Remember LimeWire, Napster, or Kazaa? Back in the day, it was a tool many people used for the download and distribution of pirated music.

Nowadays, we enjoy streaming music through channels such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Premium. However, there are apparently still Malaysians who rely on USBs which allow them to listen to tracks without the need to search for hit songs.

As reported by The Sun, X user @MHaffizJ drew attention to the fact that certain citizens are selling USBs which contain illegally downloaded songs.

According to the tweet, this collection of songs in a USB was originally sold at RM12.99 by the seller before the prices went down to RM8.99.

Each pendrive contains 56 songs and more than 22,000 units had been sold. According to our math, this means they have raked in at least almost RM200k even with the base price of RM8.99.

A quick search on TikTok shows that many such sellers are offering these pirated goods, some of them even offering free shipping, and encouraging buyers by saying, “You don’t have to get a headache searching for songs any longer.”

The profitable yet unethical act is a clear violation of Copyright Act 1987, where no content should be duplicated or redistributed.

Online users have commented that these businesses can also be found at various pasar malams or night markets.

Ironically, a quick search on shopping platforms such as Lazada and Shopee and even TikTok showed us that some accounts even sold a collection of nasyid or songs with Islamic elements and characterised by elements of advice.

Image credit: Lazada, TikTok