--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's funny how the music industry is…" description: "\"It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/tom-petty-2030_industry_it-s-funny-how-the-music-industry-is-enr_1276347.png" --- # It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the… ![“It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the music? Because they can't afford the music.” quote by Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/tom-petty-2030_industry_it-s-funny-how-the-music-industry-is-enr_1276347.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/tom-petty-2030_industry_it-s-funny-how-the-music-industry-is-enr_1276347.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/tom-petty-2030_industry_it-s-funny-how-the-music-industry-is-enr_1276347.png) > “It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the music? Because they can't afford the music.” [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People steal music because they cannot afford it, highlighting economic inequality in access to art. **In simple terms:** People steal music when they can’t pay for it. Key Takeaway Support affordable access to music for all. Themes economics art accessibility inequality Mood concerned hopeful Type economic cultural When to use this quote - music streaming - policy advocacy - education - community programs Key Concepts pricing piracy digital distribution Questions to Reflect On - How can artists make music affordable? - What alternative models can sustain creators? A Different Perspective Legal enforcement alone won’t stop piracy without addressing affordability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-industry/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I do not believe that people should steal music, but I think that fans need a better alternative, hence why I am such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seal/i-do-not-believe-that-people-should-steal-music-but-i-think-that-fans/) [Seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seal/) > [For me, as someone growing up in a working-class suburb in Stockholm, I couldn't afford all the music. So back in '98, '99, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/for-me-as-someone-growing-up-in-a-working-class-suburb-in-stockholm-i/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [Post COVID-19, there will be a rise in the number of people only listening to songs. The rise in audio consumption is great for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jubin-nautiyal/post-covid-19-there-will-be-a-rise-in-the-number-of-people-only/) [Jubin Nautiyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jubin-nautiyal/) > [A lot of people don't know about music, but buy records. A lot of people that know about music can't afford to buy records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bolan/a-lot-of-people-don-t-know-about-music-but-buy-records-a-lot-of/) [Marc Bolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bolan/) > [There's so much excellent new music around that I can't afford to buy it all and I haven't the time to review as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wilson/there-s-so-much-excellent-new-music-around-that-i-can-t-afford-to-buy/) [Malcolm Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wilson/) > [The reality is that people think it's okay to steal music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/the-reality-is-that-people-think-it-s-okay-to-steal-music/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [You won't walk into a store and steal food. But people think it's ok to steal music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-snell/you-won-t-walk-into-a-store-and-steal-food-but-people-think-it-s-ok/) [Matt Snell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-snell/) > [Most people still steal music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/most-people-still-steal-music/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [The only thing that takes away from it is when they steal some music from one of my movies and put it in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/the-only-thing-that-takes-away-from-it-is-when-they-steal-some-music/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [I'm not sure if music got a future. We have all these electronic ways to download and steal music and get music, but there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-m-not-sure-if-music-got-a-future-we-have-all-these-electronic-ways/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [Napster has pointed the way for a new direction for music distribution, and we believe it will form the basis of important and exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-diller/napster-has-pointed-the-way-for-a-new-direction-for-music/) [Barry Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-diller/) > [My parents are so supportive of whatever we want to do and completely nurtured that, and they're so proud of that as well. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-john-kamen/my-parents-are-so-supportive-of-whatever-we-want-to-do-and-completely/) [Hannah John-Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-john-kamen/) > [A special fuck to all you cunts in my childhood that said I'd never make anything of myself, to all the assholes that hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-worsnop/a-special-fuck-to-all-you-cunts-in-my-childhood-that-said-i-d-never/) [Danny Worsnop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-worsnop/) > [I think overall, and this isn't specific to Spotify or any streaming service or any label... when you consider the overall value chain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-carter/i-think-overall-and-this-isn-t-specific-to-spotify-or-any-streaming/) [Troy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-carter/) > [I'm proud of my roots. There are not many Asians in the music industry so it's important for me to tell people where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-lee/i-m-proud-of-my-roots-there-are-not-many-asians-in-the-music-industry/) [Coco Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-lee/) ## More by Tom Petty > [Where the sky begins, the horizon ends, despite the best intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/where-the-sky-begins-the-horizon-ends-despite-the-best-intentions/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [As time goes by, you seem to weed out the things that were making your life hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/as-time-goes-by-you-seem-to-weed-out-the-things-that-were-making-your/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I would never put my songs in a commercial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-would-never-put-my-songs-in-a-commercial/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Take back your insurance, baby, nothing is guaranteed. Take back your acid rain, let your TV bleed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/take-back-your-insurance-baby-nothing-is-guaranteed-take-back-your/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [The great thing about the Wilburys was that none of us had to take the heat by ourselves. I was just a member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/the-great-thing-about-the-wilburys-was-that-none-of-us-had-to-take/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe that an artist has to take some moral responsibility for what he or she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-don-t-believe-in-censorship-but-i-do-believe-that-an-artist-has-to/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Any time you're making a living at what you love to do, you're blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/any-time-you-re-making-a-living-at-what-you-love-to-do-you-re-blessed/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [A rebel without a clue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/a-rebel-without-a-clue/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [If you look around at America, that's one of its biggest problems is you have corporations that can never be pleased at a profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/if-you-look-around-at-america-that-s-one-of-its-biggest-problems-is/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Even the losers get lucky sometimes. Even the losers keep a little bit of pride. They get lucky sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/even-the-losers-get-lucky-sometimes-even-the-losers-keep-a-little-bit/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [If you stretch your imagination, I'll tell you all a tale, about a time when everything wasn't up for sale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/if-you-stretch-your-imagination-i-ll-tell-you-all-a-tale-about-a-time/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [Buy me a drink, sing me a song; take me as I come, cause I can't stay long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/buy-me-a-drink-sing-me-a-song-take-me-as-i-come-cause-i-can-t-stay/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I never could have dreamed that her heart was so wicked, but I keep coming back because it's so hard to kick it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-never-could-have-dreamed-that-her-heart-was-so-wicked-but-i-keep/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [She's a good girl, crazy about Elvis, loves horses, and her boyfriend, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/she-s-a-good-girl-crazy-about-elvis-loves-horses-and-her-boyfriend-too/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I'm more interested in what I'm going to leave behind me than in making a big hit record. I've refined what I do for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/i-m-more-interested-in-what-i-m-going-to-leave-behind-me-than-in/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) [Explore all 190 Tom Petty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) ## More Industry quotes > [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [The live concert industry has become corporate-ized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-farrell/the-live-concert-industry-has-become-corporate-ized/) [Perry Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-farrell/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... 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It has education, academia, the service industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/one-of-the-things-that-s-great-about-new-york-is-that-it-is-not-a-one/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [I've always considered making it legal for Americans to import their prescription drugs a free-trade issue. Imports create competition and keep domestic industry more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/i-ve-always-considered-making-it-legal-for-americans-to-import-their/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [I'm seen as a little risky to the industry, I think. All my favorite directors are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-baker/i-m-seen-as-a-little-risky-to-the-industry-i-think-all-my-favorite/) [Sean Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-baker/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Napster has pointed the way for a new direction for music distribution, and we believe it will form the basis of important and exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-diller/napster-has-pointed-the-way-for-a-new-direction-for-music/) [Barry Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-diller/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. 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