So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music Files

scotty96lsc

scotty96lsc

Registered
I just read the newspaper today that Government has rounded up people for trading music files. IS this a scare tactic? I'm under the impression that transferring files from one person to another is a 1st Amendment right.
I'm waiting to see how this all play out.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

You may feel different if you were a music performer or producer. They have to eat as well. I don't see how it is a 1st Amendment right.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

I think trading does more good than bad, esp. for upcoming bands.

Have you ever NOT bought a CD because you could download it off the Internet? For a majority of the people who HAVE THE MONEY to purchase a CD, has downloading it off the Internet replaced going to the store to buy it???

You can't lose money from people who couldn't have bought the CD in the first place, but yoou CAN gain popularity and a loyal following from them.

That's not to say it's all good. There are definitely people who abuse the system, but isn't that true with anything in life?

Kale
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

FWIW it was the RIAA(Recording Industry Association of America).

WASHINGTON (September 8, 2003) -The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced today that its member companies have filed the first wave of what could ultimately be thousands of civil lawsuits against major offenders who have been illegally distributing substantial amounts (averaging more than 1,000 copyrighted music files each) of copyrighted music on peer- to-peer networks. The RIAA emphasized that these lawsuits have come only after a multi-year effort to educate the public about the illegality of unauthorized downloading and noted that major music companies have made vast catalogues of music available to dozens of new high-quality, low-cost, legitimate online services.

http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/090803.asp

I'm kind of on the fence on this, however I do NOT see it as a 1st amendment rights issue.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

Funny thing is, it's not about the performers, it's about the record companies. Do you think the performers are going to get kicked back any cash from these settlements? I seriously doubt it.

Kale
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F


Funny thing is, it's not about the performers, it's about the record companies. Do you think the performers are going to get kicked back any cash from these settlements? I seriously doubt it.

Kale
[/quote]

That's exactly what bothers me about all this. You don't see a ground swell of performers pushing this agenda, even though the RIAA lists performers backing their actions. Sure there may be a few that are vocal on the issue, but far from the majority. Most of them HAVE their monies, if anything it's the recording industry that feels victimized by today's technology.

IMHO, the industry sat on its tufts and did not embrace the technology to their benefit. Early on, they could have made the media available for pennies on the dollar, signed up subscribers by the millions, then over time increased their subcription rates to balloon their bottom line while devouring upcoming threats to their distribution line. That's the American Way. :)

Myself, I download music(legal MP3s BTW) that is NOT mainstream, but fresh new sound. I'm certain the bands and performers whose music I've downloaded appreciate the intended distribution and the exposure generated by it that otherwise would not be obtainable in their market.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

I think the performers get paid before the album is release and the recording company depends on the returns from sales. Then the performers get a % afterwards. I might be wrong.

But as far as the people distributing the music goes, they paid for it, why can't they give it to their friends. I use to buy a CD and let my brother and my friends copy it and they use to do the same. We use to make a list and everyone would go out and buy music and share when we were young.

I can also see that now it is wide spread and instead of 10 or 12 people sharing it is 100's even 1000's. But who are they going to go after next. People who make cd-recorders? They have to figure out a way so they can not be copied. Just like some games, they just cant be copied. Westwood games for example, well they can be copied but you can't use them to be exact. I just don't see prosecuting people for doing something that technology has made so attainable.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

That can never really illegalize it, they can try, but they wont ever control it.

The whole world is doing it, so even if they prosecute a guy in Chicago, the guy in Japan wont stop doing it. So they cannot really control it at all.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

This is really a tuff issue for me to decide.
On one hand I do understand the copyright comparisons and that it is to some impossible to define amount, playing with artists and the recording industries potential income.

Question The RIAA is quick to quote their decline in revenues but has anyone ever studied how much downloadable music has acted as advertising and actually inspired sales due to the downloaded music wetting appetites for more from the chosen artist?

I’m all for the artists getting their share of what they deserve, although I find it pretty difficult to see real justification for the amounts made by the select few bands/artists that make it really big. There are tons of stories out there of the recording companies (RIAA now) seriously screwing over artists in the past, (now why was it the Beatles started their own label?) So I don’t have a lot of sympathy for the industry getting a little of what they’ve been giving their artists for decades (read: screwed).

