Also, what happens in this situation: A person owns a, say, Zeppelin CD, then downloads some Zeppelin tunes from Kazaa (the same songs). Has he committed copyright infringement? I guess I’ll let you know next semester when I take the class. Or put another way, can I photocopy a book I own for my own use? Or a better analogy, can another person photocopy the very same book I own and give it to me, as long as I own it?

T, your point about piracy hurting the music industry is a good one. I don’t think that–even if piracy were everywhere–piracy would ever get musicians to stop making music. There a couple of reasons for this: (1) I’m willing to bet that a substantial amount of money is made from live concerts. I believe that the Grateful Dead pionered the practice of allowing anyone and everyone to tape its shows, figuring that the more people who listened to its music, the more tickets they’d sell at the box office. (2) I’d think that those musicians starting off would actually prefer to have their music pirated (although if they *really* wanted this, then they could just say they’re giving up their copyright to a certain extent), since nobody will actually spend money on a band he hasn’t heard (and liked) before. (3) Downloaded (and subsequently burned on CDs) songs just aren’t the same as buying a regular CD. A legitimate CD, to me at least, seems better (I don’t know if it’s the packaging, or just the fact that someone doesn’t have to write on it in permanent marker). (4) Those people who pirate music probably wouldn’t, if the practicer were banned outright, go out and spend their money on actual CDs, anyway. They’d just go without.

Amusing example. That was exactly what mp3.com was doing when the RIAA sued them (and ultimately put them out of business) 3 years ago.

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,33634,00.html

“A legitimate CD, to me at least, seems better”

If you compare a legitmate CD to one made from songs downloaded from the web (usually in MP3 format), the quality is noticeably better on CD. MP3 is a lossy compression format - audio information is thrown out during the compression process. If you compare a CD to a copy of a CD though, the quality should be identical (except, as you say, the packaging and permanent marker).

I also prefer the feel of the real CD.

Tom: “If people want to steal music even though it is illegal, it will kill the very music they love.”

No. It won’t.

You assume that musicians only make music because they can make money selling CDs. Coon Dog mentions the money they can make in concerts (which is the bulk of many band’s earnings), but there’s also the value of being famous (plenty of people do things for free for fame).

Also: Many artists would still continue to do music because they love music. Without a distribution center, that music may not be heard as widely, but it’s still made.

I wonder if anyone has convinced themselves of that?

Short of one-hit wonders, this is usually a good assumption. You can increase concert sales by either increasing the number of fans, or convincing your fans to see your show again; both of which are easier with new material.