Miles Files: Stop downloading music for free Miles Files: Stop downloading music for free (September 15, 2004)

By Miles McMullin
8th-grader, St. Joseph's School

This summer, I found I was downloading lots of music off iTunes and onto my iPod. This was new for me because -- I have to admit -- I used to get music from free music file-sharing sites, such as Limewire, Kazaa and Gnutella.

After I learned how many artists were robbed of money due to free downloads and that such "music sharing" is illegal, I changed to a paid site.

Also, my parents have been telling me that, although our generation doesn't look at it this way, downloading music for free is stealing.

Since I changed, I decided to find out what my friends were doing and found they no longer download music for free, either. I talked to five of them and not one of them still downloads music illegally.

One friend, Joe Gardener, told me: "I stopped when I started getting viruses that eventually destroyed my computer. Plus, once I realized how much money the musicians are losing, I quit."

I hope there are millions of kids like my friends and me who have switched and stopped using free file-sharing sites. I applaud these people.

To the people who are still using Limewire, Kazaa and other such programs: Stop doing it and let the artists make the money they deserve.

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