Are you an evil MP3 downloader?

[Minniespal]

I download from ITunes.

 

[oracle]

I download "illegally" and have no problem admitting it. For one thing, being in Canada, it's not illegal. But besides that, downloading increases my music purchases rather than decrease them. I'm unwilling to spend $15 on a CD when all I've heard is the lead single. I've been burned too many times on that. This way, I download a bunch of songs, and make an informed choice. If the music isn'tmy thing, I can save my money, and if I like it then I'll buy it. You can say what you want about stealing, but I wouldn't buy half the CDs that I do without downloading stuff beforehand.

And as for stealing money from the artists, most of them are, at best, making $1 per CD sold. So it's hardly putting them in poverty. Unless your album is going platinum, you're not likely to be making your money from record sales. Touring is where the money comes from.

 

[DisneyVillain]

Chad, you actually think someone will admit to downloading illegally????

26 people have so far. As long as the poll is open, if you click on the number you can see who.

 

[caitycaity]

i used to until dh asked me a few years ago if i would please stop. he works in IT and this was around the time that the riaa started suing people. several people at my school (also the place dh works) were sued. dh is a fight the man kind of guy and doesn't get easily scared about stuff like that so when he told me to stop because there could be repercussions, i took it seriously.

last year i was offered a job working for the riaa. i turned it down.

 

[becka]

We use the legal Napster service to download any music we want. At 99 cents (or less) per song I could never justify illegal downloading.

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

I think you need to chill a bit there

Is there a difference in what I said vs what you implied? What is the difference between stealing one song and stealing one copy of software?

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

I don't really need a lecture, thanks though I don't download all the time so no, I don't feel guilty. And I have itunes to go with my ipod so hmmm, yup. I'm all covered. And just for the record, since you obviously didn't catch on to my sarcasm, illegal downloading isn't something I do often. I got rid of KaZaa a long time ago. So your righteous indignation on behalf of the music industry has no affect on me. Sorry

I'm sure there a people that don't shoplift all that often either. So I guess that's okay then.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I download "illegally" and have no problem admitting it. For one thing, being in Canada, it's not illegal. But besides that, downloading increases my music purchases rather than decrease them. I'm unwilling to spend $15 on a CD when all I've heard is the lead single. I've been burned too many times on that. This way, I download a bunch of songs, and make an informed choice. If the music isn'tmy thing, I can save my money, and if I like it then I'll buy it. You can say what you want about stealing, but I wouldn't buy half the CDs that I do without downloading stuff beforehand.

And as for stealing money from the artists, most of them are, at best, making $1 per CD sold. So it's hardly putting them in poverty. Unless your album is going platinum, you're not likely to be making your money from record sales. Touring is where the money comes from.

While I don't DL anymore from illegal sources, for sure your experience is the same as mine.

I found many a band that I enjoy from all that "stealing" that I used to do. I would estimate that I bought 25 - 35 CDs of bands that I never would have been exposed to if not for my thievery.

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

Actually I did pay for my LimeWire service so how would it be shoplifting?

Limewire does not have agreements with music companies to provide music to download. You paid for the software not the rights to download music.

Sort of like buying tools to break into cars.

 

[Mickey's Monkey]

Here is my problem with the RIAA.
They want it both ways.
The data i.e song or movie is copy right material, but the media is designed to ware out to promote repurchase of the data when the media fails.

Some would say cars are designed to wear out, too. So, I guess it's okay to start stealing cars?

I have bought an album on LP vinyl that degraded badly in only a few weeks if heavy play. I had to pay for the data again when the album was made available on tape. A few years later I bought it again when it came out on CD. And about 10 years after that I bought it again after my DS used it as a chew toy.

Once you buy it you own it. So, you can download copies of music you own

I ask the programmers out there how long do you think a program would last if it had to remain on the media it was sold on? i.e. Do you want to run Win XP? PUT CD in CD drive X first. NOT!!!

You know this is impractical we hold our breath that the new disk the program come on is not damage when we first use it.

Prove ownership with the license number and most software companies will send you a replacement CD if you need it.

