I had to bring up the issue after seeing this image. I have no idea if it was actually put out by the RIAA, but it's damn funny.

Just wondering about all of your opinions on the issue.

I just want to know how to do it. LOL I have to pay for all mine.

I stopped using Limewire because it gives your computer so many bugs. Now I'm trying to figure out how to use BitTorrent, but it's complicated. Honestly, the RIAA can kiss my ass, 'cause I'm only one drop in the deep blue sea. File sharing is so widespread that it's impossible to catch anybody, and stopping it at the source is useless, because more services pop up each day.

My co-worker received a letter last year from the RIAA. The RIAA sued him for over $10,000! He called, set an appointment to appeal it, but they never responded. So...nothing heard from them at this time.

Just hearing about that scared me away from downloading music illegally. Now if you guys know how to download music using torrents, you can download full-quality CD albums. Much better than limewire or Kazaa (which usually has spyware)

Just read up on how to download torrents.

I just hate the RIAA for being so indiscriminate. They've been known to sue kids 14 and under, senior citizens, and even college students, whom they encourage to drop out of college to afford the punitive damages from lawsuits. I understand where they're coming from, but by now they're on the same level as parasites.

This is true. They have no regard for the human condition. Profits have to be maximized even if it ruins people's entire lives. But that's capitalism. I disagree with the system, but in the mean time, don't do the crime if you're not willing to do the time.

I think they just target the ones who have downloaded the most. Obviously they're not going to waste their time on someone who downloaded a few songs when there are people out there filling up their terabyte hard drives with huge collections of music. In this context I think I can sympathize with the RIAA.

I personally think it's different from stealing the CD out of the store. When you're stealing the CD, you're stealing property. When you download a song, you're simply sharing art. I personally think art should be something that can be shared. It's not like people are selling bootlegged CD's; they're merely sharing art, just as if they would send a picture of a painting in an email. But in capitalism it doesn't work that way, unfortunately.

I disagree not only for that reason, but I think online file sharing actually does the artists a service. Most people don't download huge collections, especially with peer-to-peer, as the audio quality on most downloads are horrible. Many people get hooked to an artist's music and then go out and buy their CD. In fact, if anyone that I think is doing the artists a disservice is the RIAA; the RIAA targets p2p file sharers, causing everyone to switch to BitTorrent, allowing them to download full CD rips. So now people will actually be downloading the real property as opposed to poor-quality audio files. Causing would-be buyers to stay away from the music store.

But even going after the huge file collectors; I think it's simply ridiculous to sue someone hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars per CD. The fine should at least be as much as the product costs the company. Otherwise the companies are stealing from the individual, and not the other way around.

I am an artist. I make my living from the proceeds of my work. I take a very dim view of people copying my work (which has happened).

I have yet to have somebody say - I know that I took your design for free, so come on in and I'll give you free medical care for a year.

For some reason, everybody believes very strongly that whatever they do for a living entitles them to make money from it. Except people in the arts are supposed to do it so people can 'share' it.

Frankly, I don't get it.

Bit Torrent is not that complicated, which client are you using?

I use Bitcomet, I heard uTorrent was good too(gonna give it a whirl soon)
A lot of people like Azureus, it's a java client. I had problems after it has been running for a few days.

There is tons of legal FREE music to be had with Bit Torrent.

lossy formats such as MP3 are not allowed. They use SHN(shorten), FLAC, APE.

It's all live concerts of taperfriendly bands

Checkout
etree.org | the leader in lossless digital audio distribution on the internet
EtreeWiki - Etree Wiki
bt.etree.org | Community TrackerBit Torrent tracker
The Traders' Denmake sure you check the FAQ

There are rules and of course everyone must share in order for it to work,
but that's what bit torrent is all about. Don't be a leech.

Lots to be had with BT and FTP but they still do old school vines and B&P

Then there is always
Internet Archive: Live Music Archive

Have fun!

I saw an article where someone being sued got the RIAA to admit the actual "loss" per song was something like 28 cents, not the dollars per song they usually go after. Let me see if I can find it, it wasn't that long ago that I read it.

That's not what I am saying at all. If you noticed, I quite frankly said that literally stealing a CD from a store is stealing the artwork because it is stealing property. The equivalent of telling a doctor to give you free medical care for a year isn't peer-to-peer, it's telling the artist to paint art for that individual for free for a year.

Artists get money from selling their work; the actual work. As an example; the louvre may own the Mona Lisa; but as I am sure you are aware, it's image is plastered everywhere, and is being shared all across the internet. It pisses me off when 'artists' get all emotional when they see such things happening. I don't even consider them true artists, as they really don't care about the art but just the money. I may consider myself an artist, yet I could care less if someone shares my music, or my graphics and image design. If anything, I would thank them for spreading my name around and getting people to know my stuff.

It might be easier for me to say it since art isn't nor won't be my primary source of income. But if someone wants me to play for them at a party, or if they want perhaps for me to record a CD for them or design for them some graphics for them to use for their website, I might ask for some kind of payment in return if I don't know them. But see, there's a difference between sharing and stealing; one that I don't think you see.