I spend a good deal of my paychecks on CDs . I rip them to MP3 and use my iMac as my music box.
I used to use Napster to find tracks and recordings that never made it onto CD. Rockapella has an enormous number of recordings that aren't availbale in stores. I never used Napster for blank baldfaced stealing.
This is a tough one. I guess I do steal music so to speak. I can't stand the coporate crap that is pumped out on the radio and on MTV. When I was in college I lived in a great college town for college radio. That was how I got exposed to some of the best stuff I have heard. Since I moved away from there I don't have that source for music any more. I have relied on the internet for this now. Napster was okay, but it was only really good for getting single tracks of mainstream stuff. I've mainly resorted to private hotline servers for stuff that I just can't buy where I live. MOst of the stuff I have found insteresting is simply too hard to buy on a whim. It's either CDs that you would have to shell out $30 a pop or rare vinyl. Because I can't really afford to purchase $1000's a month on music doesn't mean I have the right to download it, but will I stop? Probably not. When I can purchase something from some artist or groupd I've found via this method I will. I also share it with my friends so that they know about these groups.
Yeah. that's it. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
I don't steal music. I buy it. In fact MP3's have caused me to buy much more music than radio or MTV. Any large commercial music station seems to devote almost 33% of their time to commercials nowadays. Likewise MTV plays so little music, and the music it does play are from so few artists, that it is simply to little return for my time.
I have had friends send me an MP3 or maybe just heard a title or seen an interview with a musician I found compelling. I have downloaded a couple MP3's of them and then if I liked them. I have bought their CD.
The most recent examples of this for me are Everclear and various Spanish artists. (Thalia for example)
The music industry as it stands should be outlawed. I read an interview and the quote that summed it up best was from the father of Brandy. He said,"I understand how the music industry works because I understand how sharecropping works."
In the industry you as an artist have to pay for everything and the companies retain all the rights. This is why a cd will cost you more than a movie even though the movie cost so much more to make.
Of course, I'm going more by the 1976 Copyright Act (U.S.) than any of the subsequent attempts to subvert and demolish copyright law. (In the 1976 law, copying something like a newspaper article or a song and mailing it to a few people was considered fair use).
I have ripped all my CDs onto my Cube - which is my stereo system - so that I can play CDs in the car, load them to friends, or play an album without trying to find it. I email MP3s to friends, and get MP3s from them, every so often, exactly the way we used to trade mix tapes. The radio tends to suck, and I haven't bothered with MTV for years now, so this is the primary way I'm introduced to new songs. If I like the artist, I buy the album - unless I find out that it won't play in my Cube, or has degraded sound, or can't be ripped, because of some hare-brained copy protection scheme.
My band also <a href="http://www.themayflies.com/music/"; target="_blank">offers MP3s for download</a>, because we don't see what's so unreasonable about getting to hear something before you buy it, and because Internet distribution looks great to little independents like us who are just getting started. The server tells us how many people downloaded what when, and from where. Apparently there are people in Belgium who like us. This opens doors that we would never have under the traditional publication and distribution streams. Not to mention that we don't have to run on the studio treadmill and give the rights to our songs away.
I understand why the music industry's scared of file-sharing, but there are so many slime in the music industry - at all levels - that I don't care. Let them tremble.
While I love the question , Do You Steal Music? lets ask the question, Do I have to pay for music I don't want to get songs I like? The anser to that is a resounding yes. Of the music I buy , 1 in 6 songs is possibly one I'll listen to. It is now technicly possible to sell me just the music I want. The music industry however is greedy. Do I steal music? Hardly. I pay unreasonable prices for it. And the only way I can feel good about that is , I pass it around to my friends. Are they stealing it? , The way I see it. if I buy 12 songs to get 2, and I give those two songs to six other ppl. I 've used 12 songs, and I've paid for 12 songs, how is that stealing?
It's odd. Broadcast music is free for us. MP3s are not. Recording a broadcast - who's gunna stop ya? Requesting a station to keep playing the aame song onver and over... hmm. I hate commercial lines.
I thought it would be appropriate to chime in as I am a Composer. Personally, artists make very little from the sale of CD's unless it is a commercial bonanza. The real money comes when a band goes on tour and makes money through ticket sales and whatnot. I think for a lot of artists, the more people who hear their music, the better. Especially the obscure artists. Eventually, though, the big record companies will go by the wayside as bands gain access to inexpensive recording equipment and can mix their own music for the public.
Personally I hate the recording industry. Especially when I hear that Brittney Spears couldn't sing on account she hurt her leg.
I steal a ton of music. I've downloaded 5 (very good) albums in the last 2 days and have been very pleased with them. So much so that all 5 have gone onto my list of albums to buy.
I record some music off of my satalite TV. To my understanding it's legal to record TV for personal playback right? Well I go to a music station, wait for a song I like & then record it. I have the AV Audio going straight into my mac via a AV to miniplug adapter. Seems legal to me (again, just recording TV for personal playback, just skipping the video part). I do buy some CD's & I don't get to much music off TV (I'm not really a big music person).
