We all go through this every time this particular tweak is brought up (
see this older thread)--my view has always been that although the technology has changed, it isn't any different than it was when I was a kid taping music off the radio.
(And congrats to Karen!)
It was a different tweak in the thread I'm remembering.
But, the technology is why I've never really agreed with that analogy. Recording the radio with your tape recorder wasn't really anything more than a toy. The quality was reduced quite a bit. You'd almost certainly have a DJ talking over part of the song. Once you had your tapes, you'd be fighting through a mix of songs.
Modern tech, you're getting an equal version as the released version. You're not getting the DJ in the middle. And those of us thinking back to being kids recording from the radio are all at a stage where we can afford to buy music if we want it.
Even if you agree with the analogy, it has a problem at its foundation. The kid recording from the radio is in fact pirating. They may not know better, but that doesn't change it. Here's another analogy: the kid recording from the radio is just like the guy holding a camera in the theater.