It’s only a hunch, but we assume most students receive some form of payment for working at their jobs. It’s also safe to reason that pay is their main motivator for keeping the job.

Why, then, should musicians be excluded from this logic?
Think about it. Each time a student illegally downloads a song or album onto their computer from a file-sharing service, the artist who created that music receives virtually no compensation for a piece of art that can sometimes take years to make.

Last semester, the Northern Star reported a story about 28 NIU students who were facing penalties for illegally obtaining copyrighted material, mainly by downloading it from these file-sharing programs.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) routinely conducts searches to locate people illegally downloading music and other information.
The RIAA sent the aforementioned students letters giving them the option to settle the matter out of court or otherwise face legal action. The Star reported last semester these out-of-court settlements ranged anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000.

We’re not saying all music downloading is bad. Bands who may be just starting out and looking for their first big break most likely benefit from the word-of-mouth exposure they get when students download and spread their work. Students who might not purchase an album at all may reconsider after hearing sample tracks for free.

What we would like to bring into light, however, is that there are consequences — as evidenced last semester — of illegally downloading music. These consequences are too easily overlooked by cash-strapped students.

We’re sensitive to this fact, too, and realize not everyone can drop $15 or $20 for every new album. Instead, we’d encourage downloaders to find services that promote a monthly subscription fee or a low, per-song charge.

This way, the situation is equitable both for students and musicians alike, without the potential for students to find themselves in legal trouble down the road.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.