A Closer Look at Music PiracyWhether it's your younger cousin listening to the latest nursery rhyme CD on the way to preschool or the noisy neighbor blasting heavy metal from his stereo, just about everyone enjoys listening to some form of music. The music is powerful. In the past, music was controversial because of the subject matter certain artists covered or the way they looked. But recently, a new debate is taking place, and it has nothing to do with the music itself, but rather with the way it is distributed. Music piracy has been a big concern over the past decade as music lovers around the world have started sharing music without purchasing it from the rightful owners. Although this is considered a negative effect of recent technology, music piracy should be tolerated as it has many positive effects for musicians as well as the music industry as a whole. Music has defined eras and shaped cultures, seamlessly uniting different people in a common goal. Music is generally used as a form of entertainment, but it has also served many other purposes. Some medical practices offer music therapy to help patients overcome obstacles in their lives. Others used his powers to make political statements, such as songs protesting war and government action. Regardless of a person's age or background, it can be assumed that almost everyone enjoys some genre of music. And it's even nicer when it's free. Music piracy can be defined simply as the illegal sharing of music. Piracy is made possible by hosting websites that allow Internet users to download music files from each other without having to pay. Music has evolved from vinyl records to cassettes to CDs and ...... middle of paper ...... together. Columbia University, nd Web. May 5, 2014. .3. Siwek, Stephen. “The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy > IPI Issues > Institute for Policy Innovation.” The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy > IPI Issues > Institute for Policy Innovation. The Institute for Policy Innovation, July 21, 2007. Web. May 4, 2014. .4. “The History of Internet Piracy.” Crack.com. Cracked, and Web. May 2, 2014. .5. Thompson, Paul. "Radiohead's Rainbows Hits Revealed." Fork. Np, October 15, 2008. Web. May 5 2014. .