. Music is downloaded the most out of all the things available to download. Everyone wants to have the newest songs available for them to listen to in their own home—so why not download them? The artists already make enough money as it is. In fact it is actually good for the artist. Downloading a few songs from an artist can act like a demo, which can in turn persuade you to go out and buy their CD.

Last night on TV a cartoon called South Park talked about this subject. Three of the main characters, Kenny, Kyle, and Stan were starting a band and wanted some inspiration, so they downloaded a few songs. Seconds later the government ambushed the boys’ house and took them to a government building. Once there, one of the government officials took them to music star’s homes and went on explaining how without some of the profits from their songs, the artists wouldn’t be able to afford the extra luxuries they desired right away. They had said one music artist had to wait an extra week for something he wanted due to his music being downloaded. Basically, Matt Parker and Trey Stone (creators of South Park) made a parody of the whole situation of piracy in music and showed how frivolous it was.

I know people with hundreds and almost thousands of songs on their computer. They are true people of the twenty-first century. They use the technology at hand to their every advantage. If you could stay home and with the click of the button get the music you wanted, then I’m sure you would. That’s what millions of Americans are doing; taking every advantage that comes to them. I’m sure that majority of the people who are downloading music wouldn’t have a problem paying or donating a little money to download. The main reason people download is because of its convenience.

With the re-birth of Napster, downloading can now be done legally. If downloading wasn’t such a good thing, I’m sure a company with so many legal problems in the past would come back and try the whole thing again. This time Napster has a one-dollar charge for each song downloaded, which is fairly reasonable. It is still more convenient and less costly than going to the store and buying a CD and wasting gas on the way.

As for the government intervening in downloading music—they have no right to hack into our computers and invade our personal lives. It’s not like people downloading music are terrorists. What the government needs to do is stop hassling the people downloading music and actually focus more on the bigger problems at hand, i.e. terrorists.
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Right on
Posted by Jinx_0017 on November 4, 2003 - 13:14.
Nadia A.Mundy

I think this was good topic to talk about Mike, because there are so many problems going on now about downloading movies and music. You are a brave man to do this. I agree with you when it comes to the act of downloading, I too do not think it is something that singers and movie stars should worry about because they have money so what if they loose a couple of hundreds of dollars, they can replace it. Since technology is becoming so vast, we the twenty-century teens do have a lot of good things to keep us busy. So what if we are decreasing a little chunk of companies money. Why would they not want us to download their music, games, and movies? At least we are letting them know that we still adore them. I think that people are just too damn greedy these days. Once you go and make the big bucks you forget how life was before then.