What percentage of your media consumption is streamed?

(Section) 106 . Exclusive rights in copyrighted works

Subject to sections 107 through 122, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:

(1) to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies...

(Section) 501. Infringement of copyright

(a) Anyone who violates any of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner as provided by sections 106 through 122... is an infringer of the copyright...

USC, Title 17 [copyright.gov]

If you're downloading and saving a work, you are "reproducing" a copy. And before you quibble about semantics, that's exactly what "reproduction" refers to - playing a work is called "performance." Of course, in your attempt to rationalize your illegal activity, you've conveniently ignored that word.