P2P Kazaa Law Suits

[manike]

Is anybody completely honest in the world nowadays?

A lot of stupid laws are being easily broken without concern and it does seem to be leading to a relative indifference to the law in other circumstances also.

Take this morning for instance, I only broke the law maybe 3 times?

Am I bothered? Not in the slightest. I do it most days.

I exceeded a stupid 40mph speed limit on a dual carriageway with no exits/entries and with little traffic on the road. I don't feel bad about having done it.

I would consider myself normally a very honest law abiding citizen, but there are some laws that, well it's hard to say but they are being implemented badly, people are breaking them as a matter of habit and then losing any respect for the people that make the laws.

I would be more concerned for the music companies if Robbie Williams hadn't walked out of his latest deal bragging about being 'rich beyond my wildest dreams'... £80,000,000 he got... is he worth that? Should we pay that much more for him and the record bosses to reap such returns? Maybe. I'm not sure.

I think he is worth millions yes, but not to the fact of fleecing us at every opportunity.

I've downloaded a few tracks that I couldn't find to purchase. But in general I buy CD's... not from the UK though. I tend to pay them when I am abroad because they are so much cheaper.

 

[Tom Tom]

Personally I think there are degrees of honesty. No one is always completly honest. Sometimes we tell white lies to save peoples feelings but the lie itself if of no greater importance.

In this case, people who do buy CD's may also download a few songs because they dont want the whole album or cant afford it at the time. They know what they are doing is not "right" but it is not something that is used in the terms of never buying a single album or DVD because they can download it.

 

[Tom Tom]

Originally posted by manike
Is anybody completely honest in the world nowadays?

I've downloaded a few tracks that I couldn't find to purchase. But in general I buy CD's... not from the UK though. I tend to pay them when I am abroad because they are so much cheaper.

That is the other use of these services, what about the songs that arent realeased any more, deleted back catalogues or such like.

You would buy it if you could but its not avaliable and it is there at your finger tips.

Why is that so wrong?

 

[JoseDominguez]

I agree that cd's etc are over priced........... but two wrongs don't make a right. I have the music channels on sky, the radio and Cuba Cuba (rock club) for hearing new music..... I buy a few CD's a month. Fine for me.
Downloading just seems to be a way of showing off " I have 30000 tracks on my mp3"
Big deal........how many can you listen to at once.
Marvellous...........bet you still listen to a few quality albums that you really like.

Thing of the pro's and cons.
Pro.....you pick up a song you quite like, you may not of heard it until it got some airplay...wow
Cons....... It's theft........you're going to hell!!!!!!!!!!!

But seriously..... Some new bands have already started to fold... they can't survive the loss of sales.....

Think of it another way.........if someone scanned PGI into their PC and made it available each month....... it would be gone.... you could get it instantaneously.....no postage!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wrong isn't it? so why is it different to downloading software, music or films?

Big companies may be able to survive it.........but look at it this way....... Say Sony lose £25,000 in global sales in a year (it's a lot more than that...but just for an example) OK? SOny can afford that, no problem.........do they take it from the directors? no, do they make Beyonce sell a hummer? no.....they just charge us a little more for every other CD and DVD and pass it down the line.......... so do HMV ditch a bit of profit? no, £25000........just sack two check out workers and take part timers on at christmas.
Piracy isn't hurting the big boys.........they just stick it back to the little fellas.

 

[manike]

Originally posted by JoseDominguez
think of it another way.........if someone scanned PGI into their PC and made it available each month....... it would be gone.... you could get it instantaneously.....no postage!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wrong isn't it? so why is it different to downloading software, music or films?

Interesting point that I agree with, but I don't feel like I am getting ripped off everytime I buy PGI.

If PGI cost £15 to buy the magazine but was available on the net for free I probably would go and read it on the net instead. Now if CD's cost £4 then I wouldn't bother downloading them, I'd have originals. Just like I do when I go to the states and buy them from second hand CD shops. They end up around £3-£4 each and are value...

It would be interesting to know if the development of paintball web forums and web boards has had any effect on magazine sales?

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by manike
Interesting point that I agree with, but I don't feel like I am getting ripped off everytime I buy PGI.

If PGI cost £15 to buy the magazine but was available on the net for free I probably would go and read it on the net instead. Now if CD's cost £4 then I wouldn't bother downloading them, I'd have originals. Just like I do when I go to the states and buy them from second hand CD shops. They end up around £3-£4 each and are value...

It would be interesting to know if the development of paintball web forums and web boards has had any effect on magazine sales?

So you're saying, Simon, that if the price isn't to your liking then it's okay to steal it but if the price is "fair" you'll gladly pay. And best of all, you get to decide what is fair.

 

[Buddha 3]

Yes, usually magazine sales go UP by web exposure.
Same goes for a lot of beginning bands too, by the way.
A lot of underground bands would never get any exposure if it weren't for the net, and this has a direct and positive effect on their record sales. It's not all doom and gloom....most record companies have booked record sales (no pun intended) in 2002. Don't believe the hype when they say that they are suffering badly....it ain't that bad. How the hell do you think they could keep offering ridiculous contracts to artists?

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by Buddha 3
1--Yes, usually magazine sales go UP by web exposure.

2--Same goes for a lot of beginning bands too, by the way.
A lot of underground bands would never get any exposure if it weren't for the net, and this has a direct and positive effect on their record sales. It's not all doom and gloom....most record companies have booked record sales (no pun intended) in 2002. Don't believe the hype when they say that they are suffering badly....it ain't that bad.

3--How the hell do you think they could keep offering ridiculous contracts to artists?

1--big difference between what a compnay decides to provide willingly and what others chose to take.
2--and lots of indies have given away their music for that very reason, but again, it's their call--not the downloaders.
3--CD prices just went up here again recently--average new release is around $20. That's about a 20% increase in the last half dozen years or so.

 

[manike]

Originally posted by Baca Loco
So you're saying, Simon, that if the price isn't to your liking then it's okay to steal it but if the price is "fair" you'll gladly pay. And best of all, you get to decide what is fair.

I'm never saying it's ok to steal something. I'm just saying what I might do under those circumstances.

It's not 'ok' to break the law in my car, but I do it, and I can see why others do it. I don't download music to stop me having to pay for it, but I can understand why some people do it.

If enough of the world speaks out about something as being wrong, is it not wrong?

Being ripped off intentionally is wrong, and under many circumstances illegal also. If the government isn't willing to stand up for it's people being exploited is it wrong for the people to stand up for themselves?

I don't think there would be any where near the issue if record companies hadn't had a monopoly for so long and exploited so many people so easily. In fact I it's possible the technology to do this would not have even developed in the way it has.

 

[manike]

Originally posted by Baca Loco
CD prices just went up here again recently--average new release is around $20. That's about a 20% increase in the last half dozen years or so.

Do you think that is going to help the music industry?

I think it's the wrong course of action.

If they made music available on line but charged for downloads that would be a better course of action in my opinion.

They could legitimately charge less for the songs because they don't have to do all the hard copies and distribution etc. I think then more people would pay for the music and everyone would be happier.

We could also just buy the songs we are interested in.