Illegal Music Downloading

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

Is music downloading really bad? Is it really worth being illegal? I mean, all your doing is downloading Music! It's not like your killing anyone! Yah, yah, the artists and music companies whine about how much money they ARENT making from illegal downloads, but people who download the songs, often(but not that often) go out and buy the CD's. They still sell mutli-million dollars worth of CD's, so what are they complaining about? Also, whats the big deal with downloading movies? Often then not the person who downloads the movies goes out and watches them in theatres or rents them, because they quality is WAY BETTER! I mean, i just don't understand why thats illegal! Of course, in canada it's not (Yah, Canada!) but if was living in the US, or tried to go to the US and they searched my computer and found Shareaza, i would probably be sued some money. I mean, if your living in the us and download songs, you can be charged 100's upon 100's of dollars! All for downloading a song/movie! I mean, you can go to Itunes and buy songs for 99cents, which is completly legal, even though the artists don't make much money that way, but who cares if a couple billion kids download there songs, thats means their popular! I bet that if 2 million kids download a britney spears song, about 4 million will go and buy the CD because those friends who downloaded it will tell their friends, and if their friends don't have internet, they'll go buy the CD, and they tell their friends, and so on and so forth! Anyway, i was just randomly thinking... so, repsond!

[HRH The KING 0]

I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

 

First of all CD's are relatively cheap to produce yet they sell them for ridiculously high prices.

 

Secondly, once you buy a CD, it should be yours to do with as you please. As long as you aren't doing it for profit, you should be able to upload the contents and share it with everyone else in the world if you so desire.

 

Thirdly, the musicians who produce and create that music often refer to themselves as "artists" and are usually the first ones to jump aboard the "anti-capitalist" bandwagon if they think it will bring them some publicity. So if they don't care about money, then they won't care if people exchange their music for free.

 

They can't have it both ways. They can't rant about how much they hate "big business" (even though their record companies are "big businesses") and yet complain when they lose money from people using various sites to exchange music files.

 

I don't have to pay everytime I look at a painting in the city art gallery.

 

I don't have to pay JK Rowling ever time I read a Harry Potter book over and over again.

 

Once I buy the CD, I should be able to share it with others for free.

 

Musicians should be happy that people are even bothering to download or listen to their music.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Legally it is against the law to share copyrighted material with someone that does not legally own it.

 

So yes, it is illegal. The thing that most people don't understand is that the RIAA isn't suing people for downloading music, they are suing people for sharing music. So if you have KaZaa and you use it to download music but don't share any music for others to download from you then they (the RIAA) have no way of knowing that you exist.

[Itchygomba69 0]

but come on with this, I used to get cassettes and record songson the radio in the 80's and early 90's B4 I got a cd player, they are losing fans, I for one will never buy or endorse anything from Metallica cause they started this BS (Damn Lars) anything I think it could help the music industry, If I Download a few songs from a CD and I like it I usually go buy the whole CD, (The New U2 is an example) and actully alot of bands se no problems with the file sharing they feel it exposes them to new fans, its thesleezy Record Executives that mostly ruined it, and we all know if you work for a corprations your going to Hell for selling your soul to satan

[sea trooper 0]

It's only illegal if you get caught.

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

Lol, couldn't have said it better ST.

[Ace 0]

It's only illegal if you get caught.

328346[/snapback]

 

 

No offense, but... no. Whether you get caught or not, it's still illegal. Just because "no one's looking," that doesn't make everything right.

 

I can see both sides here, but I've got to support the music artists. Songs are the intellectual property of the writers/performers. It is an art form, but that doesn't mean it's supposed to be free. If it is, then someone needs to have a talk with the sculptor of this ugly piece of metal I saw the other day with a $1000+ price tag on it. Some musicians don't want any money and DO promote free downloads, but that's a clear minority. For most, this is their only career, and they deserve compensation.

 

Do the record labels charge us too much? Absolutely. But I don't think that hunk of metal was worth a thousand bucks either. The price is up to the seller. Just because we like music, that doesn't mean we're automatically entitled to choose how much we should or should not pay.

 

Will the artists suffer financially? In most cases, not really. They might end up with one less Ferrari in the garage. However, changing this would set a bad precedent. Just because some artists are rich, that doesn't mean they all are.

 

Believe me; I WANT to download a ton of music. I just want to find a legal means of doing so.

 

I understand that we should be allowed to do what we want with our own cd's once we purchase them, and agree. If I want to burn some songs for a friend off a cd I bought, I don't see that much harm was done. However, these big sites that illegaly allow hundreds of thousands of downloads cross the line, if you ask me.

 

But, I just can't really figure out how to condone not compensating an artist for his or her work when it is used. Think of it this way: How would you feel if you came up with the design for some great invention that millions of people would use, yet someone else takes your plans and you don't make a dime? An abstract example, but the correlation fits.

[sea trooper 0]

No offense, but... no. Whether you get caught or not, it's still illegal. Just because "no one's looking," that doesn't make everything right.

