Do you download music? (from sites like napster)

[pmolsonmus]

By the way, I just reread my post and want to make it a little more clear - I make the copy of MY purchased recording and LOAN out the copy to the student for them to listen to and return. I don't give them copies or even have them make copies, although many eye my duplicator with $ signs in their eyes. I get asked at least a few times a week if they can borrow my machine, but I've maintained a very strict hands off policy with them. Their ethics are often quite slippery.
Who'd a thunk, teenagers with loose morale fiber?

[Rod Gervais]

Who'd a thunk, teenagers with loose morale fiber?


LMAO............ ;)

[falkon2]

Heh, Kurt, just to clarify one of my opinions here.

Bad music == sales go down
Sales go down not necessarily == primarily because of downloading

also

Bad music not == causing piracy.

I'm not saying that generic sounding crap and piracy are related. I'm saying that both are (unrelated) factors contributing to the decline of sales; and that the... genericness and blandness... of the music is sometimes totally overlooked because RIAA had the preemptive strike of pointing all eight fingers hard at piracy and crying foul play.

[Kurt Foster]

I think there may be other factors that come into play as far as CD sales. The record companies are complaining about mostly the past 3 years and the whole economy has been in the dumper for this whole period. Less discretionary spending. There is also a lot more free entertainment on the TeeVee not to mention with home theaters HDTV and surround sound the whole home entertainment experience is getting better each day. This has to impact record sales.

I agree that the quality of the acts could use a boost but the whole music scene has splintered so much in the past 10 years that one persons "best record ever" is sh*t to a lot of other folks. I personally hate most RAP, Metal / Heavy music and almost any kind of electronica – trance / dance but that doesn't mean that it is not of value, it only means it is not my cup o' tea.

So what is the answer? There may not be one. Things are different these days than they were in the past. Perhaps the best thing would be to let the music industry as we know it, collapse upon its self. Then it could all start from scratch. With the loss of the originals like Johnny Cash and Sam Phillips in the past month who will take their places?

Record companies were, in the fifties and even sixties for the most part, small operations with opportunities available for almost anyone. A guy like Sam Phillips could cut a record and then physically take it around to all the local radio stations to coerce, cajole, and bribe the Dee Jays to play it. Now days just try to find a local radio station. It's the digital age my friends. A new dawn has come with a new way of doing business. I think the solution lies somewhere in the record companies embracing this new technology, instead of trying to fight a losing battle.

[jroberts]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
Stealing is stealing. People who steal belong in jail.

Do you guys realize that in many countries in the world a fee is charged on each blank CDR purchased and that the fee goes to pay copyright holders for the music that is presumably going to be copied onto those CDR's? In those countries, copying and downloading music for personal use is perfectly legal and copyright holders get compensated.

So, there *are* alternatives. Suing 12-year-olds or putting them in jail isn't the only solution.

[TheRealWaldo]

1) DOWNLOADING IS NOT ILLEGAL (Have to place emphasis on this, as it's a nasty misconception that affects us all negatively)

2) P2P Applications are NOT illegal

3) Only the act of copying/distributing copyright material that one does not have permission to is illegal activity.

4) Artists place their material on the internet to be download and shared REGULARLY. Typically, these artists are independent. The major industry would have this made illegal, as they do not profit from it. The indie artist sees it as a great tool for exposure, and use it regularly.

Those of you who say you have not, and never do download, are quite frankly fibbing! You do all the time, and legally! It's no different than listening to the radio, or turning on the TV.

As far as those who are copying/distributing copyright works without permission, you're thieves!

W.

[Rod Gervais]

Originally posted by jroberts:

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
Stealing is stealing. People who steal belong in jail.

Do you guys realize that in many countries in the world a fee is charged on each blank CDR purchased and that the fee goes to pay copyright holders for the music that is presumably going to be copied onto those CDR's? In those countries, copying and downloading music for personal use is perfectly legal and copyright holders get compensated.

So, there *are* alternatives. Suing 12-year-olds or putting them in jail isn't the only solution.

Well - those of us really concerned with this don't live in those countries - so here - it's stealing - plain and simple - and until the laws change - it will remain so..........

Waldo - understood - my concern is the illegal deal......... :D

JR - as i said before - i don't like what is being done - it shows how really weak the RIAA is - they can't go for the meat - so they chase potatoes.......... they are generating about 1500 a pop from Moms and Dads - because they M&P's can't afford to fight them - easy pickings these people.... although ultimately they are responsible for the actions of their children.......

But it is still not legal.... no matter how i despise what they're doing - i don't believe in Robin Hood..........

Rod

Rod

[jroberts]

Originally posted by Rod Gervais:
Well - those of us really concerned with this don't live in those countries - so here - it's stealing - plain and simple - and until the laws change - it will remain so..........

As I understand it, the owner of this board (who is the guy who asked the question in the first place) lives in one of those countries. So does TheRealWaldo.

[Kurt Foster]

What the RIAA is doing is about the same thing the government does with drugs. They are going after and punishing the end users, hoping to affect the demand. As we have all witnessed, this approach doesn't seem to be effective. I didn't know the RIAA has instituted a "tax" on blank CDr media. I know they tried to do this with DATs and in a way I sort of think this is a good thing for consumer use but not for pros who are generating original material. The rub lies within how they distribute these funds. I think they do it more or less like BMI does it, which is to dole the cash out to the big players while the little guy like me never sees a cent, even though I have records that are available in Tower and at Amazon dot com, world wide. Now I not complaining about not getting anything from the RIAA but I am saying it is more of the same. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. It seems there would be more equity to the situation but I imagine that the expense of doing all the book keeping is prohibitive.

I personally have no bone with services like NWR that provide an outlet for the independent producer to show or market their wares and I have to say that W. does a good job of policing his site for copyrighted material, but I do think that downloading commercially available, copyrighted and published works is ethically wrong.

But prohibition is not the answer. What will work better is peer pressure. If every time a kid plays a CD he downloaded for free off the net he gets told he is a thief and he has done something wrong I feel at some point this will all become a non issue. This is a moral issue more than anything else. But like drugs and alcohol, you can't legislate morals, you have to instill them.

[jroberts]

Originally posted by Kurt Foster:
I didn't know the RIAA has instituted a "tax" on blank CDr media. I know they tried to do this with DATs and in a way I sort of think this is a good thing for consumer use but not for pros who are generating original material.

The RIAA didn't institute it. Various governments have. And I think there are usually exemptions for pro users.

My point is just that there are other potential solutions to the problem. The automatic answer here in the U.S. anytime somebody is being wronged is to sue or put somebody in jail. Let's be a little more creative than that. Let's look at what others are doing and perhaps learn something.