I think people make a mistake trying to reconcile their actions by pointing to "realities" in the recording industry or with copyright law. We don't have to have a perfect system in place for it to be compulsory to, you know, pay for the stuff you obtain.
Last I checked the vast majority of musicians and actors are making a pretty #### good living...let me know if you hear about one signing up for unemployment...
What a joke. You're obviously speaking of the top few that really made it. There are thousands upon thousands of hungry musicians and actors waiting for their break or struggling with meager sales. If movies and records are more profitable, there will be more of an incentive to sign artists to deals, make records, and make movies. This leads to the employment of not only the artist, but all of the related professions (sound engineer, gaffer, producer, etc.). Furthermore, successful albums and blockbuster movies often subsidize the smaller projects. It's like poker, you win a big hand, you play the next one, no matter what your cards. You hit it big with a movie, you're damn sure that investor is putting it right back to another movie. On the flip side, if half the movies are flopping because of bootlegging, there will be less movies, and less spectacular movies.
When you step out from behind the rhetoric you see that the entertainment industry is just like any other industry, and taking things you don't pay for is stealing, whether it's an album or a loaf of bread. That said, I'm not some stodgy old codger. If someone gives me a burned CD that they say I just have to hear, I'll take it. It is art, so there should be some amount of sharing/freedom involved. Often, if I like the CD, I will buy other stuff from that artist, or see them at a live show. All I'm saying is that pirating ALL of your movies and music is shortchanging the artists you love, and ultimately selfish.
