File Sharing and the Music Industry

[TheShinje]

[size=1][color=DimGray][b]What are your[/b] opinions on file sharing? Do you think that file sharing is wrong, or do the ends justify the means?

I feel that file sharing is ok within reason, myself.


I use the program I've got to listen to music before I buy it. I've used it to search and find new bands and performers that I wouldn't have even heard about if I was limited to radio.

I always go later on and buy the CD's if I like the band, or delete the mp3's if I don't. That's how I feel that my use of such file sharing applications is fine. it's responsible, and it's a win for the music industry too.

Flie sharing, [b]yay or nay?[/b]
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[Sol-Blade]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Well, file sharing may seem harmless and all, but the industry does suffer pretty badly with each file exchanged. With all the conceving, planning, recording, and tweaking that went into every individual song, the final sum is a pretty hefty one. And to think that, they won' t get their $9.99 for their CD might not seem like the end of the world to you, but when you considering HOW many people aren't paying for it...that's alot of potential profit lost.

It's funny that I write this though, because I used to be *the* file stealer. Not really movies, the MPAA would have come a knockin' already (lol), but I was downloading entire albums off of [url=http://www.suprnova.org/]Suprnova[/url] (Closed down, guess why?) and off [url=http://www.lokitorrent.com/]LokiTorrent[/url] (Owned by the MPAA, tsk tsk), using the BitTorrent file format. Needless to say, I was leeching and seeding files left and right. But well one of my fellow...partners...got caught and was charged with a $30,000 fine in Chicago. That's actually kinda leaniant for a file sharing charge, but needless to say it was a wake up call. I've stopped downloading ever since, but I wouldn't doubt that my IP is probably already in the hands of law enforcement...:p

So uh, [B]nay[/B].[/COLOR]

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Well, i actually did a report on this two years ago for a speach, and discovered that it actually isn't illegal to download music. It's just the RIAA that was trying to hunt down a few people, to scare the rest to stop. Now that law could have changed since, i'm not really sure, but what i am sure of is that there is almost no chance of getting "busted" for downloading unless you have at least five gigs of downloaded music. Now what is illegal is downloading/riping music, and then burning it to a disc, and selling it for a profit. That you definately should NOT do.

I say "yay," there should be downloading/file sharing, the people just need to know how to use it right, and what limits to set.[/COLOR]

[Sanada]

Yeah, It's kinda weird.. I thought it was something like this: You CAN download music for your own private use, but you CAN'T burn it and give/sell it to people, which basicly is that you can't spread the music, but you can upload songs and let other people download them? :animestun

Anyway.. I think there's nothing wrong with downloading, if you still continue to buy regular CD's, and don't sell your burned CD's. Sharing/Downloading is my best way of getting into new music, if I like some songs I downloaded, I'll buy the album, that way it helps the industry too ^^

-Sanada

[TheShinje]

[QUOTE=Sol-Blade][color=DarkRed]Well, file sharing may seem harmless and all, but the industry does suffer pretty badly with each file exchanged. With all the conceving, planning, recording, and tweaking that went into every individual song, the final sum is a pretty hefty one. And to think that, they won' t get their $9.99 for their CD might not seem like the end of the world to you, but when you considering HOW many people aren't paying for it...that's alot of potential profit lost.
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[b]For a full album [/b]over here, we pay $30 bucks.

Now, i don't have a problem with that, and I do eventually get the albums to support the artists.


The problem is that, for $30 bucks, that might be a little too severe for some people, who then resort to downloading their favorite songs for free. If the music industry let up on some of their massive profits (not a heck of a lot of that $30 goes to the artists) then they may be able to stop most downloading going on today by placing their product within reach of most people.

They might very well find out they stop their problems for the most part by acting as a positive force, rather than using this negative "stop or we'll beat u up!!" mentality[/color][/size]

[DeadSeraphim]

[COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial]I do file sharing, but only with friends. I detest the P2P networks, and there's nothing that can make me go onto them. With friends I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm not getting a virus, the music is actually ripped properly and they won't log off halfway through the download.

Also, I can get ahold of bands that is otherwise impossible. Apocalypse Hoboken or Aquabats, for example, I could [i]never[/i] find in Oz, but I've heard them through file sharing, and enjoy them immmensely. Jack Off Jill is another band I've heard through file sharing, and Manson, and I later went on to buy their albums. So it's not all bad.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Guest Alchemist]

Well considering how much money the artist make from concerts and endorsements, I dont see a problem with it. The South Park episode when they downloaded music made fun of the IRAA, I hate those greedy bastards

[Jonexe]

Here's my view on file sharing:

It's good, with in reason. I download music, yeah, and I enjoy it too. I don't see that much of a problem with it, because the record lable makes 95% of the profit off of a CD. That's just wrong. Secondly, I believe music is an art, NOT a job. Sure, sure, you can make a living off of it; but that shoudn't be your reason to doing it.

Artists should make their money off of Concerts and tours, not CDs. Hell, they only get like 5 cents to 1$ per CD anyway.

Plus, I still go out and buy Albums when they have cool stuff to them. I don't buy them for the music, but for things like lyric books, posters, and the other special features you only get with the CDs

Maybe it's wrong, maybe not; but that's what I think.

[Semjaza]

[quote name='boxybrown305][COLOR=DarkRed']Well, i actually did a report on this two years ago for a speach, and discovered that it actually isn't illegal to download music. [/COLOR][/quote]

They're definitely using scare tactics, as you say, but this idea is simply wrong. I don't know what you researched that led you to this conclusion, but I suggest to share it with all the people involved in law throughout the country. I think they'd like to know.

As for the idea in of itself, my opinions on it are actually in a constant state of flux. I don't feel it worth typing up.

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Well there isn't a specific law refering to file sharing (or at least there wasn't two years ago), but it was rather implied by the already existing law on recording. There had already been cases of this, and the ruling was that it really wasn't any different from video taping a show on tv.[/COLOR]

[NinjaJedi007]

i understand that it hurts the music industry n all that but i'd have to say im in favor of it. getting rid of such a thing just isnt a practical idea at all. theres no way that you can prevent people from downloading music or videos. theres always going to be some sort of downloading program out there so people are pretty much always going to download stuff.