Back to the RIAA

The RIAA know full well that DVD movies are easily damaged and there is a high probability that a damaged DVD will be replaced by the owner. This is a win fall profit for the distributor they get the money twice for selling the data once. The RIAA meet to discuses the new DVD stander for movies about 10 years ago. The likely hood of damage to the disks was a hot topic. Many engineers wanted the disks placed into a protective case like the 3.5in floppy and the laser disk but noooo!!!! the RIAA saw great profits to be made in reselling the disks after minor damage, also they hoped they would be able to kill off some of the profit in the movie rental business by reducing the number of rental a DVD could get before it wore out. The RIAA are scum!

If the RIAA was serious about intellectual property rights and not making money on badly designed storage media they would do as I propose.

My CD or DVD is scratched I can bring it back to their store or the official RIAA outlet and pay $1 or $2 to have it replaced. That would be plenty of money to cover the cost of burning a new disk (I pay $0.12 for a blank CDR and $0.50 for a blank DVD-R). I am sure they can get the disks for the same price. I am offering at least a 400% profit for spitting out a copy of intellectual property I have all ready paid for.

What problem are you trying to solve? This is why music companies have started working out agreements with Apple, MS, Napster and other on line music sources to allow you to download the music for a price. Again, once you buy it, you own it. You can download and make as many copies as you want. I don;t see how your complaint justifies stealing.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I'm sure there a people that don't shoplift all that often either. So I guess that's okay then.

What do you work for the RIAA or something? I mean, you're really being condescending towards some people about this issue. No, I do not think it's okay to shoplift and I told you that I don't download anymore and when I do it, I do it off itunes therefore I am PAYING for the music I download. Give me a break. I mean, wow I used to download without paying for the songs. I guess that makes me a bad, bad person and you're just so much better than I am. Give me a break.

 

[cats7494]

Only legal for me...I only buy my music through iTunes. (which I totally love, by the way!)

 

[ducklite]

I don't download MP3s illegally. I also don't steal from stores. There is no difference. Theft is theft.

Thank you! I have a LOT of friends who are musicians. Some are struggling. Some are doing OK. Some are household names. But the household names never would ahve gotten to that point if they had been unable to sell enough CD's to keep the labels happy, and when people steal music (download without paying royalties) labels don't get their cut and drop artists.

You think I'm kidding? I just had to help write a letter the other day to a band that's being dropped by their management company because they don't have any tour support money and can't go on tour to sell more CD's. They can't get any tour support money because they already owe the label a ton. And they can't sell any more CD's because theirs was ripped and widely circulated over the Internet before it even came out, and the people who got free ripped copies didn't go out and buy the actual disc when it came out--or pay to download it. Sad but true.

You'd be surprised at the bands that might *appear* to be making lots of scratch--who are barely paying their rent--or in some cases are actually "homeless".

Anne

 

[ducklite]

And as for stealing money from the artists, most of them are, at best, making $1 per CD sold. So it's hardly putting them in poverty. Unless your album is going platinum, you're not likely to be making your money from record sales. Touring is where the money comes from.

True, but can't tour without tour support from the label, and that cash is all recoupable--and if it doesn't get recouped through CD sales, there's no more and the band gets dropped.

Ask Tommy Stewart, former drummer from Godsmack and cofounder of Lo-Pro about that (just one example I can think of off the top of my head.)

Anne

 

[meandtheguys2]

Legal here. Seems too much like plagierism otherwise. (More experience dealing with that than the more recent music concerns.)

 

[wvrevy]

I voted yes in the poll, though I haven't actually done this in ages.

My thought is that this is not an ethics problem (despite the blathering of some), but rather a technological problem. Few know it, but when radios with cassette tapes first became a very popular medium, there were lawsuits by groups such as the RIAA to try to ban them, simply because their music could be recorded (and redistributed) by the listener. The recording industry lost, and was forced to change.

