If the music is offered as a free download, then go ahead and do it.
But if the download is without authorization, then the download is considered stealing. This isn't like shoplifting but once you cheat the author of the work, you deny that person his just compensation.
Imagine, I asked you to clean up my frontyard, cut the grass and water it. You put sweat and hard labor into your work. Then when you ask for your payment, I just say, it should be free. Or, I can't afford to pay for it so T.Y. na lang.
This is a musician's thread and all of us have dreamt of making a living playing our craft. We play for the love of music and hope that we can be rewarded. Hey, GAS attacks will eventually happen.
It's a cycle. You like songs written and sung by these artists. You say, hey, I don't want to pay to acquire their music, so I will just download illegally. The more you do it, the less the artist will create new material. What should he make new songs when he knows his songs will be shared without compensation.
I think I know what I am talking about. Aside from being a guitar player, I am also a lawyer specializing in Intellectual Property. So, please, don't download illegally. iTunes has 99 cents per download. You don't have to buy a whole album now. Fifty pesos a song is a decent price for a song that you can play again and again.
