of producing the CD, packaging it, shipping it, and so on. They are losing money and property from your action. But, when you are dealing with information, you can copy it an infinite number of times, but the original creator can still have the original copy. Record and movie companies say that by downloading, you are taking money out of people's pockets. However, through downloading, you can also put money into them. In many cases, a person will download a song or two because they have the means to, and then if they like it, they will go out and buy the CD. Without file-sharing programs, that person would not have had a way to listen to the album at all and if they didn't feel like buying it, that's money the record company and the musician are losing out on. "Who doesn't want to get paid for their work?" said Wayne Coyne of the indie-rock band Flaming Lips. "But I think it works to musicians' benefit for people to be able to occasionally listen to their music and, if they really like it, go out and buy it." MP3s actually serve as marketing samples for albums. Kushner's plan is an idea many people have had and something that many people have done. He calls it the Three-By-Three Plan and it says if you download three or more songs from the same album and listen to them three or more times, then you should go buy the CD. According to Kushner, this lets the average person find out if an album is going to be worth paying $15 or $20 dollars and if they do buy the album, they get to have the actual CD. This plan is beneficial because it reduces guilt on the part of the downloader, and it rewards the musician for their work while also inspiring them to make an entire good album as opposed to a few good songs and filler.
             The record companies use the Nielsen Rating System to determine record sales. When they talk about downloading, they always point to record sales and no one questions the legitimacy of the nu...