Basically, if the industries would provide a way for people to purchase individual songs for download without those inane "It will only work on the hard drive you downloaded it to" schemes, I would be much happier.
As people have said, sometimes there's only one song worth having from a CD. Other times, I've downloaded a few songs by a band and it prompted me to buy their CD (KMFDM) or reminded me that I liked their stuff way back when I didn't get a chance to buy it (Gravity Kills).
Then there's these weird songs that I have no idea where they came from ("Raccoon").
But also, some artists want their music spread around. You may recall the incident with Offspring where they wanted to make their album available on Napster, but their label only let them put out one low-quality copy of the first single from the album. And a couple other instances where bands actually made their label drop out of lawsuits against people who were distributing their music online.
What does this have to do with anything? Basically, 3/4 of my MP3s are ripped from my own CDs or are freely available from places like MP3.com or else are just impossible to find. The rest are songs that I either intend on buying the CD soon or are one-hit-wonders that I wouldn't care for other than one song. Does that make me a thief?
Hey Amorph, checked out Sycamore Tree last night. Pretty cool song, nice recording too.
Also I never thought to see if there was a way to check how many dl's you've had until you mentioned it. Thanks, I checked today and was pretty happy with the numbers.
<strong>I'm not judgemental about people who DO decide to download all their music without paying for anything, but I wonder why there seems to be this sense that MP3 downloading is somehow some kind of really impressive accomplishment. Is it really some kind of cool, elite hacker-like escapade? Or is it just something any 8-year-old can do, whether they know about computers & the internet or not?</strong><hr></blockquote>
if the owner of a 'small time' record company is so out of touch, what hope is there for the executives of the major labels?
Back when it was easier to get free mp3's I downlaoded some songs and put them on a playlist. After a while I bought some of the cds and deleted the rest. How is that different from the radio, except I get to listen to music i think I might be interested in. Incidently, since things have tightened up and I can't download songs from mp3.com or anywhere else, I haven't bought any music except bands I was already familiar with or stuff I here on the radio on the way to work. I think what's happened has made it a lot harder than it should be for new bands to get their music out. It's sad, but these days, if ya don't get onto cbc, I probably won't here ya. I don't even bother checking out place like mp3.com any more to much effort , needs to much of my attention.
<strong>For a lot of people it is a status thing. The same reason they download an assload of warez. (What do any of us need with a copy of Maya?)
I know people who download mp3s to put on CDs and then file away. I have 10.5g of mp3s that I listen to almost continuously.</strong><hr></blockquote>Yes, I suppose so. I know a guy that has two 80GB drives FILLED with mp3s and I know he doesn't listen to them all. The same guy has a library of CD's filled with warez, half of which he probably doesn't know what it does. Why? He needs it for "trading" so he can gain access to other warez servers and such. I think the only stuff he downloads that he actually uses are South Park episodes, DIVX'd movies, and the occasional porno.
I have about 8.25 GB of music, but I honestly wish I had more because that's only gives me four days of listening time, most of which I just skip right through because I've heard it already so much. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> I'm completely serious, folks. Like groverat, I actually listen to all my stuff. Also, I actually use all my fancy 3d, video, and productivity warez.
Since i don't have any huge drives to store mass amounts of MP3's I usually burn discs. Hell, with 50 cdr spindles so cheap, I like to download and burn to my hearts content. Then I can listen at leasure and see if I like something. If I do, I'll put it on my "to buy" list if it sucks, throw it or give it away. I can't even use jewl cases for these method anymore. Too many damn discs.
If something that I really know I will want (radiohead, U2...) I'll buy it. Otherwise I like to download and preview a lot of music I would never get a chance to hear.
Hotline cracks me up now. It's way too much of a status thing. All these servers with Warez, movies, MP3's and porn and 95% of them try to charge for you to download their illegal stuff. Granted when you have a personal T3 connection and 500 Gigs of storage it's costs them, but what's wrong with this picture? I have a freind who runs a movie server and he has all these movies he never watches. His 80 gig drive is full. Keeping his server up slows down his computer so that he can't play games or whatever. Why? Because he wants to show he as Harry Potter or something like that.
I live in a Futurama free zone AND I HATE THAT. I have the first season on VCD but can´t buy the other seasons even though I want to. So to be able to see them I have to download them from the net.
The bad thing is I can´t find a ftp server or a webpage I can download them from...
Comments
I used to use Napster to find tracks and recordings that never made it onto CD. Rockapella has an enormous number of recordings that aren't availbale in stores. I never used Napster for blank baldfaced stealing.
Yeah. that's it. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
I have had friends send me an MP3 or maybe just heard a title or seen an interview with a musician I found compelling. I have downloaded a couple MP3's of them and then if I liked them. I have bought their CD.
The most recent examples of this for me are Everclear and various Spanish artists. (Thalia for example)
The music industry as it stands should be outlawed. I read an interview and the quote that summed it up best was from the father of Brandy. He said,"I understand how the music industry works because I understand how sharecropping works."
