Read the passage below and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Then “submit” your work.
You and your friend Zach are really into a local band called Spikefish. You have attended their concerts and bought their T-shirts. Spikefish has begun to gather a larger following as well; their songs are now available to purchase through online music sites such as iTunes and Amazon. Zach tells you that you don’t have to buy the songs — he has found a website that allows you to download them for free. Of course, it is illegal not to buy the songs, but Zach says that everybody does it, and as long as you don’t download too much too often, you’re probably not going to get caught. He gets a lot of his music this way, from struggling new bands like Spikefish to mega-successful established artists like U2.
Zach’s argument is that you’re not really hurting the band by illegally downloading music because it’s the corporations — the record labels — that make the real money, and he doesn’t care about them. He also says that in some ways, illegal downloading helps the bands — by making people more interested in their music, more likely to attend their concerts, and perhaps more likely to buy some of their music legally in the future. You think that bands deserve to earn the fruit of their labors and talents, and you know that it is wrong to engage in what is clearly illegal conduct. But you also really want your music and it seems so easy to get away with illegal downloading. What should you do? What do you say to Zach?