One issue in the music industry that seems to be a constant problem is illegal downloading of music. While many get away with it, there are some less fortunate who end up having to pay the cost. According to NPR online, a Minnesota, Jamie Thomas, was ordered by a federal judge to pay $222,000 for the songs she illegally downloaded off the internet. Thomas, who is 30 years of age, was told she had to pay each of the six record companies $9,250 for every 24 songs she downloaded. The record companies had accused Thomas of using a Kazaa account, which allows one to download and share music without paying. There are many sites like this, including Limewire and Bearshare. So many people use these websites without a second thought. No one ever thinks that being sued by record companies will happen to them, but Thomas’ case is just one of many. According to the NPR, since 2003, there have been over 26,000 lawsuits filed over file-sharing. The record companies have hope that this will send a message to everyone that they are serious about their actions when it comes to illegal downloading. The technology we have today is amazing. The fact that we can digitally download music is something that was once considered unheard of. While this is a great advance for us, is it something that is really causing more harm than good to those who love music? Should we be allowed to share music at our own discretion?
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