I used to justify piracy by thinking that the digital data was more like particles in water than items on a shelf. If you pee into the water, it doesn't matter

I used to justify piracy by thinking that the digital data was more like particles in water than items on a shelf. If you pee into the water, it doesn't matter how much or where you aim, all the water is corrupted. In the same way, if an artist releases digital work, they're essentially giving it away because there's no effective way to contain it. DRM fails just like trying to stop pee from spreading in water. I held the idea that if an artist uses a digital medium, they should just accept that when it's copied once (from their private computer to the public web) that it's copied indefinitely. I would claim that the nature of the digital world and internet can't support the blocking off information like that. I'd like to still believe in this, but I'm not sure the logic holds up. I pay about $20/year for Spotify because several of my friends have a family plan. I know this tactic is used with foreign students and cell phone plans as well.