Music Downloading

Jefferson · 01-25-2007, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antithesis

I know we're standing on opposites sides of the divide: My family gets royalty checks, and you're a thieving, music-stealing little rat!
No wonder you guys hate communism so much! You grow richer from the royalty checks while we have to pay for what we hear on the radio for free! Capitalism, huh?
FYI: "Thieving, music stealing rat" is a badge of honor for me, so thank you very much. I prefer the title "Prince of Thieves," but I'll take what infamy I can get.

Actually, the music industry is evolving. They're beginning to charge small fees for down-loads. Yes, it IS possible, and it IS happening.
So...they charge you for what is advertised as free...sounds a lot like fraud. Misstatement of a fact with the intent to deceive...yep, that's fraud. Now we're into criminal offenses.

...and by the way, you might want to be aware that SOME (perhaps a LOT) of those "freebie" music downloads are actually put there by the music industry - and they contain very serious viruses. It's their way of saying, "Well... screw you, you theives!"
That's actually malicious and an invasion of privacy, not to mention 100% ILLEGAL. Anybody who knowingly infects computers with a virus is subject to penalties.

No, I'm not communist. But I do, honestly, believe that we shouldn't steal.

As far as the "advertised for free" thing... I'm not seeing songs advertised that way. I think they probably advertise trailer or samples, but not the whole songs. Also, you can probably get low quality stuff for free. But if you want something decent, you get what you pay for.

As for virus-laced files. Well... if you don't download illegal files, you don't get the viruses. Besides, in order to press charges, you'd have to admit that you're stealing music. Kind of a Catch-22 there, isn't it?

Antithesis · 01-25-2007, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefferson

As for virus-laced files. Well... if you don't download illegal files, you don't get the viruses. Besides, in order to press charges, you'd have to admit that you're stealing music. Kind of a Catch-22 there, isn't it?

Yes, it is. In a way, it's cyberspace vigilantism. Enforce your code of conduct by setting up little traps. Then again, there are those legal loopholes. One person slips by and reveals the dirty little secret these labels are involved in. One case gets through, and that means that these companies are in big trouble. I'm talking lemon car scandal trouble.

tristanrobin · 01-26-2007, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antithesis

[b]...and by the way, you might want to be aware that SOME (perhaps a LOT) of those "freebie" music downloads are actually put there by the music industry - and they contain very serious viruses. It's their way of saying, "Well... screw you, you theives!"
That's actually malicious and an invasion of privacy, not to mention 100% ILLEGAL. Anybody who knowingly infects computers with a virus is subject to penalties.

heh heh - that would kind of be like a thief stealing your car - and then getting upset because the brakes didn't work causing an accident, and, as a result, being apprehended.

Antithesis · 01-26-2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tristanrobin

heh heh - that would kind of be like a thief stealing your car - and then getting upset because the brakes didn't work causing an accident, and, as a result, being apprehended.

If you cut the brakeline, that's attempted homicide. If not, it's not your fault. These companies knowingly infect software with the intent that the viruses destroy somebody else's computer. Also, I think stealing a $20,000 car from somebody with a yearly salary of maybe $50,000 is a little more important than a $1.00 song being "stolen" from a multibillion dollar company.

tristanrobin · 01-26-2007, 11:39 AM

you're not getting it.
the billion dollar company pays the LITTLE MAN from royalties.
if you don't pay the "billion dollar company," the little man is the one who is hurt.
you're right - the $1 to a billion dollar company (though if several million people do it, it's several million dollars) might not mean a lot - but the songwriter earning .18 on the dollar is losing a lot!

Jefferson · 01-26-2007, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antithesis

If you cut the brakeline, that's attempted homicide. If not, it's not your fault. These companies knowingly infect software with the intent that the viruses destroy somebody else's computer. Also, I think stealing a $20,000 car from somebody with a yearly salary of maybe $50,000 is a little more important than a $1.00 song being "stolen" from a multibillion dollar company.

It's NOT the multi-billion dollar company you're stealing from. It's the musicians.

Antithesis · 01-26-2007, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefferson

It's NOT the multi-billion dollar company you're stealing from. It's the musicians.

You mean the ones with the McMansions and luxury cars? I understand where they're coming from, but they're still making money from about a dozen other fronts, and, if they're wise, investing to get a steady premium to live off of.

Jefferson · 01-26-2007, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antithesis

You mean the ones with the McMansions and luxury cars? I understand where they're coming from, but they're still making money from about a dozen other fronts, and, if they're wise, investing to get a steady premium to live off of.

No, you little dumb-ass, I mean the ones that travel from place to place, doing concerts every night, selling their merch, and NETTING ABOUT $300 PER MONTH.

I will guarantee you that you are 100% ignorant about this.

Antithesis · 01-26-2007, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefferson

No, you little dumb-ass, I mean the ones that travel from place to place, doing concerts every night, selling their merch, and NETTING ABOUT $300 PER MONTH.

I will guarantee you that you are 100% ignorant about this.

They do concerts and sell merchandise for that money. That's their primary income, and they're barely known at all, so file sharing isn't much of an issue anyway.

If you liked music as much as I do you'd also know recordings are nothing compared to live shows.

foundit66 · 01-26-2007, 12:15 PM

I spent a few months debating this on other web-sites.

And the conclusion I have come to is Jefferson is inescapably wrong.

With that noted, if you don't like the price, don't buy.
There is no option of taking it for free if you don't want to pay. That's called stealing.

And regardless of how you want to paint the picture, the artists and/or record companies and/or whatever DO HAVE the right to sell the music.
People do not have a right to download the music for free.

Claiming that you're just trying to "stick it to the man" or whatever other hippy b.s. you want to paint it as doesn't matter.

Tell me. If YOU were living off of $300 / month by doing concerts, and the music rights from the company brought in an extra $25, would you just blindly give that money up?
Cause I guarantee you that the company is not going to really "miss" that $25.

Well. I'm off to grab a latte. It's next to a Safeway that made MILLIONs last year, so I think I'll steal myself a couple bucks worth of eggs while I'm at it.
It's all good, right?