What should we do?
So it seems that we've established that piracy, while wrong, isn't truly killing the music industry, or any other industry for that matter. It's probably doing more harm than it is good, but the consequences don't seem to be as scary as some people would like the public to believe. What you should do about it is up to you, and your moral values.
Insert image with day9 shirt here
Shown above is an image of myself wearing a Day[9]TV shirt. Sean "Day[9]" Plott is an inspiration to me, he hosts an internet show Sunday through Thursday at 7:00 and I try to tune in as much as I can. Because I appreciate his show so much, I decided to purchase his shirt. I wear it with pride, supporting his show and feeling like I've contributed to his efforts. I think this is relevant because purchasing merchandise is a great way to support any group/individual that has merchandise for sale.
Image of money?
In the end I think what matters is that if you truly appreciate something, show your appreciation by purchasing the work. Whether that be a song, an album, software for your computer, or a movie, find a way to give back to the hard working people that created the product that you enjoyed so much. If you really feel the need to, then stop pirating all together, as I'm sure it would be beneficial in many ways. I feel, however, that this is unreasonable to ask as it is something that is so deeply embedded into our culture and hard to let go of. Whatever you choose, I don't think it will matter all that much in the end. There have been many piracy scares in the past, and just look at how far we've come.
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