the way i see it i dont even consider piracy of software theft. for it to be theft they have to take it away from someone else. sence software can be copied ihnto infinity with a minimum cost, i dont see it as much of a loss. i only pirate what i cant affors, i spend all my money on computers and broadband, theres little left to pay for overpriced software, most of wich in inefficient and poorly designed bloatware. some graphic software costs in excess of $500 and for a teen hobyist it is imposible to get any other way. you can buy a good cpu for less than a copy of windows. if technology costs keep dropping why do software costs keep rising, even as the code becomes less and less efficent as technology improves. piracy doesnt cost companys any money because the people that pirate couldnt afford the software anyway.
and on to music. i remember when you could buy a record for $4.99, kids with there allowance could go to the music store and pick up a record or two. the recording technologys have changed

sence then. cd production is a hell of

cheaper than tape or vinal production. yet the prices of records have trippled. technology has made the job of recording and distributing music a lot cheaper, yet prices are still hi. too high for anyone to buy music on a regular bassis. and again the crap out factor, the easyer it is to produce music, the more crappy music gets to the shelfs. i knew live bar bands in phoenix which were far better than anything i ever heard on the radio. when i compare european metal to american metal, i see europe's music scene evolving while the usa is still stuck making stuff they can sell to kids. there is something wrong when they produce music that targets children, then charge outrageous prices for it. buisnessmen at record companies know that music doesnt have to be good to sell it.
as for movies id still rather spend $7 and go see it at the theater. save the purposfull overpricing of snak food, the movies have managed to remain cheap enough to send the kids too. my isp gives me a transfer quota of about 5 gigs, and ive neither had the time or patience to download movies. dvds on the other hand, now those are overpriced to hell. but sence i dont like to watch movies over and over again i dont buy them.