When Barna Research reported last year on the attitudes among teenagers about downloading music, the Christian community got a wake up call: The study showed that Christian teens’ attitudes on the issue weren’t much different than the general teen population.

In fact, the vast majority of teens interviewed for the survey - 86% - said they believed that copying a CD for a friend or downloading non-promotional music (songs the artist or record label haven’t given permission to share) was either morally acceptable or not a moral issue at all.

That’s despite the fact that both are clear violations of international copyright laws - in short, illegal.

But with an estimated 2.6 billion files illegally downloaded every month, and the ability to burn a CD right at your fingertips on your home computer, how can a Christian teen keep up with current music while making moral decisions about downloading?

Most artists and industry folks agree that it comes down to education. Teens just don’t understand when it’s illegal to download, or who they’re hurting when they do.

Lauren Romas is a high school senior from western New York who admits that she downloads stuff everyday. She says she knows it’s illegal, adding, “at the same time, they make it so easy to do, it’s kind of asking people ... to do it.”

She has a point. On the one hand, thousands of bands offer their music for download on promotional sites like Purevolume.com or MySpace.com and encourage fans to pass the music around. And yet the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been arresting thousands of people it says are stealing music.

“I do not know if the consumer understands the difference between free download sites and illegal download sites,” says Dionne Smith, president and founder of Canada’s Vibe Gospel Music. “Artists or copyright holders have the rights to offer free tracks in an effort to create interest in the whole CD.” But she adds, “Giving away the songs without the approval of the owner of the song is wrong.”

It’s perfectly legal to download songs that the artist or record label have made available for promotional purposes, or buy downloads from sites like Lifeway.com or itunes.com. It’s not legal to then share those downloaded songs on sites like KaZaA or Limewire. (For a list of legal download sites, visit www.musicunited.org.)

Smith also explains that it’s generally acceptable for you to burn a copy of a CD you’ve purchased for personal use - say to keep a copy in your car. It’s not legal to make copies to distribute to friends and family.

But, some teens ask, what’s wrong with a few illegal downloads in a billion dollar industry?

Well, besides the fact that you’re breaking the law (which should be a concern if you’re a Christian teen), you’re actually hurting the artists you claim to love.

Most people are under the impression that musicians make a ton of money, and have big tour buses, stay in fancy hotels, and get loads of money from CD sales. Big misconception, says Tim Neufeld, vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Starfield.

If there’s one thing that most artists wish music fans understood, it’s the way musicians make money - or don’t make money, to be more exact.

Neufeld explains that when an artist makes an album with a record label, the money that’s used to pay for that album (recording, packaging, distribution, marketing, publicity, etc.) is basically a loan from the record label that gets paid back from album sales. It’s called “recoup” - the label recouping the costs it’s spent on the artist.

“The misconception is that once you’ve signed a deal and sold 50,000 or 60,000 albums that you’ve got $50,000 or $60,000,” says Neufeld, because the artist gets about $1 for each album sold at a retail outlet. “The truth is that you have a $150,000 or $200,000 loan to pay back before you ever see any of that money.”

“And if you don’t pay it back with the first album,” he adds, “then the second album ... has to recoup the first album’s expenses, and then recoup the costs of the second album.” If by some miracle there’s any money left over, the artist gets paid.

But it’s more than money. An artist’s success is measured in record sales - how many CDs are being sold at retail outlets. When album sales don’t meet expectations, the label often drops the band. When fans illegally download music instead of buying the CD in a store, it makes it very difficult for bands, especially new bands, to succeed.

“It’s hard for people to understand that the alternate universe of the internet has real world applications,” says Neufeld. “Although it’s easier to be immoral, it doesn’t change what it means to be immoral.”

Which is really the issue at hand. Most music fans wouldn’t go into a record store and pocket a bunch of CDs. But when they’re stealing music off the internet or burning CDs, they’re doing exactly the same thing.

Like most Christian musicians, Neufeld says he and the other guys in Starfield don’t want anyone to think they’re money-hungry rock stars. They consider themselves modern day missionaries who love the church and are living paycheck to paycheck trying to make a living at their art.

But, he adds, “At the end of the day, we need to be sure we’re setting an example for the world by being honest people.” He encourages Christians to take a stand and be sure they’re obeying the law. “We need to honor God in all things.”

As a self-proclaimed ‘fraidy cat who’s been bitten by the mission bug, Joanne Brokaw is currently writing a book about short term mission trips for chickens - just like her. Visit her online at www.joannebrokaw.com.