In a student’s world, money is scarce to come by, so I was shocked when a recently graduated Boston student got smacked with a crazy fine worth more than his university education.

Joel Tenenbaum was charged with $675,000 for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs online, amounting to $22,500 per song.  

“I’ve been working on a graduate student’s stipend for six years now and I have no such money,” he told the New York Times. 

Tenenbaum’s lawyer tried arguing his fine down to 99 cents per song, the price of legally downing each song.  

Almost everyone has access to illicit file sharing programs, but the amount of money lost to the record company and artists doesn’t necessarily match up. Additionally, illegal file-sharing acts as free publicity among fans and downloaders that the companies would not otherwise have.   

The Recording Industry Association of America sued Tenenbaum on behalf of four companies, saying there were reductions in income and profits. But in all honesty, if it weren’t for my friends sharing music with me, there are definitely bands and record companies that wouldn’t have obtained my money at all — including attending concerts and purchasing deluxe edition CDs. 

Record labels such as Warner Brothers and Sony BMG Music Entertainment are making record profits while continuing to reach more audiences on stations like Pandora or by offering ringtones. 

I’m not saying downloading is always right, but the fine should be reasonable and not the ludicrous six figure fine that Tenenbaum was slapped, and which was upheld by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Some musicians do not mind as much as others if fans share and download their songs illegally, 

“I like what’s going on because I feel closer to the fans and the people who appreciate the music,” Colombian singer Shakira told the Daily Mail. 

Additionally, American singer Norah Jones said, “If people hear it I’m happy. I’m not going to say go and steal my album, but you know I think it’s great that young people who don’t have a lot of money can listen to music and be exposed to new things.”