Illegally downloading music has been an issue forever. It’s probably the easiest ‘crime’ to commit- anyone with a computer and five minutes can download an album or two. Luckily sites like Spotify and Pandora can help curb the issue, but there are still billions of songs illegally downloaded as you read this.
Stella Monye, a Nigerian singer, has an idea for solving the piracy issue. Amputation. “If their fingers are cut, they won’t see the hands to use in pirating the works,” she says. “Cutting their fingers off will stop them, by the time you cut off two people’s fingers others will stop.” Now now, doesn’t that seem like a bit much?
“They will learn and it will be faster in stopping them; without a drastic measure they won’t stop. Taking them to court to be fined N10, 000 (about $62 USD) will not deter them. They will pay and come out to continue.” (Translated)
She claims that piracy has taken a toll on Nigerian musicians, and has greatly affected how much money they make.
“You become a pauper because of your pirated works, they impoverish you. What is more wicked than pirating someone’s intellectual property and making the person suffer without getting anything from all the money he invested in the works. We have been saying a lot about piracy but the authorities have not done much for it to be stopped.”
Am I the only one who thinks this is a little dramatic? There is no way to monitor all illegal downloads no matter how hard the government tries. Still, be damn careful, you don’t wanna get your fingers chopped off.
