They are only going after those that have 1000 bucks worth in one transaction, so it isn't like they are going after teens everywhere for file swapping.
It may "techncally" be stealing, but I don't consider it such in reality. The companies sell CD's on which only one song is what I actually want and expect me to pay 15 bucks for it. Forget it. Either give me the option to buy a song by itself for say 3 bucks, or you won't get my business and I will simply get a comp someday with a CD-RW and burn some CD's from the net of songs I like.
It is very simple. If the record companies would bother to sell songs by themselves, as well as in a complete package, they would get the business of a lot of the folks out there downloading mp3's.
As for myself sometimes downloading piracy software programs, I have no defense there. It is just my thriftness.
It may "techncally" be stealing, but I don't consider it such in reality. Welcome to the club. It seems almost everyone here rationalizes the same way (i.e. "I know it's against the law, but I know I'm not a criminal, so somehow it must not really be a crime").
You may be thrifty, but when your "thriftness" causes you to use a product without paying for it, the law calls it theft. If you don't want to pay for it, don't use it, but don't claim to be a victim and say the high price of CDs is forcing you to steal.
That's laughable and in any other situation, most people here at FR would be merciless with that defense.