Prosecutors say it would be next to impossible to get one teen to testify in court that another had slipped him or her a copied disc at lunchtime. And besides, isn't sharing music a time-honored part of teen friendship?
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Actually, attorneys say, copying a purchased CD for even one friend violates the federal copyright code most of the time.
From being a teacher and educator, I see the state of the music through the eyes of an 18-year-old coming on to the scene, and we want to make sure it stays intact. With my generation, it's our duty to do that.
We have a problem now with parents stealing their kids' CDs, so the roles have been reversed.
I wish all teenagers can filter through songs instead of turning to drugs and alcohol.
I work with youth offenders in LA, I've heard them speak and see how music manipulates them.
I think it's easy to make impenetrable music that nobody can get, and you can hide behind that sometimes.
I think you have to keep a childlike quality to play music or make a record.
I came up in Brooklyn singing doo-wop music from the time I was 13 to the time I was 20. That music served a purpose of keeping a lot of people out of trouble, and also it was a passport from one neighborhood to another.
But I always held my music up and protected it from compromise. So I just do it for my friends. I've written hundreds of songs, and I'm sure I have a few albums worth of songs.
Hollywood and the recording industry argue that current law permits the copying of songs and movies, and sharing them on the Internet. This enables young people to grow up learning how to steal.