When I was younger I had no income so pirating was how I got music. Now that I have income I buy vinyl records and subscribe to a streaming service.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years of pirating though is frequently the metadata for the classical music is a mess - relevant information such as conductor and orchestra performing are completely omitted, and these days I just don’t want to spend my free time fixing it. Plus, finding pirated lossless tracks remains a challenge, so I just pay my monthly bill and use Idagio.

A major difference between China and the West re: corruption is that it’s institutionalized in the West and called “lobbying.” Because of this, it’s easy for Westerners to point at China and say local councils are “notoriously corrupt” but not bat an eye at lobbyists, rich donors, and [super]pacs swaying Congressional votes.

Careful now, you’ve stirred up the china hawks!