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Possibly contradicting my previous stated views on illegal downloading...
It's weird how, several hundred (possibly a few thousand) years ago, all music and stories were essentially folk music and folk stories (written by and for the people) and if someone wrote a song or a story (which obviously they wouldn't write physically) it would then be something which everyone took ownership of and passed on to others, down through generations etc.
And it's interesting how this situation's where music and stories are owned by people who sang or wrote them (partially of course 'cos following the advent of writing we now know who the author or composer actually is) is now seen as something that's "always" happened, although it isn't the case.
Obviously in those times things were shared amongst tribes and people and the concept of currency didn't exist in the way it does today, so it doesn't necessarily justify illegal downloading as an artist still needs to be able to make money from their art to live. But it is interestng how a concept which seems so definite is actually a fairly modern creation.
I'd like to think I had a point I was going to make here but I'm not sure what it was. Ah, there's the "post it" button, perhaps I'll just