Meh... I didn't say it made anything right :wink2:

 

I listen to music on Windows Media Player, which I have no idea if it is illegal or not because it is a default program on every Windows I have seen. But I always try to get the actual CD anyway.

[hangon 3]

I download everything i want illegal or legal,if its something i want its mine and thats the bottom line,they wanna sue me..come get me thats my moto

[BKY1701 0]

The cost of CD is what should be illegal…

 

People only look at what is bad with something when they make it illegal, like you think “oh well if they don’t get paid no one will want to do it. WE MUST MAKE THEM PAY!!!” Then when you think more you think “If I like someone’s work a lot, and they are not greedy pigs, I am likely to give them money to make more and support them”. The there is the fact that free downloading is not going to harm anyone’s sales; sure some people may not buy any Cds any more, but think of the people that were never fans and thought “well it’s free I may as well try it” then like the person and in the end will pay for something.

 

It evens itself out, I’d say in general for the artists it will work the same legal or illegal; but legal it would harm big business and the CEOs and help the general populace; thus it must be illegal in a place like the US that corporate geed is everything.

 

So when you think it should be illegal; remember: you are not helping the people and artists; you are helping big business.

 

But, I just can't really figure out how to condone not compensating an artist for his or her work when it is used. Think of it this way: How would you feel if you came up with the design for some great invention that millions of people would use, yet someone else takes your plans and you don't make a dime? An abstract example, but the correlation fits.

 

Just because you don't NEED to pay for something does not mean you WILL NOT pay for something.

 

Many organizations, people and web sites relay on donations.

 

There is more wrong with copyrights then just that, let’s just say for a second I support music sharing being illegal. Well it’s still going too far if it is illegal to make a MIDI file (MIDI is not the same as an MP3) of a song. “intellectual property rights” I believe is just as big a danger to freedom as any of the so-called “dangers to freedom” in our world today, and just another show that in the end in the US, cash and greed comes first.

Edited June 2, 2005 by BKY1701

[Spike The Trill 0]

I admit, I download music all the time. However it's mostly either:

A: A band or artist I've heard on the radio, and I want to hear a few more songs of theirs before I decide if I want to buy the CD. Or...

B: It's a band that I like that the stores here don't carry, like Velvet Chain, KMFDM, and others.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

The music industry needs to embrace the technology rather then try to kill it. They wouldn't have as big a problem as they do if they would come up with a system of offering all music for legal downloads.

 

You will always have people that will skirt the law and get it for free but by fighting the technology they are forcing more and more people to go the route of the downloads. Probably 8 or 9 out of 10 downloaders would be more then willing to pay a reasonable price to download their favorite music. Since there is no major, legal system yet then those people are taking the option of the free, illegal downloads.

 

Same with the movie industry. If they had released Star Wars Episode III on the internet at the same time as it was released in the movies but charges $6 per download they'd have made a killing.

 

Embrace technology, don't fear it.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

The music industry needs to embrace the technology rather then try to kill it. They wouldn't have as big a problem as they do if they would come up with a system of offering all music for legal downloads.

 

You will always have people that will skirt the law and get it for free but by fighting the technology they are forcing more and more people to go the route of the downloads. Probably 8 or 9 out of 10 downloaders would be more then willing to pay a reasonable price to download their favorite music. Since there is no major, legal system yet then those people are taking the option of the free, illegal downloads.

 

Same with the movie industry. If they had released Star Wars Episode III on the internet at the same time as it was released in the movies but charges $6 per download they'd have made a killing.

 

Embrace technology, don't fear it.

328461[/snapback]

 

Amen, brother

 

Companies keep producing new technology but corporations still try to control their products with dinosaur age management. I'd gladly pay to download tv (particularly when ENT was on) shows or movies - I don't go to the theatres much so I have to wait months to rent the dvd (there's apparently some idiotic rule by the motion picture industry that Oscar contenders have to wait several months before being released on video).

 

As for music - I thought there were several legal sites for download - I know Walmart has one. But if you own CD's you can copy off certain songs or make your own playlists or CD's as long as they are for your own use. I seldom like every song on an album so that's very convenient.

[BKY1701 0]

Here is something to fix the illegal downloading of TV (illegal as they remove advertising): set up stream-feeds for all major TV channels online with the same advertising as TV itself. They will make money off the advertising and kill illegal downloading fast (no one will put the work into illegally downloading something if they can legally get it free with advertising).

 

It’s also a way to kill the long-running problem of fast-forwarding: it is far harder to record online feeds then TV, then the site should offer reruns of all the shows with advertising, so if you miss something you just get it from them and they make money off it.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

There's ways of getting online feeds downloaded rather then streamed though, there's programs out there that will find the source of the stream and rather then allowing it to stream it just saves the file directly to your hard drive.

 

What they need to do is develope the system of downloading, a video file (TV show or movie) can be encoded so that you can't fast forward the time index. You can only play and pause it. Then they can insert their advertising into that video file and allow it to be downloaded either for a small fee or completely free. So when you download the show or movie you have to watch the advertisments if you want to watch the show. You can't skip through them.

