Anyone have a problem with CD ripping?

[Kamille]

Does anyone here feel like copying CDs to your hard drive is stealing. I thought about it over the weekend because I lost my CD case which had about $200-$250 worth of music in it, and some rare stuff.

So I thought if I just made a back-up of all of my albums I'd never have that problem. They'd always be on my computer. Then I wondered if that was technically stealing since I'd never have to buy any album that I'd copied again for any reason.

Sorry if this sounds like whining, but I've been thinking about this more and more since I'm planning to write a novel and get it published, so I feel a bit guilty when it comes to artistic profit and copyright.

[termyt]

Once you legally own a CD, it is yours to do with as you wish. The U.S. courts have routinely upheld the rights of CD owners such as yourself to store music on your own computers for your own use. You can even make copies of the CD’s you obtain legally.

It is, of course, illegal to sell a copy of the music you buy and it is fuzzy/gray/possibly illegal/most likely unethical to give copies of your music away. (You can, of course, sell or give away the original copy you purchased, but then keeping a copy for yourself after selling or otherwise disposing of the original puts you back on morally shaky ground.)

I recommend buying your CD’s and then making copies of them. Put the originals someplace safe and use the copies for daily listening pleasures. That way if your collection is lost or stolen, you still have your original copies and thus your original right to produce and use copies for your own enjoyment.

[AsianBlossom]

What he said. ^^

[Doubleshadow]

No. It's legally, morally, and ethically sound. You have paid the artist for the music and you are not disseminating it. It's in no way stealing or cheating.

[Kamille]

Arigato gozaimasu. You all are a big help.