labour needs to be exchanged for something, or else there's little point in labouring, you know?

That almost reads like an excuse to be lazy! ;)

Pay the artists or they won't be able to be artists full time.

True. My thing is that I often miss TV shows when they air, and I still want to keep up. That's my main vice when it comes to piracy, I guess: wanting to be on top of things right now, and not waiting.