It's also illegal to keep a recording of a tv show longer then you have to to have had watched it once.

It's illegal to photocopy a page from a published book with consent from the publisher.

It's illegal to play a legitamatily purchased copy of a movie or music in public, for others to see, or hear.(ie. you work in a store or resturant and you pop in a cd for some background music = illegal, unless you purchased a license for that song.)

It's illegal to put on the internet guitar tabs that you made yourself of a real song off the radio. 

 It's illegal to speed. which we all do and the above is other examples of how annoying laws could be. We call downloading a song illegal and "stealing" but we don't call it stealing when a resturant plays that purchased song. Just because they have it doesn't mean they own the right to use it in any fashion, we've been entrusted to use it only to the means in which our limited license allows us too, which quite often makes these industries seem petty and is in essence encouraging the illegal activity on the net today.

 Or perhaps I can thank the lack of marketing (ie, 0% radio time), the fact that I can't by a lot of bands I like locally (or at least not without ordering CDs in) and the fact that Australia is a remote location. While I do not like the fact that 80% of the bands I like will never tour to Australia, if they are going to complain that their music is being pirated here then they might want to make it more readily available.

While I do buy a lot of the music I end up listening to regularly, without Napster and then the following p2p networks, I doubt I would listen to the bands I listen to now. 

For those interested, my favourite genre is Progressive/Symphonic/Melodic/Power Metal, although I listen to a very expansive range of music.

(Oh and when you bands do tour, skipping Sydney and only playing in Melbourne then saying you'll probably never come back to Australia sure pisses off a bunch of fans, **cough**Blind Guardian**cough**)

So many people here concerned about the artists. Fact is, most artists earn crap money off of CD sales. They make their bucks at live concerts. If you really love that band, don't buy their CD at the record store, go to the show and buy the CD at the merch table. You'll experience real talent (or perhaps lack thereof :P) and give them some real support.

 What do Canadian artists think of the legality of downloading their music? Here's a slice from the Canadian Music Creators Coalition (musiccreators.ca), which represents a diverse group of Canadian musicians, from the internationally renowned to many of the most successful independant musicians:

 The CMCC is united under three key principles:

Suing Our Fans is Destructive and Hypocritical
Artists do not want to sue music fans. The labels have been suing our fans against artists’ will, and laws enabling these suits cannot be justified in artists’ names.

Digital Locks are Risky and Counterproductive
Artists do not support using digital locks to increase the labels’ control over the distribution, use and enjoyment of music or laws that prohibit circumvention of such technological measures. Consumers should be able to transfer the music they buy to other formats under a right of fair use, without having to pay twice.

Cultural Policy Should Support Actual Canadian Artists
The vast majority of new Canadian music is not promoted by major labels, which focus mostly on foreign artists. The government should use other policy tools to support actual Canadian artists and a thriving musical and cultural scene.

 Is that for the US, or are those laws the same for the UK/EU.

Do I know: YES

Do I care that it's Illegal: NO

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IllegalPaladin said: <------

 O rly?

ya RLY

This is actually the exact opposite experience of most of the bands I know, who are almost all unsigned or signed to small labels. The venues they play and the gate they charge is far too small to bring in much income. They make most of their money from CD and online sales.