I've never understood why poor people defend rich people. Its what leads so many to vote against their own economic self interest.
Again, that's not an apt analogy. Buying a CD vs Stealing it is not the same as "voting." Everyone gets a say in taxes, for example. People should weigh their own self-interests vs the greater good and vote accordingly, I agree.
Deciding you don't like a business' model and don't care about someone else's intellectual property rights and therefore you are going to steal something is not the same thing. It's not close. The artist "gets a say" because they created it. The label "gets a say" because they put up all the money to record it (in most cases.) The consumer "gets a say" only in the very limited sense of they can purchase it or not. The mental gymnastics people pull off about "the CD model is outdated, therefore I should be able to download it for free" or "I'm sure Ritter would prefer I listen to it for free but attend his concert" (sidenote: I love how many people are mindreaders and know what artists want) is staggering.
