Dan Given wrote:
What I am failing to understand in this entire argument is why people think that they have a "right" to hear all music that has been recorded.
No one has enough time in their life to hear all the music that's been recorded. Nor the energy. Nor the interest. People don't have a "right" to hear a bunch of music they don't own. They can. Simply stated.
Well, there are lots of things I can't afford (a new car, my own house, a long vacation), etc. Does that mean we are entitled to them anyway?
The question isn't about entitlement. It's about behavior. Peter made a good point earlier about why copying music isn't theft in the same degree as stealing music from a store. It may well be theft, but isn't of the same kind. What's actually getting lost in this discussion is the fact that it's mute. None of this is going to change anyone's behavior. They will continue as before. It's virtually impossible to control this behavior. If you want to stop people from copying CDs, stop making them. Make something they can't copy.
As for copying discs or making compilations for friends to try things out - why not just let them listen to it at your house? Or lend it to them?
Because some people have a real knack for making your CDs theirs. And if they don't get the data and info and artwork on the CD copy, maybe they'll go out and buy one for themselves. But maybe not.