The whole crusade against music downloading strikes me as nothing more than resistance to change by the same people that were against the cassette player. New technology cannot be easily legislated against, and I hate to tell you, but peer-to-peer networks aren't going away any time soon. The recording industry has made a good first step in making downloadable music more accessable through sites like iTunes and such, but it's only a delaying action in my opinion. There is no way to completely stop the technology, and the recording industry needs to realize that.

Maybe if they focused their energy on putting out better products and not fleecing their customers instead of suing 13 year olds, they might find a solution for themselves.

 

[disneysteve]

I haven't read all 9 pages so I apologize if this was addressed already. I have a question.

Is it illegal for me to borrow a CD from a friend or from the library and burn a copy at home? Does that qualify as stealing in the same way that free downloading does?

I've swapped music with friends for as long as I can remember. I recorded to cassettes, even recorded to 8-tracks, and now record to CD's. Are the record police going to go after folks who do this?

 

[ducklite]

I haven't read all 9 pages so I apologize if this was addressed already. I have a question.

Is it illegal for me to borrow a CD from a friend or from the library and burn a copy at home? Does that qualify as stealing in the same way that free downloading does?

I've swapped music with friends for as long as I can remember. I recorded to cassettes, even recorded to 8-tracks, and now record to CD's. Are the record police going to go after folks who do this?

This is just as illegal. Same principal, same end, different means. If you buy a CD, you are welcome to make a copy FOR YOURSELF. I burn my CD's into my laptop so I can listen while on a plane or at work without having to carry them around with me, this is completely legal. You may not make a copy of a CD you didn't pay for.

Anne

 

[JoeThaNo1Stunna]

I voted yes in the poll, though I haven't actually done this in ages.

My thought is that this is not an ethics problem (despite the blathering of some), but rather a technological problem. Few know it, but when radios with cassette tapes first became a very popular medium, there were lawsuits by groups such as the RIAA to try to ban them, simply because their music could be recorded (and redistributed) by the listener. The recording industry lost, and was forced to change.

The whole crusade against music downloading strikes me as nothing more than resistance to change by the same people that were against the cassette player. New technology cannot be easily legislated against, and I hate to tell you, but peer-to-peer networks aren't going away any time soon. The recording industry has made a good first step in making downloadable music more accessable through sites like iTunes and such, but it's only a delaying action in my opinion. There is no way to completely stop the technology, and the recording industry needs to realize that.

Maybe if they focused their energy on putting out better products and not fleecing their customers instead of suing 13 year olds, they might find a solution for themselves.

I AGREE WITH REVY?! WOW!

 

[ducklite]

Maybe if they focused their energy on putting out better products and not fleecing their customers instead of suing 13 year olds, they might find a solution for themselves.

I think there's a TON of GREAT music out there.

I've bought at least half a dozen CD's since the beginning of the year. While a few have been good but not blow my socks off (Papa Roach, Crossfade, a couple others), two have been INCREDIBLY good (Theory of a Deadman and Breaking Benjamin)! I'm eagerly awaiting the No Address CD (I have a legitimate advance company from their management, but I'll do my part and buy a copy when it comes out) and the Dark New Day CD which comes out in June. Later this year Three Days Grace will have their new CD out, and *possibly* Shinedown.

OK, so maybe you aren't into that kind of music. U2 has a new CD out that's getting rave reviews. Greenday's American Idiot is breaking records. Gwen Stafini's new CD has some awesome tracks on it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Eminem's Encore is an amazing CD--and I don't even LIKE that type of music!

No one is forcing you to buy a CD. If you don't like the band, don't buy it. You can go to Amazon and listen to snippets from most songs on a CD to get an idea on if it's good or not. And most bands have a web site that stream 2-3 entire songs or samples from them. There's no reason to download unlicensed music so you can hear before you buy--the labels and artists make enough sound bites available for you to decide without resorting to illegal downloads.

There have been very few albums/CD's in the history of the industry that have had pretty much every song be a hit. Def Leppards Hysteria or Michael Jackson's Thriller are one in a million long shots. Most albums will have 2-4 singles and a few other very good tunes, with the rest being filler. To expect anything more is unrealisitic.

Anne