Staff Writer
The majority of students at Coppell High School enjoy different genres of music, whether it is alternative, rock, classical or pop. Students claim they want to support their favorite bands and artists; however, these same students would rather use websites such as LimeWire, Media Fire, or BT Junky to download their favorite songs illegally.
Everyone enjoys music, and people seem to enjoy it even more when they no longer have to pay for it. Almost every teenager has illegally downloaded songs or movies, fully aware that these same songs/movies downloaded can be found on iTunes for a reasonable price.
The number of students who participate in illegal downloading has seriously increased because of new websites being named the “safest place to download.”
What annoys me the most is that teens are aware of how these popular downloading sites can cause viruses, causing them to spend even more money on repairing their laptop or computer.
We have all heard the saying that if you cheat, you are really just cheating yourself. However, in this case, as teenagers’ cheat and steal for free music, the only person getting hurt is the music artist. It is sad that when students hear a new song, they automatically download it, not feeling any sense of guilt for stealing an artist’s work.
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), 95 percent of music is downloaded illegally. With the innovations of the iPod and digital music and albums, the possession of songs illegally has quickly increased from 2003 to 2011.
Downloading songs and movies is illegal, and students seem to ignore this because it is such a common crime, making it difficult for teens to avoid it.
There is always an excuse on why teens participate in the things that they do. Believe it or not, there are some legitimate reasons why teens would rather download songs than buy them.
With the economy in its current state, it is hard for kids to use their hard-earned money to purchase music that they can easily get for free. This crime is ridiculously easy to commit, and no one tends to understand the effect it has on others.
Almost none of us can say we have never listened or downloaded some sort of media illegally. Even though it is morally wrong to steal, teens will still download these songs feeling no sense of guilt and believe what they are doing is completely normal and ethical.
