File Sharing: A Heinous Crime?

(Just to break a vicious cycle, although I vote "PRO" on this one, I will refer to the action as "File Stealing")

I am not exactly sure the reasons behind my pro stance on the issue of file stealing. I suspect that the reasons behind my opinions are based almost entirely in the fact that this whole phenomenon occurred in my lifetime, when I was at a very impressionable age. I remember the very day that Napster was shut down (I was crushed, as most were), and blame that very day for my current viewpoint. Whatever the reasons may be, the connection between downloading and stealing is one that is, while not completely over my head, not something I can entirely see clearly. As for the specific situations... here goes:
- Downloading songs that I don't own from major recording labels is something I possibly do with great frequency (I don't generally know what labels the artists I enjoy are signed to). I have no problem with it. There are several reasons for this, one of them being that I think instead of labels complaining about mp3 stealing (which obviously is not going anywhere anytime soon), they should find a way to work around it. It seems like the perfect time for some innovation, but instead of taking advantage of the increased publicity, labels are fighting it. This, to me, seems counterintuitive and something the labels should be encouraged to do. Thus, I download.
- As for downloading from independent artists, it seems like the opposite should be the case, but it is my observation that most of the time it is the label that oppose file stealing instead of the artists. That being the case, most indie artists don't mind people downloading their music as they value the publicity over the money. Since labels gather revenue from the artists selling product, they care more about getting tangible objects into the hands of consumers than people enjoying the music. Thus, I download.
- Downloading a copy of a song that you already own seems unnecessary, but still fine. Not because you already paid up, but for the reasons I listed in the first two scenarios.
- Predictably, I don't think that stealing a CD from a store is okay. This may be because of my aforementioned prejudice. It seems mostly like because file stealing is such a new phenomenon, the public finds it harder to recognize as an actual crime. It seems a bit odd to think of yourself as stealing something when there is no tangible object that you have acquired. Also, the store owner or company has paid for the CDs that you are stealing, and so many people disconnected from the music industry have the potential to suffer from physically taking a CD from a store.
- As mentioned above, I think file stealing is acceptable in its own right, so yes, downloading a song to try it out is also fine by me. And yes, I have actually downloaded a couple of songs off an album to see if I liked it and then actually gone out and bought it. Stealing mp3s does seem nicer this way, but most people don't actually go out and spend money when they don't have to.
- I have the same opinion for the last two scenarios. In sync with United States law, doing what you please with music of your own creation is cool, and the possibility of sharing it online just makes the whole process easier and faster. You can be a lazy bum on the couch and still get famous.