To me this whole issue has a lot of similarities to what happened in the auto industry in the 70’s, it’s just all unfolding a lot faster. The industry was asleep at the switch when change swept in, fuel crisis for the automakers, internet for the RIAA, and both went crying to the government to save their asses from their own arrogance, the automakers for import tariffs and the RIAA now with it’s lawsuits.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

It's funny becuase sometimes I don't get the feeling the artist are as rich as we think. Remeber when Justin Timeberlake was punked on MTV, something about owing a couple 100K to the IRS. I know it is a lot of money any way you look at it and it would hurt to give it to the gov't, but he was acting like it was all he had. Or when the light fixture feel in one of his concers he took the money from insurance and canceled the tour. Or when J-Lo did that shoe promo and they told her she could take a few pairs of the shoes and she hogged them all up. With her kind of money what is the big deal. Is she going to sell them for the extra money or is she too cheap to buy them for herself? Come on right!

So I know that the artists are treated like crap by the big record making machines. I don't know... it just seems like all the millions aren't enough.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

J-Lo spends on her nails a week more then I spent on the Mark buying it, and maintaining it for a whole 15 months.

They do have money, but man-kind is very greedy, the more he/she has, the more he/she hungers for more.

But you are right; people assume that anyone with a music video on MTV has money coming out of his ass. It’s not like that, but big names like puff daddy, J-Lo, and a few others REALLY do have loads of money.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

This became a hot topic at work today at lunch.

One point of discussion... is every band that plays at night clubs at risk of copyright infringement due to their renditions of popular music?

What of a library? If I check out a book for my personal use, and return it, did I not rob someone? Afterall, I used the material without rightfully buying my own copy and may have kept due compensation from the publisher/author.

Just something to think about.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

I do believe that all the file sharing on the Internet has had an effect on the music industry. There were four to five record/CD stores in my area. Now there are none. Sam Goody closed down over a year ago. There are a few electronic stores that sell CD's but they only handle the most popular titles. Illegal file sharing has taken its toll.

I think in some ways the music industry was their own worst enemy. When people are face with choosing between a free download and a $18 CD, many choose the free download. I have heard recently on the news that one record company is cuting the prices of their CD's to $10 to try to woo back customers.

Alexander
President
Lincolns of Distinction
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

Intellectual property is a touchy subject.

From a strictly moral point of view, sharing files on the internet is wrong. You are cheating the people who made it out of money. No matter how much they have, it's still their right to earn more. So calling them "greedy" isn't a valid argument, no matter how greedy they are.

On the other hand, record sales haven't really declined due to the internet. About a year, year and a half ago, a little while after Napster got shut down, i heard some statistics that said that "despite" or perhaps even "due to" napster, music sales had continued to increase. I don't know if that trend continues today, though. It can act as advertising, it can be a way for new artists to get their music out.

Bottom line, if the music industry wants to stop or at least reduce illegal file sharing, they're going to have to something other than sue. They need to provide a viable, legal alternative. If i could go online, play samples of music i thought i might like, and buy high-quality MP3 files online and download them, either as individual files or as a complete album, i would. I know that i'm sure as hell not going to shell out $18 for a CD. I'll just listen to the radio.

The music industry is still selling minivans when everyone wants an SUV. Who wants a CD with 15 songs on it when they can make one with 150, which almost all new CD players will play?

As far as the individual music shops go, that's sad. But don't blame that on file sharing. Blame that on Best Buy, Media Play, and all the other big chains that are coming in with mucho capital and driving the little guys out of business.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

It's not really correct to call downloading music theft. You're not depriving someone of physical property, it's about intellectual property. If you download a song you don't take that song away from someone else. If you shoplift a CD, you actually deprive the store of that item. The crime is copyright infringement. Splitting hairs? Maybe, but in my mind there's a difference.

And I can't feel sorry for the RIAA or record companies that make huge profits off of raping their customers. CDs are way overpriced, period, and most of them are filled with a couple good songs and a bunch of crap. No, it doesn't make downloading legal, but I understand why people do it.

