Are you an evil MP3 downloader?

[ChrisnSteph]

I used to download from Napster before it became illegal. Now I use iTunes and Musicmatch. Very rarely do I buy cd's anymore, especially when I want only 2 or 3 songs off of it. When you can buy a song for 99 cents, there really isn't any good reason to download it illegally. Besides, the quality is usually better when you buy them.

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

Aha, the truth will out!

Can someone answer me this; if I decide to download every album that I have bought and paid for on vinyl, so that I can put them onto cd's to play in the car, am I still breaking the law? Considering I've already paid for the copyright when I originally bought them..

No......

 

[chadfromdallas]

No......

Well then, I've owned all these CDs I'm downloading. I just lost them all

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

Simple. Generally speaking people read a book one time but listen to music maybe hunderds of times. Once you have read the book there is very little chance you will shell out $8 - $35 to buy it.

With music it is much more likely that you will buy it because you want it for multiple listenings.

I guess I'm still not seeing your point. Isn't that what radio stations are for?

Stealing is stealing. If you take ownership of copyrighted material for which you have not paid the author permission to use, you are stealing.

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

Well then, I've owned all these CDs I'm downloading. I just lost them all

Fine, got the reciepts for them? All you need to do is prove ownership.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Fine, got the reciepts for them? All you need to do is prove ownership.

Bleh

 

[chadfromdallas]

Interesting results so far. Considering the average age on this board, I'd figure a bit more for " No, I do not download illegally".

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

Hmm..I don't know..is LimeWire illegal??

{asks Angela who honestly has no clue}

 

[chadfromdallas]

Hmm..I don't know..is LimeWire illegal??

{asks Angela who honestly has no clue}

Yes, limewire is illegal. Its just another client to download from a P2P network.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I guess I'm still not seeing your point. Isn't that what radio stations are for?

Stealing is stealing. If you take ownership of copyrighted material for which you have not paid the author permission to use, you are stealing.

I guess you don't. BTW, I don't do it anymore and haven't in about 2 years. I was always willing to pay for individual songs but never had a legal way to do so. Now I use iTunes and have purchased about 100 songs.

 

[Laurabearz]

I have 57 songs on Itunes (most won with DIet Pepsi... sad isnt it) Are those Mp3s???

I would like to download songs illeaglly, but I dont have a clue how....

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I download illeagally and I have no shame either. Those freaking stores and record companies try and make me pay 13 bucks for a whole c.d. when all I want is one lousy song. So I just download it. And all the musicians have more money than I'll ever make in a lifetime so I figure that by downloading their songs instead of purchasing their c.d. I'm humbling them. I'm doing them a favor really If I really like a band I buy their c.d. but say it's someone like Kelly Clarkson. I like that "Since you been gone" song but there's no way I want her whole c.d. No big deal really!

 

[chadfromdallas]

I would like to download songs illeaglly, but I dont have a clue how....

Not advising you to download any...BUT, it is done so by accessing a P2P network, with say a program like bearshare lite. P2P networks aren't evil or anything and can be very good for finding old, outdated games, Linux stuff/open source thingymajiggers and such. So its good to have a program like bearshare on your computer

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

Ouch, I just took the time to read the pages (I didn't before I actually asked my question). I admit I have used LimeWire. Does that make me a bad person?!

 

[Charade]

So stealing is like speeding? Thats interesting. I think I'll go knock over a liquer store and encourage my friends to do so as well. After all, if enough people do it, it will become like speeding, which must make it right.

In a way, it is. At a basic level, it's just another law that's being broken. The difference is how it affects those that having their rights violated. When you speed a little, generally, the added risk is minimal but does go up with the faster you go above the limit. When a lot of people speed just a little, the risk really doesn't increase incrementally. When you (an individual) steal tunes, the effect on the copyright holder/distributor is minimal. However, when a lot of people do it, the effect can be significant.

There is no justification for except that you don't want to (or think you should) pay for it. That is how a criminal's mind works. "You have it, I don't, so I'm gonna take it from you".

 

[chadfromdallas]

Ouch, I just took the time to read the pages (I didn't before I actually asked my question). I admit I have used LimeWire. Does that make me a bad person?!

Yes, you are evil.

 

[MouseClubMom]

And all the musicians have more money than I'll ever make in a lifetime so I figure that by downloading their songs instead of purchasing their c.d. I'm humbling them.

And how many musicians do you know well?? The term "starving artist" applies to most musicians too.

 

[chadfromdallas]

And how many musicians do you know well?? The term "starving artist" applies to most musicians too.

Nobody downloads their stuff

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Nobody downloads their stuff

My thoughts exactly Besides, most "starving artists" usually give our free downloads anyway to get the word out about their music.

 

[Amberle3]

Can someone answer me this; if I decide to download every album that I have bought and paid for on vinyl, so that I can put them onto cd's to play in the car, am I still breaking the law? Considering I've already paid for the copyright when I originally bought them..

As far as I'm aware you're allowed to have/make copies of the materials you already own, for your own use (ie as backups).

99% of the stuff I download it stuff I already have, but on vinyl. I rarely download, but when I do it's because I'd like to listen to the music someplace away from my big bulky non-portable record player. I know I could record onto a tape, but frankly I'm not sure I even have a tape player anymore.

To use a software analogy, if I have a program on a (gasp) diskette and want it on a CD as backup, I can legally make that backup copy. If I don't have the means to make that copy, I can ask a friend to do it for me on their system (for instance my laptop doesn't have a diskette drive). I shouldn't have to buy the program again.