Persuasive Essay: Stealing Music Is a Crime That Should be Punished Severely

Stealing music is a crime that should attract a very severe punishment. This is because artists patent or copyright their music before they release it into the market. It means music is a copyrighted product protected by the federal laws of the United States and stealing it amounts to stealing intellectual property (Demers). This should be the reason that staling music ought to attract a severe form of punishment because it is illegal and goes against the laid down copyright laws. It makes stealing music a criminal offence punishable in the most severe form possible to deter other users from engaging in the same act. The law enforcement agencies should make offenders an example to other Americans.

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Music-making is a demanding process that takes its toll on artists. They invest most of their time coming up with lyrics and assembling the final content into a presentable form in the entertainment market. This makes it only fair for the end consumers in the market to compensate the artistes who are content creators for their efforts and creativity in making music. Stealing music amounts to denying them their hard-earned earnings yet they are people like everyone else who have financial obligations to meet. Stealing their music should be punished mercilessly to ensure they get their rightful dues. All people should be compensated for the work of their sweat and effort.

Stealing music through illegal online downloads should be punished severely because it robs the government of revenue through taxes and other levies charged on music sales (Johns). This creates a loophole in government revenue collection through its tax collection agencies leading to lower amount being collected overall. This has the direct effect of hampering the government plans to fund various projects all over the country that are meant to progressively propel the economy forward. People who are caught stealing music should face the full force of the law to drive home the point that they are not only stealing the music but also from their own government that is tasked with the provision of essential services to the American public.

Music is not a stand-alone art as it involves other forms of creative arts. Besides the artistes, there are music producers who make the tracks as well as fil makers who shoot the music videos. We also have dancers and acrobats who are well represented in recorded music. This is just like publishing a book or painting a piece of art. The many faces of music-making that are involved need to be compensated as well. Stealing recorded music robs these people of their livelihood. It cripples the entertainment industry by killing the dreams of various artistes, especially new people looking for breakthrough in the entertainment industry.

Conclusion

Stealing music ought to be severely punished because it is morally wrong as it goes against the individual ethics of people in particular and the social values of the society in general. There is no difference between stealing music by downloading it online and shoplifting at a convenience store (Holt and Bossler). The character traits that restrain a person from stealing from a store in the street are the same moral values that should dissuade people from stealing music. It becomes a moral issue that haunts the character of an individual as they will come out as untrustworthy and thieves. This is why the theft of music should attract severe punitive measures.

Works Cited

Demers, Joanna T. Steal This Music: How Intellectual Property Law Affects Musical Creativity. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2016. Internet resource.

Holt, Thomas J. and Bossler, Adam M. Cybercrime in Progress: Theory and Prevention of Technology-enabled Offenses. Routledge, 2015. Print.

Johns, Adrian. Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates. Chicago, Ill: University of Chicago Press, 2012. Internet resource.