file sharing versus copyright infringement

[savafan]

My favorite file sharing program, Win MX, recently shut down operations.

We keep hearing about how copying CDs and movies is taking money away from the artists and those who make the films and compact discs. Yet, where was the outcry when the VCR came out and people could record television shows and movies on video tapes and pass them among their friends and family? Where was the outcry when blank audio tapes came out and the record button was put on cassette players so that listeners could make mix tapes of their favorite songs or copy their tapes for their friends? Was the industry losing money back then? I'm sure that it was, but there was no movement to stop people from copying.

Why now is there such a huge demand from the recording and filmmaking industries to stop people from making copies of their products? I'm of the opinion that it is due to the fact that the products have become inferior. What was the last original idea to come out of Hollywood? Who was the last great musical group to hit it big with a unique original sound? We're getting cookie cutter pop stars and remakes of classic films galore these days. Why pay money for a CD when you've already bought one that sounds just like it, or to go to a movie that you saw 20 years ago?

When I was downloading music, it was mainly to get rare live recordings not available on disc, or to check out new acts, and on several occasions, I actually went out and bought the CDs of artists that I enjoyed. But I'm not going to go pay for an entire CD because of the one song I heard on the radio. And I'm not going to go see the latest remake of The Fog when I can just rent the original and watch it in the comfort of my own house.

I don't really feel that bad about it, because the people who make the most money off of the sales of the CDs and movie tickets are the people who make the decisions to release the crap that is coming out today. The artists make most of their money in touring and endorsements. Almost everyone in the entertainment industry makes more money than I do.

When I can see originality and fresh sounds, I'll gladly pay my money for it, but I need to know what I'm buying before I empty my wallet.

[OldRightHander]

Good point there. The other day my wife was working and a friend called me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to a movie after the Bengals game. We checked the listings in the paper and ended up sitting in my living room playing Madden instead.

I have never completely supported people who copy music just to keep from having to pay for it, but I think a lot of people do what you do, download something you've never heard of to check it out and see if you might want to buy the CD. I will borrow CDs from friends, or have a friend email me an MP3 file just to see if I like it before I go to the store to buy it. If I like an artist, I will purchase the product though. Most of the music I listen to (Irish dance music) is by artists who are somewhat off the beaten path and don't get much money from the various other sources that the pop artists do. Heck, I know personally some of the artists I listen to and have played with a few of them. I will never download or copy something I like and not pay for it, but I will grab a free copy just to check something out to see if I might like it.

[flyer85]

I thought the whole issue(ripping and sharing) was driven because of how music was always sold and distributed, as an album generally with 10-15 songs. However, must people generally listen to only a few songs per album and the ripping and sharing became a way to build a library consisting of only the songs that you wanted not the entire album.

All the p2p file sharing has caused the music industry to analyze how they distributed and packaged their products and thus the prolferation of for-fee music services.

[OldRightHander]

I think I'm one of those old fashioned people who actually likes the way music has been distributed, the whole idea of the album consisting of several songs. The really good artists make the whole album the project and each song is just a smaller part of the whole, with the entire thing making some sense if listened to in order. Now most pop artists record an album consisting of several songs that don't seem to be related to one another in any logical way. The whole idea seems to get a couple that could be halfway good and get them released to the radio stations as singles and then fill out the rest of the album with fluff that isn't worth listening to. I would like to see more artists who can record an album with a central theme and then tie all the songs into that theme so it makes sense if you listen to the whole thing, but that seems to be a thing of the past, kind of like those LPs I still listen to sometimes.

[flyer85]

I think I'm one of those old fashioned people who actually likes the way music has been distributed

Gosh ... you are old.

[smith288]

I think the major diff between WinMX,eDonkey etc is that its MUCH easier to distribute on the internet than it is amongst friends.

You cant hand out that Star Wars movie to 5000 friends like you can with the internet.

In a way, I feel for that side of thinking but on the other side, its my friggin DVD and if I want to dupe it, well damn it let me dupe it.

[smith288]

One song that I could have NEVER gotten from the band in question was "Requiem" by the Foo Fighters. They played it live when I saw them in the late 90's... I had to use one of them file "sharing" applications to eventually find the live recording of it. They never released the song for sale. Why cant I download that and keep it? </rhetorical>

[savafan]

I would like to see more artists who can record an album with a central theme and then tie all the songs into that theme so it makes sense if you listen to the whole thing, but that seems to be a thing of the past, kind of like those LPs I still listen to sometimes.

My favorite band Savatage (who double as Trans Siberian Orchestra for the holidays), from which was begat my screen name, has a good run of "rock opera" CDs starting with 1991's "Streets" and then in 1995 with "Dead Winter Dead" (from which comes TSO's holiday favorite Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24) and then 1997's "The Wake of Magellan" and 2001's "Poets and Madmen".

[savafan]

In a way, I feel for that side of thinking but on the other side, its my friggin DVD and if I want to dupe it, well damn it let me dupe it.

Precisely. Somebody paid for it, so it wasn't "stolen". Copying and stealing are two different things. I wouldn't go into my local Best Buy and fill my coat with CDs and try to walk out the door.