[Al Skierkiewicz]

I know that this might be a little hard to understand but there is a lot of money being lost to people who pirate music. On the surface it would seem harmless, but the effect on the industry and on you is beyond your wildest imagination. The RIAA has been around a long time and during that period they have help set standards for music reproduction that have formed the world as we hear it. Without their efforts, hifi would have meant 50 5000 Hz instead of the 20-20kHz accepted today. Many of the pirated selections that are reaping the largest profit are substandard copies of some excellent artists and their greatest works. Substandard copies do nothing to advance the art or educate the listening public as to excellence in recording art. The RIAA is trying to protect the future of the recording industry. You don't have to agree with their goals but they are trying to cover a lot of problems that will make your enjoyment of music last a lifetime. The biggest problem for any recording artist these days is the pirating of music. It has become prevalent throughout the world but particularly in technologically advanced countries like the US. You can see a representative group who has already answered here and who think copying music for their own use is not illegal. Well it is, it's stealing no matter how you cut it. Just because almost everyone you know does it, does not make it right. When you borrow a friend's CD and rip it on your computer, your are stealing. Each copy you cut for someone else continues the theft. For example, your are lead guitar in a moderate band and a record company thinks you have a future. They contract with you to cut a CD for which you will make 3 cents on everyone sold. The CD takes off and you think it's pretty cool, you are going to see some real money coming in which will allow you to invest in some new amps, maybe buy a composition or two from another artist and get started on a road show. The record execs tell you that predictions are that the market will likely top out at sales of 650,000 units. That's about $20K in your pocket. Someone early on thinks your CD is pretty hot too and they start the campaign on getting copies of your material onto web sites and e transfers across the country. You start to see the sales numbers which shot up in the first few weeks dwindle to nothing. Everyone is talking about how hot your band is but no one is buying the disc and the record execs come back and tell you, "Sorry, we thought you were hot and were going some place but the sales are just not there." The second CD deal is canceled, the road show is canceled and your band dissolves before your eyes. Your projected $20K tops out at $8-10K and you take it, pay your bills and go to work for Target and see your CD in the $3 discount rack at the checkout. It's a harsh reality that is playing out everyday. If you are really hot, then there are the real professionals (thieves) who are out making look alike copies which are being sold and you see nothing from the sales. Wouldn't you want an advocate, someone to go after these thieves and who will share your legal expenses to get them prosecuted. If you were an artist, you would want to belong to the RIAA and you would want someone fighting for you so you could devote your time to advancing your art. If music is important to you, then don't copy it.
Signed,
A person who works in the music industry...