Sharing mp3s: not stealing, giving to charity

The RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America) would have us believe that sharing/downloading mp3s/movies is like stealing cars or televisions. We are told this almost constantly in the news, before movies in the cinema, etc. Most people find this difficult to believe at least for the obvious reason that, once a TV is stolen, it is no longer in the store. But once an mp3/movie is downloaded, it still exists with the 'supplier'.


However, what has occurred to me recently, is that P2P sharing of mp3s/movies is less like traditional theft and more like...giving to charity. One steals a TV or car in order to make money, which is to say, to resell it. Instead, most people who trade mp3s online do not do it for the money, but rather to sample what is there, to reacquire songs they once owned but lost, or other similarly non-capitalistic reasons--appreciation, for example.

Thus, P2P sharing is more similar to taking your old clothes to a charity, than it is to stealing a new TV.


As a post script, the RIAA and movie industries claim huge losses due to downloads. Indeed, this is the prime driving force behind the current 'awareness' campaign (and lawsuits). However, I beg to differ with their interpretation. In reality, if the internet (or P2P) didn't exist and the songs/movies couldn't be downloaded, most of them would never be acquired by these people. That is, the people doing much of the downloading (apart from those doing it as a business--and these people are not targeted by the RIAA) would not be buying the CDs/DVDs anyway. Most of these people just download as a collector might and probably never listen to most of the songs they download--and would definitely not be buying them. So, in effect, P2P has not lost the companies much money and has actually gained them a free advertising venue. Unfortunately, the typical, dollar-signs-in-their-eyes executives are unable to see reality through their imaginary financial losses. Anyway, anyone that's traveled some of the world can tell them that their real losses are coming from the mass downloaders that package and resell the CDs/DVDs more cheaply than the original, something that happens in the Mediterranean countries, the middle east and southeast Asia. I've seen stores in Middle East shopping centers that have the knock-off media proudly displayed in the front of the store and will mention to you that you can also buy the more expensive original, if you want, in the back.