 

There are people out there that will find a way to edit the file and remove the advertising but the vast majority of the public will download their shows or movies, watch them and the advertisments and go on with their lives.

 

By fighting the technology the RIAA and the MPAA are fueling the fire that is destroying them because the harder they fight it the harder the pirates fight to make new technologies to beat the system.

 

Don't fight it, use it.

[fredbroca 0]

There is places where you can buy songs for about .99 a song. The only problem I have right now with getting tv off the internet is that not all people have a fast enought conection. At home I only have dial up it would take weeks for me to download a tv show. They need to make the technology cheeper so more people can afford it. If that would happen instead of having tvs you could just have computers.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

There is places where you can buy songs for about .99 a song.  The only problem I have right now with getting tv off the internet is that not all people have a fast enought conection.  At home I only have dial up it would take weeks for me to download a tv show.  They need to make the technology cheeper so more people can afford it.  If that would happen instead of having tvs you could just have computers.

328534[/snapback]

I believe that at some point there will be a merging of technologies and TV will merge with the Internet and that's how TV programing will get to our homes, via a high speed internet connection directly to the TV.

[deagletime 1]

There is places where you can buy songs for about .99 a song.  The only problem I have right now with getting tv off the internet is that not all people have a fast enought conection.  At home I only have dial up it would take weeks for me to download a tv show.  They need to make the technology cheeper so more people can afford it.  If that would happen instead of having tvs you could just have computers.

328534[/snapback]

I believe that at some point there will be a merging of technologies and TV will merge with the Internet and that's how TV programing will get to our homes, via a high speed internet connection directly to the TV.

328554[/snapback]

 

not that far off from Tivo/cableinternet/cableTv..

[Spike The Trill 0]

The music industry needs to embrace the technology rather then try to kill it. They wouldn't have as big a problem as they do if they would come up with a system of offering all music for legal downloads.

 

You will always have people that will skirt the law and get it for free but by fighting the technology they are forcing more and more people to go the route of the downloads. Probably 8 or 9 out of 10 downloaders would be more then willing to pay a reasonable price to download their favorite music. Since there is no major, legal system yet then those people are taking the option of the free, illegal downloads.

 

Same with the movie industry. If they had released Star Wars Episode III on the internet at the same time as it was released in the movies but charges $6 per download they'd have made a killing.

 

Embrace technology, don't fear it.

328461[/snapback]

I love the idea of releasing a movie online at the same time as it is released in theaters. I ,for one, would be more than willing to download a movie to enjoy at home. but, I can hear the studios complining about how people who download it can watch it many times and only pay a one time fee, while people in the theater have to pay for each viewing.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

The music industry needs to embrace the technology rather then try to kill it. They wouldn't have as big a problem as they do if they would come up with a system of offering all music for legal downloads.

 

You will always have people that will skirt the law and get it for free but by fighting the technology they are forcing more and more people to go the route of the downloads. Probably 8 or 9 out of 10 downloaders would be more then willing to pay a reasonable price to download their favorite music. Since there is no major, legal system yet then those people are taking the option of the free, illegal downloads.

 

Same with the movie industry. If they had released Star Wars Episode III on the internet at the same time as it was released in the movies but charges $6 per download they'd have made a killing.

 

Embrace technology, don't fear it.

328461[/snapback]

I love the idea of releasing a movie online at the same time as it is released in theaters. I ,for one, would be more than willing to download a movie to enjoy at home. but, I can hear the studios complining about how people who download it can watch it many times and only pay a one time fee, while people in the theater have to pay for each viewing.

328695[/snapback]

 

They have the ability to make the video file time sensitive, meaning that the download will only work for 24 or 48 hours. Or they can set it to expire after X number of plays. So you can play it 1 or 2 times or whatever they set it for and then it expires and won't play again.

 

They have the ability to do these things but are more interested in fighting progress rather then embracing the future.

[Wishfire 2]

I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

 

First of all CD's are relatively cheap to produce yet they sell them for ridiculously high prices.

 

Secondly, once you buy a CD, it should be yours to do with as you please. As long as you aren't doing it for profit, you should be able to upload the contents and share it with everyone else in the world if you so desire.

 

Thirdly, the musicians who produce and create that music often refer to themselves as "artists" and are usually the first ones to jump aboard the "anti-capitalist" bandwagon if they think it will bring them some publicity. So if they don't care about money, then they won't care if people exchange their music for free.

 

They can't have it both ways. They can't rant about how much they hate "big business" (even though their record companies are "big businesses") and yet complain when they lose money from people using various sites to exchange music files.

 

I don't have to pay everytime I look at a painting in the city art gallery.

 

I don't have to pay JK Rowling ever time I read a Harry Potter book over and over again.

 

Once I buy the CD, I should be able to share it with others for free.

 

Musicians should be happy that people are even bothering to download or listen to their music.

328332[/snapback]

 

There actually are a few groups/artists who don't mind. My favorite band, the Cruxshadows, actually encourages their fans to share their songs online. These days, what better way to get more exposure?

Edited June 4, 2005 by wishfire