You've raised some valid points, but I'd like to respond simply: I (personally) pirate most things that I pirate because a lot of these things are not comfortably affordable to me. I wish I could buy all the books that I want, the entertainment to keep wife & me (and the kids) happy and up with current culture such that I have a proper sense of what everybody's like these days so I can communicate with them easily, buy the design and video editing software for my startup, - and then have all these things work in my own terms without being a total pain in my a-hole. (mp3 works on my phone... but not on my wife's? Fuck that, I like being able to share songs I like).
But... I can't really do all of this, I don't have the money. If and when I have the means to do this comfortably, I'll do it! Until then, this is the way I'm gonna go. And the thing is, if I was not pirating all of these things and simply abstaining from enjoying these costly goods, it still would all be the same to the entity I'd buy it from -- because from their view it's a) simply not consume, or b) consume -- and for the time being at least contribute to fulfilling a network effects popularity of the thing, or at least get interested enough to be a willing buyer sometime in the future, (see Adobe and Microsoft leaked documents expressing their being okay people pirating their products. I'm sure you understand that Adobe and MS would indeed that you rather use a pirated copy of Windows/Photoshop than to go with Linux (or GIMP)... because this way you at least get hooked/familiarized with it, and might buy it legally when you're a business owner or something).
I'm poor and I like chicken sandwiches because all my friends like chicken sandwiches. I can't afford chicken sandwiches so I steal them instead so that I can fit in with my friends (sometimes I leave a couple quarters on the counter because that is all it costs them to make one and I'd like them to break even). The company I steal them from shouldn't be upset with me because I've been able to find out who has the best chicken sandwiches and when I have money I'll pay for my chicken sandwiches.
Yes, the company can say "consume and pay or don't consume" because they paid all the money to make the content in the first place. Any other option is stealing.
You're making the common logical fallacy of equating physical goods with digital goods. Digital goods are replicable at zero cost to the original producer. Unlike a chicken sandwich company, the producers of the content don't lose any money if the pirate wasn't going to buy the product in the first place.
If a lot more people listening to your music, lowers the value of this music in the eyes of these people and everybody else, I'd blame the music, not piracy. This phenomenon is commonly known as "shitty pop music", and it just so happens that this "genre" is sold with more DRM than any other type of music.
>I (personally) pirate most things that I pirate because a lot of these things are not comfortably affordable to me. I wish I could buy all the books that I want, the entertainment to keep wife & me (and the kids) happy and up with current culture such that I have a proper sense of what everybody's like these days so I can communicate with them easily
Have you checked out the selection at your local library?
My parents go down there and take out multiple movies a day, for FREE. I also hear they have books there.
No, because the library needs to buy one for each thing a person has out at a time, and they eventually wear out, and you have to wait in a queue to get it instead of getting it right away, and a zillion other extremely obvious objections.
My nearby library recently installed a Redbox like device in the lobby. All you need is your library card and you can check out movies. Best part is, the lobby is open 24/7 so I can checkout or return movies at any time.
This sounds fine in the abstract, but I'm suspicious of it in practice because it's hard to make an honest evaluation of your willingness to pay for these goods when you have the easy option of getting them for free. I see many people using this argument while at the same time paying for other leisure goods that I suspect they actually value less than, say, music. The difference is that these other leisure goods really do have a pay-or-abstain dynamic imposed by reality. Reality keeps you honest about how much you're willing to pay for those goods, whereas with music you can consume the good without paying for it and never confront the decision of paying or abstaining from it.
That doesn't necessarily apply to you specifically, since it's dependent on your financial situation and how much you consume various media. Imagine yourself in a hypothetical world where it wasn't physically possible to pirate any music, TV shows, movies, software, etc. Would you really completely abstain from enjoying those goods, or would you simply reduce your consumption while actually paying for it? I think for many people, it's the latter.
But... I can't really do all of this, I don't have the money. If and when I have the means to do this comfortably, I'll do it! Until then, this is the way I'm gonna go. And the thing is, if I was not pirating all of these things and simply abstaining from enjoying these costly goods, it still would all be the same to the entity I'd buy it from -- because from their view it's a) simply not consume, or b) consume -- and for the time being at least contribute to fulfilling a network effects popularity of the thing, or at least get interested enough to be a willing buyer sometime in the future, (see Adobe and Microsoft leaked documents expressing their being okay people pirating their products. I'm sure you understand that Adobe and MS would indeed that you rather use a pirated copy of Windows/Photoshop than to go with Linux (or GIMP)... because this way you at least get hooked/familiarized with it, and might buy it legally when you're a business owner or something).