should they make ends meet through music alone? Do they put in the work to justify that? Maybe it should be a nice part time job? If there would be no copying would it then be enough for a full time living? What percentage of those who copy would buy the music of they were unable to copy?
There are no available stats on Jewish music sales. It's commonly opined that aside from very few of the "top" performers, albums are produced at a loss as a "business card" for live performances.
In the secular music world, evidence seems to lean toward the copying and spreading of music actually benefitting the artists, leading to increased sales in the long run.
But even if copying music helps the performer in the grand scheme of things, for me, as an individual, that is no justification to steal.
Let's face it, of all the albums that have been released in the last few weeks, you'd be hard pressed to come up with one decent one. Choni grunblatt's is the only one worth the purchase, and even that album is riddled with weak arrangements, hilariously awful lyrics, and poor production. If, as the industry wanted, all copying stopped, you wouldn't even know of motty illowitz. But again, that's no justification for me, personally, to steal.