Why people steal music.....

mantis

Master Black Belt
Joined
Sep 30, 2005
Messages
1,488
Reaction score
5
Location
SoCal
Bob Hubbard said:
Ok, I've had a tune running through my head for a week. Unfortunately, my only copy is on vinyl and I don't currently have access to a turntable. I thought, what the hell, I'll go buy the single.

So, I do a search on a few of the online music sites and end up at Buy.com. I order my tune, pay for it (99 cents), and proceed to process the order. I get all the way through to the "Download" point when I start running into problems.

First, they want to download and install some 'special' software that after 20 minutes waiting for it to finish downloading and installing I discover that it's not compatable with any browser except IE.

So, log in with the security hole, and try again. This time, it breezes right through, file downloads and I think cool.

Wrong. 3 reboots later, I'm steaming. Farking crap DRM software drives the CPU load on my system up to 100 and locks it in.

Following Buy.com's lack of helpful FAQs I clean boot, update Windows Media Player (the only thing allowed to play the download initially), WMP DRM, and run a bunch of M$'s tests. Everything looks good.

Except the fracking file still won't play. >_<

WMP gives a "page not found" error when trying to aquire and install the licence.

Buy.com's "helpful" advice? Contact M$ for help...not their problem.

Last time I ever buy anything from them.
Last time I buy music online.
:angry:
woof.. oh man
after all this i wouldnt steal music, i would quit music...
 

BlueDragon1981

Brown Belt
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
429
Reaction score
13
Location
Pennsyalvania
If I'm not mistaken...you can make a copy of anything you own, as long as you don't sell the copy for profit. That is copyright infrindgement. So if you have the right to copy your music, dvds, etc. What gets me is that the recording industry is complaining about it intsead of adjusting to it. Wasting money on lawyers and some are even trying to shut down companies that offer burning software. If that is happening then I guess we really don't have the right to create a copy of things we own.

The recording industry should simply find a way to get things online. Stop complaining and get with the program.

Personally I don't download much music. Don't find the need to. Unless I can't find something in the store or the prices around here are just to high.
 

Andrew Green

Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
8,627
Reaction score
452
Location
Winnipeg MB
BlueDragon1981 said:
If I'm not mistaken...you can make a copy of anything you own, as long as you don't sell the copy for profit.
Yes, this is called fair use or fair dealing or something else depending on where you are.

The catch is the DMCA, and that is why it has caused so much trouble lately.

What they can do now is implement some form of copy protection on the media they sell. Legally you have the right to make back up copies and switch it to a different format (cd -> mp3). BUT, it is illegal to break the copy protection, even if you own it. So even though you have the right to make copies you have no legal way of doing it.

The recording industry should simply find a way to get things online. Stop complaining and get with the program.
Do you own any cd's that you also owned records or cassettes for? There is a lot of money in selling people stuff they already own for a better format. Once it goes digital and copying doesn't cause a loss in quality that market dissappears.

Why would I pay for a MP3 when I can just burn it off a disc I already own?

Personally I don't download much music. Don't find the need to. Unless I can't find something in the store or the prices around here are just to high.
I just don't like having all those cd cases to store, which is all they are after they get converted to digital... something to store.
 

Loki

Black Belt
Joined
Apr 11, 2004
Messages
574
Reaction score
6
Location
Israel
I was thinking of starting to use an online music service, but after reading this thread, it doesn't seem to pay off.

My problem with downloading music is that it's stealing intellectual property. If you download a whole album or movie off the internet and burn it, you're not going to but it from the store, right? You made no profit, but neither did the artist. Some of you might say that the record company takes all the money anyway, but if the records don't sell, there'll be no contracts.

I do see the benefit of P2P networks, such as letting you hear a song before you decide you want to own the rights to a copy of it. Some songs are acquired tastes as well, and you only like them after several hearings.

What I do is download a song, and when I reach 5 songs or more by the same artist, I go out and buy an album. Of course if I go even higher, I'll buy another and so on. Since I had over 500 songs before developing a "moral responsibility", this process is gradual. Like MACaver, I'm not swimming in money, so I buy an album when I can. It's not perfect, but I think it's decent.
 

Andrew Green

Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
8,627
Reaction score
452
Location
Winnipeg MB
Loki said:
My problem with downloading music is that it's stealing intellectual property.
No, it's copyright infringement. Don't let the brainwashing work. ;)

"Intellectual Property" is just a new burry buzzword, and it is not stealing. It is illegal... depending on where you are and what you do with it.
 

Loki

Black Belt
Joined
Apr 11, 2004
Messages
574
Reaction score
6
Location
Israel
Andrew Green said:
No, it's copyright infringement. Don't let the brainwashing work. ;)

"Intellectual Property" is just a new burry buzzword, and it is not stealing. It is illegal... depending on where you are and what you do with it.
I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. Could you be clearer?
 

Andrew Green

Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
8,627
Reaction score
452
Location
Winnipeg MB
It is not theft, not stealing either.

What it is is copyright infringment.

Calling it theft or stealing is intentionally missleading and using word play to influence perception.

I, as a Canadian, Have the right to make personal copies of music, including peer to peer downloads. I believe it falls under fair dealing. I can't sell or distribute or in any way profit, but I can make personal copies for my own use. In compensation a levy is charged on all blank media sold.

Copyright infringement is a crime, but it is seperate from theft. No theft has occured, it is simply advertising buzz words to influence the way people think.

By making it out to being theft they are trying to influence public perception and remove what rights people do have.

It would be like calling vandalism murder cause you "killed" the aesthetics of the neighbourhood...
 

Loki

Black Belt
Joined
Apr 11, 2004
Messages
574
Reaction score
6
Location
Israel
Then maybe I didn't explain myself properly. I referred to songs which I don't in any format.
 

Andrew Green

Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
8,627
Reaction score
452
Location
Winnipeg MB
For me to commit theft I have to take something from you, and you have too loose it.

Copyright infringement does not do this. We don't call counterfiting money theft do we? We call it counterfiting.

Or if I make a watch, right "Rolex" on it and sell it as such, have I commited theft? No, that's counterfitting.

Music is the same, copying it when you are not allowed to is not theft, it is copyright infringement. Which is still a crime, but one that has nothing to do with theft.

It gets especially tricky as different countries have different laws on what counts as copyright infringment, and what is considered fari use / fair dealing.

But if you got taken to court for downloading music the charge would not be theft, it would be copyright infringement.
 

Latest Discussions

Top