LimeWire: 50M Users, $75 TRILLION in Lawsuits & the Death of Free Music

LimeWire: 50 Million Users, $75 TRILLION in Lawsuits, and the Death of Free Music

Between 2000 and 2010, LimeWire was how an entire generation discovered music. Fifty million people downloaded the software. We risked computer viruses for songs. We destroyed the music industry's business model. And then they fought back—with lawsuits so massive they were mathematically impossible to pay. $75 trillion in damages. More than the entire global economy. Against college students downloading Linkin Park albums.

This documentary explores the rise and fall of LimeWire—the peer-to-peer file-sharing program that defined music piracy in the 2000s. From Napster's death to LimeWire's peak to the RIAA lawsuits that terrorized an entire generation, we examine how free music shaped the internet, why the music industry chose lawsuits over innovation, and what we lost when streaming replaced ownership.

We traded ownership for access. The thrill of discovery for algorithmic recommendations. Risk and rebellion for convenience and compliance. LimeWire wasn't just about free music—it was about control. The music industry won the legal battle but lost the cultural war. And today, we don't own anything we stream.

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BeforeWiFi explores life before smartphones and WiFi changed everything—the technology, gadgets, and everyday moments from 1990-2010.

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