And as for record company profits falling and CD stores closing, maybe you've missed the whole economy being in the toilet for the past couple of years. Maybe people don't have as much disposable income to spend on overpriced, unnecessary luxury items such as CDs. But no, it can't be that, it's all the fault of people downloading. You can't sue a bad economy.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

One point of discussion... is every band that plays at night clubs at risk of copyright infringement due to their renditions of popular music?
Technically, if they made money performing a copyrighted song they could be sued. However, the suing a night club band is probably more trouble than it's worth (their pockets aren't deep enough to make the lawsuit payout worth the time/money/effort).

What of a library? If I check out a book for my personal use, and return it, did I not rob someone? Afterall, I used the material without rightfully buying my own copy and may have kept due compensation from the publisher/author.
No, not robbery. Someone legally purchased the book, and if they choose to loan it out that's their perogative. The point is that if Person A loans a book to Person B, Person A no longer has use of the book until it is returned.

Now, if Person B were to photocopy and return the book, this would be copyright infringement similar to file swapping. But not many people are going to want to spend the time/money/effort copying a full-length book, not worth the trouble when you can borrow it for free. But with digital media it's exceptionally easy to copy and share things.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

1993

An executive from a local newspaper contacts me about writing an artcle about a certain car's demise. He has read that I won the coveted "Golden Quill Award" for automotive journalism. I accept the offer. The pay is nothing great, but I see it as an "in" to get into a newspaper that I'd like to be automotive editior of, someday in the future ('Ya, right!) ~
They request a rather long article. I write and submit it. One thing a smart author always does is to take the finished copy to a known bank and have the pages stamped with the bank's time/date/year stamp. Of course I did this. I then send it US Mail return receipt requested and signature of their receipt requested. Done Deal.
Five weeks later the article appears on the business financial page of the big Sunday issue. But wait. the author's name is NOT mine, but someone else. This someone else has changed the first 100 words of the article AND the last 100 words of the article. The article was 2,281 words long. The middle 2,081 words were mine, and HIS name is on the article, and I receive NO MONEY! I call them and complain and they shuffle me around and around and around betwwen stooges and I cannot get any answer, nor a check. Finally - original copy in hand - with bank stamp to prove it came before the article was published - I head for my lawyer, ans we file suit.
Not telling what we sued for, but the lawyer got 33.3%, the newspaper had to pay all court costs, and I took MY check and THAT is what paid for our 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special, so go figure it out!
Regarding the music, it's a simple fix. Kazaa and the others need to charge membership fees. Those fees need to get disbursed to the recording industry, then we will be paying for downloading music.
But, the same thing goes on with magazines, too. You buy the new Motor Trend - Playboy - whatever and read it, and then pass it on to whomever who reads it & does the same. In the end, Only One Person Paid for it, BUT maybe 4 people read it.......But, at least somebody paid, whereas with free Kazaa, nodody is paying.....

Just my $2.75 cents worth :)
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

I agree with all of your points. I'm glad I posted this question and have some very interesting thoughts from all of you to ponder.
My biggest concern here is not the music being copied and given to others, that is a problem, but what else are we going to be limited to do or not do with our computers. I know the post office is trying to get email a pay-as-you-go fee so they can get some of the money. They feel that email is taking away from its profits.
 
RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

RE: So what do you all think about Crackdown on Music F

Huuuhh? It certainly is theft! The downloader has taken the music and not paid for it and then gives it to lots of others who also don't pay for it. A product does not have to have physical properties to be of value. What about software? Your argument would then make it legal to copy and distribute software.
Click to expand...
Don't go off half-cocked, keep reading what I said. I said the CRIME is COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. It isn't theft since there's no physical property involved. It's INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. If I download a song or copy a piece of software, it doesn't deprive someone else of that song. Yes, it does deprive a record/software company of money, and yes, that is illegal. But the CRIME is COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, not theft. And I am absolutely 100% NOT saying that copyright infringement is legal. Quite the opposite.

I don't want to argue over this, I guess it's semantics to most people, but there is a difference. Like I said I was splitting hairs.
 
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