We’ve all heard it before: Piracy is a serious criminal offense. It is equivalent to theft—no, worse than conventional theft.

Make no mistake: Pirating music over the Internet is illegal. But illegality alone has never been a sound moral argument.

I want to examine the consequences of these acts as a defense of them. My argument does not contest the illegality or basic morality of piracy. Theft of intellectual property is wrong, but I would like to consider the possibility that a greater good can be achieved through it. Particularly, true artistry may be saved from the petty kitsch to which it has been reduced.

Art has forever been a testament to the power of the human spirit. It alleviates the suffering that characterizes our existence—the constant struggle for an ultimate purpose or reason to life that few, if any, truly find.

Music is an especially vital form of art because it resonates with the deepest part of the soul that can only be reached through pure emotion. Music does not need words, pictures or reason of any kind; it moves the listener with naught but pure emotion.

For this, it is beautiful.

But this has been stolen from us. “The Music Industry” is an oxymoron, for it fails to produce music. Instead, it generates a hollow shell of what music once was, devoid of meaning outside of being merely entertaining.

Now, it must be admitted that entertainment has a purpose and is beneficial in many cases. However, the eminence of the music industry has entirely redefined the very word “music” in the language of goods and services, depriving humanity of its original artistry.

The definition of “music” is ever shifting from that which is art to that which is profitable, but art cannot be created for the purpose of profit. The music industry has, principally, stolen musical art from us.

Thus, by removing the profitable incentive which currently drives “music,” we may regain the original artistry that is solely capable of soothing the human heart. Seeing as it has been stolen from humanity, it is only appropriate that we attempt to steal art back. Few causes of such a nature were ever won by the means of polite request.

Let us examine how the goods of the music industry are athieved. An uploader buys Justin Timberlake’s album “FutureSex/LoveSounds” from a store. He then rips the files from the CD, generating mp3 files. These are uploaded to a file-sharing site, where they may be downloaded by any individual with an Internet connection and the proper freeware.

By this method, one purchase serves several thousand individuals. Every downloader represents one CD that did not generate revenue.

So long as authorities fail to suppress such acts, and the current acceleration of piracy continues, the music industry may become unprofitable within the next couple decades. Several years later, the lack of ability to garner profit would result in its collapse, a revolutionary event in the history of music.

The collapse of the music industry would be a desirable event. It would remove profit from the realm of music, allowing true artists to return to the original artistry that music once was. With an inability to profit from creativity, the purity of creative talent can be assured.

Furthermore, music will once again be redefined as an act of spirit rather than economics. The one art capable of communicating through pure emotion would be returned to humanity, free to exist outside of economic motivation.

Pirating music may appear wrong, but it can achieve an end that far outweighs the immediate immorality. Pirating can remove the profit incentive from the world of music, returning it to its original integrity. From an unjust act may come the rebirth of music.