Music theft hurts the music community!
While downloading one song may not feel that serious a crime, the accumulative
impact of millions of songs downloaded illegally - and without any compensation
to all the people who helped to create that song and bring it to fans - is
devastating. One credible study by the Institute for Policy Innovation
pegs the harm at $12.5 billion dollars in losses to the U.S. economy as well as
over 70,000 lost jobs and more than $2 billion in lost wages to American
workers
(see the study here). It's having a very real and harmful impact on
countless singers, songwriters, musicians, album producers, audio engineers,
sound technicians, recording studio managers, and many others that contribute
to creating the music we love.
It's illegal!
The unauthorized reproduction and distribution of copyrighted music is JUST AS
ILLEGAL AS SHOPLIFTING A CD. Sharing music on peer-to-peer networks like Ares,
BitTorrent, Gnutella, Limewire, and Frostwire is against the law. The rules are
very simple. Unless you own the copyright, it's not yours to distribute.
Legal Services
There are now more than 11 million legal tracks online and 400 licensed music
services available worldwide. Check out some of the more popular music sources
here.
Sign Our Petition
Digital theft is killing the music business. It is destroying jobs,
opportunities and careers. Songwriters, artists, musicians and vocalists,
retailers, distributors, labels and publishers are all at risk, as is the
unique culture of American music itself. Please sign our petition urging
Congress and the Administration to act now to deter online music theft.
AEC One Stop Group . Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies . American
Assn. of Independent Music . American Federation of Musicians . American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists . American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers . Association of Independent Music Publishers .
Broadcast Music, Inc. . Christian Music Trade Association . Church Music
Publishers Association . Country Music Association . Gospel Music Association .
Hip Hop Summit Action Network . Jazz Alliance International . Music Managers
Forum-USA . Music Performance Fund . National Association of Recording
Merchandisers . National Music Publishers' Association . Nashville Songwriters
Association International . Recording Artists' Coalition . Recording Industry
Association of America . Rhythm and Blues Foundation . SESAC . SoundExchange .
Tennessee Songwriters Association International . The Recording Academy . The
Songwriters Guild of America . Wright Entertainment Group