If you pirate music, you're downloading communism!

[Steve Swann]

I buy all my commercially produced MP3s from Amazon.  (I just wish they had a broader selection, though it seems to be getting better all the time.)

I heard a rumor that iTunes is going DRM-free, in which case I'll give them another look.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Smith <smithjm77x7 at GMAIL.COM>
Date: Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 10:35 am
Subject: Re: If you pirate music, you're downloading communism!
To: Reply-    BOC/Hawkwind Discussion List <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>To: BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET

I am very willing to buy from a band's web site, or someone like Atomhenge who doing such a good job, but I also feel that I've been ripped off time and again by record companies.

Worst of all is iTunes, where you don't even get anything physical  for your money, but Apple have made billions from marketing this con.

What are you 'stealing' if you download an MP3?  You don't get the CD. If you buy the CD, you only seem to own the CD itself. If you lose it, you have to buy it again, so you don't own the music.

There are many angles to this. Not just is it, or is it not, theft. Perhaps people buy CDs because they have been able to listen to the music first, for example. There is no guarantee that everything a band produces is worth buying-- you don't get refunds. CDs themselves are outmoded technology. MP3s and Apple's format are poor lossy copies of an out of date 16-bit CD format.

Some people have a rather more intelligent approach. Take Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails, for example. He has given away an entire album on his web site, The Slip. He still made $1.5 million from it because people like me liked it so much they bought a physical copy (in 5.1 surround/ 24 bit). Martin Atkins of Pigface has said that you have to get used to downloads and tour more. DJ Spooky (aka Paul Miller) gives links to download sites on his web site! Maybe he wants more people to listen to him.

The very rich such Bono whines about his music being sacred. TBH, they haven't produced anything worth downloading even for free for years.

It is not as simple as stealing or not. Have you never taped a TV show? Is that stealing too?

JS

On 25/03/2009, albert at cellsum.com <albert at cellsum.com> wrote:

> But how about if thousands of internet users started downloading those
 beautiful pictures on your website. Wouldn't you want to be paid a little
 something? Wouldn't you like to have a choice?
 Al

>
 On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:26:52 -0400, you sent through the ether:

> So I guess you think it's OK to steal music?

>
 Every record company I've ever had dealings with does, so why not?

> -S.