In the industry you as an artist have to pay for everything and the companies retain all the rights. This is why a cd will cost you more than a movie even though the movie cost so much more to make.
Nick
Of course, I'm going more by the 1976 Copyright Act (U.S.) than any of the subsequent attempts to subvert and demolish copyright law. (In the 1976 law, copying something like a newspaper article or a song and mailing it to a few people was considered fair use).
I have ripped all my CDs onto my Cube - which is my stereo system - so that I can play CDs in the car, load them to friends, or play an album without trying to find it. I email MP3s to friends, and get MP3s from them, every so often, exactly the way we used to trade mix tapes. The radio tends to suck, and I haven't bothered with MTV for years now, so this is the primary way I'm introduced to new songs. If I like the artist, I buy the album - unless I find out that it won't play in my Cube, or has degraded sound, or can't be ripped, because of some hare-brained copy protection scheme.
My band also <a href="http://www.themayflies.com/music/"; target="_blank">offers MP3s for download</a>, because we don't see what's so unreasonable about getting to hear something before you buy it, and because Internet distribution looks great to little independents like us who are just getting started. The server tells us how many people downloaded what when, and from where. Apparently there are people in Belgium who like us.
I understand why the music industry's scared of file-sharing, but there are so many slime in the music industry - at all levels - that I don't care. Let them tremble.
Personally I hate the recording industry. Especially when I hear that Brittney Spears couldn't sing on account she hurt her leg.
Does anyone else see what's wrong with that?
A big fat NO.
I don't even LISTEN to music anymore. Well, just the 'greats' once in a while. Like John Denver!
As people have said, sometimes there's only one song worth having from a CD. Other times, I've downloaded a few songs by a band and it prompted me to buy their CD (KMFDM) or reminded me that I liked their stuff way back when I didn't get a chance to buy it (Gravity Kills).
Then there's these weird songs that I have no idea where they came from ("Raccoon").
But also, some artists want their music spread around. You may recall the incident with Offspring where they wanted to make their album available on Napster, but their label only let them put out one low-quality copy of the first single from the album. And a couple other instances where bands actually made their label drop out of lawsuits against people who were distributing their music online.
What does this have to do with anything? Basically, 3/4 of my MP3s are ripped from my own CDs or are freely available from places like MP3.com or else are just impossible to find. The rest are songs that I either intend on buying the CD soon or are one-hit-wonders that I wouldn't care for other than one song. Does that make me a thief?
Maybe.
Also I never thought to see if there was a way to check how many dl's you've had until you mentioned it. Thanks, I checked today and was pretty happy with the numbers.
<strong>I'm not judgemental about people who DO decide to download all their music without paying for anything, but I wonder why there seems to be this sense that MP3 downloading is somehow some kind of really impressive accomplishment. Is it really some kind of cool, elite hacker-like escapade? Or is it just something any 8-year-old can do, whether they know about computers & the internet or not?</strong><hr></blockquote>
if the owner of a 'small time' record company is so out of touch, what hope is there for the executives of the major labels?
[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: janitor ]</p>
I know people who download mp3s to put on CDs and then file away. I have 10.5g of mp3s that I listen to almost continuously.
<strong>For a lot of people it is a status thing. The same reason they download an assload of warez. (What do any of us need with a copy of Maya?)
I know people who download mp3s to put on CDs and then file away. I have 10.5g of mp3s that I listen to almost continuously.</strong><hr></blockquote>Yes, I suppose so. I know a guy that has two 80GB drives FILLED with mp3s and I know he doesn't listen to them all. The same guy has a library of CD's filled with warez, half of which he probably doesn't know what it does. Why? He needs it for "trading" so he can gain access to other warez servers and such.
I have about 8.25 GB of music, but I honestly wish I had more because that's only gives me four days of listening time, most of which I just skip right through because I've heard it already so much. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> I'm completely serious, folks. Like groverat, I actually listen to all my stuff. Also, I actually use all my fancy 3d, video, and productivity warez.
If something that I really know I will want (radiohead, U2...) I'll buy it. Otherwise I like to download and preview a lot of music I would never get a chance to hear.
Hotline cracks me up now. It's way too much of a status thing. All these servers with Warez, movies, MP3's and porn and 95% of them try to charge for you to download their illegal stuff. Granted when you have a personal T3 connection and 500 Gigs of storage it's costs them, but what's wrong with this picture? I have a freind who runs a movie server and he has all these movies he never watches. His 80 gig drive is full. Keeping his server up slows down his computer so that he can't play games or whatever. Why? Because he wants to show he as Harry Potter or something like that.
The bad thing is I can´t find a ftp server or a webpage I can download them from...
(hint hint gotacluemailme hint hint)
wonderful file sharing ocmmunity.
You should be able to find Futurama eps there. Ive found all sorts of TV episodes. Beware you'll have to look for a while.