I've always been kind of torn about the software pirating issue - on the one hand, the act of pirating software obviously doesn't directly cost software companies anything or harm them in any way. If you can't afford a piece of software, period, then you're only hurting yourself by refusing to take advantage of computer technology's ability to clone software using a small amount of energy (that you pay for in your electricity / internet bills).
However, once you have that temptation, it's easy to tell yourself that you can't afford a piece of software when you really CAN, but you just want to spend your money elsewhere. Software companies deserve to be supported just as much as businesses that produce tangible products.
Pirating music just seems ridiculous - if you can afford a computer and an internet connection, you can pay the fifteen bucks or whatever it costs to buy the album.