I spend way too much on concerts and merch to be able to afford CDs.

The medium has changed, get with the program biatches.

Well, geez, I could have told them that. People who download and actually LIKE the music are more likely to actually buy the albums in one or another medium, just so they can have it. What always drove me nuts was when I'd hear a song on the radio, love it, buy the album, and realize the other 8-15 songs were complete garbage. The ability to "preview" the entire album is invaluable.

Researcher Peter Bradwell said the findings should force companies and politicians to 'wake up to the changing nature' of the music industry as the Government plans to disconnect illegal downloaders from the internet in a 'three strikes and you're out' rule.

Are the brits really going to go forward with that 'three strikes you're out' rule? if so, that's amazingly asinine. how do you enforce something like that? And how could you really keep a file trader offline? I mean, i'm never more than 10 minutes from an open wi-fi hot spot and I live in the middle of nowhere. someone in a large city could find ways to jack someone else's spot and download with impunity and any trace you run won't find them, it'll get the poor schulb who's wi-fi spot they're using.

Bank robbers probably spend a lot more money than their neighbors too, but that does not make it OK to rob banks. It is still illegal.

Rationalize it any way you want, but it is illegal.

Skail: Well, geez, I could have told them that. People who download and actually LIKE the music are more likely to actually buy the albums in one or another medium, just so they can have it. What always drove me nuts was when I'd hear a song on the radio, love it, buy the album, and realize the other 8-15 songs were complete garbage. The ability to "preview" the entire album is invaluable.

A big steaming pile of this.

Specious argument is specious. The appropriate comparison is to the counterfactual case; i.e., what would be the expenditures by those individuals in the absence of the availablity of free illegal downloads?

feckingmorons: Bank robbers probably spend a lot more money than their neighbors too, but that does not make it OK to rob banks. It is still illegal.

Rationalize it any way you want, but it is illegal.

I've never understood this attitude. you'd have to be completely ignorant of the situation to sit there and just 'hrmp. well it's illegal and so there! LALALALA! NOT LISTENING! LALALALA!'

feckingmorons: Bank robbers probably spend a lot more money than their neighbors too, but that does not make it OK to rob banks. It is still illegal.

Rationalize it any way you want, but it is illegal.

Well that's narrow minded of you. Makes sense, it fits you.

GAT_00: feckingmorons: Bank robbers probably spend a lot more money than their neighbors too, but that does not make it OK to rob banks. It is still illegal.

Rationalize it any way you want, but it is illegal.

Well that's narrow minded of you. Makes sense, it fits you.

Narrowminded? I think not.

If people want the laws changed they should work to get the laws changed, not simply break the law to benefit themselves.

Illegal music file sharing is not civil disobedience, it is simply theft.

feckingmorons:
If people want the laws changed they should work to get the laws changed, not simply break the law to benefit themselves.

Illegal music file sharing is not civil disobedience, it is simply theft.

Nope, it's civil disobedience. Check this out. Look at how much money the entertainment industry is spending to keep the laws in their favor.

Now, I don't know about you but I don't have $48,418,658 lying around to hire lobbyists and bribe lawmakers. So how am I supposed to compete with that? Gandhi said that we have no obligation to obey an unjust law...and that by ignoring an unjust law, by making a mockery of that law, we force that law to change.

Consider file trading a modern version of civil disobedience. we're telling the corporations that they can write whatever bad/unjust laws they want and we will STILL ignore it.

feckingmorons: Narrowminded? I think not.

If people want the laws changed they should work to get the laws changed, not simply break the law to benefit themselves.

Illegal music file sharing is not civil disobedience, it is simply theft.

Ok, I'll give you a personal example why your ideas are outdated. A friend of mine loaned me all of West Wing to watch, after she convinced me I should watch it. She was right, it's awesome. I've watched other episodes from time to time online. It's also going to get me to buy the whole series. Grabbing a song online is equivalent. There is a straight correlation between what is "theft" of TV shows, movies, and music and buying more of those shows and music. Why should it be illegal? I've personally proved time and time again that the law is idiotic because it prevents increased sales.

I'm in love with legal downloading, even though I was reluctant to embrace it at first.

Fact is, the cd is simply a horrible medium for music and while better than tapes, today it's just not important anymore. I remember the days right before leaving on a trip, and having to choose about 20 cds because more than that would start to be burdensome. Now I can get literally days worth of music on an iPod. I really don't care for a comeback to the days when I couldn't listen to what I wanted exactly when I wanted.

On other hand, I also really love music and I find a iPod on its own to be too impersonal. I still like to own a physical copy of the music I listen to.

I stopped buying cds long ago and only buy vinyls instead. If I love a band/record, I simply buy the LP or EP, then illegally download the tracks. If I want someone's record but I'm not that bothered with having a physical copy, I simply go on iTunes and buy it.

The only mp3s I have that I do not own are basically live/never released sessions and songs, or records that I can't even find on eBay. If they get reissued, I buy them then. If not, well, not exactly stealing.

Illegal downloads are also a great way to sample an album first and know if its worth buying. It's also a relief to be able to spend money wisely and not spend $15 on a record I'll actually hate.

Also a great way to discover bands.

Owners of Record Companies and artists that fight against illegal downloads are stupid. If you produce great material, people downloading it illegally can only help your career, because they most likely would not have heard of you otherwise. Adapt to the new reality, embrace it fully and quality will always be rewarded

/Bought a record from the late 70s a few weeks ago, and inside the sleeve there was an old warning from the UK that said: "Copying music on tapes will kill the music industry". Always good for a laugh.

are we suppose to be shocked that people that care about music use every way possible to obtain songs?!

/Love legal downloading and too tired of beating my head against the wall explaining how stealing is stealing

Weaver95: Are the brits really going to go forward with that 'three strikes you're out' rule?

It's an upcoming bill. Despite the government's own research indicating that it was counter-productive, the leading ISPs asserting that they will not provide user information in the absence of a court order, etc.

'Lord' Mandelson is in the pocket of the media industry. There's every possibility we'll have a new government before this is put before parliament, but with Murdoch backing the Conservatives it's hard to imagine they'll be any more open to reality.

I'm downloading 8 albums right now and last time I legally paid for music was 19 yers ago (Technotronic) so I'm getting a kick out of some of these replies

feckingmorons: GAT_00: feckingmorons: Bank robbers probably spend a lot more money than their neighbors too, but that does not make it OK to rob banks. It is still illegal.

Rationalize it any way you want, but it is illegal.

Well that's narrow minded of you. Makes sense, it fits you.

Narrowminded? I think not.

If people want the laws changed they should work to get the laws changed, not simply break the law to benefit themselves.

Illegal music file sharing is not civil disobedience, it is simply theft.

Yeah. I think I'm the only person I know who doesn't download music illegally. If I hear a song I like I might search online for additional tracks, using sites like Deezer (which is really pissing me off lately, but that's another story). Then I either buy or lose interest.

FarkinNortherner: Weaver95: Are the brits really going to go forward with that 'three strikes you're out' rule?

It's an upcoming bill. Despite the government's own research indicating that it was counter-productive, the leading ISPs asserting that they will not provide user information in the absence of a court order, etc.

'Lord' Mandelson is in the pocket of the media industry. There's every possibility we'll have a new government before this is put before parliament, but with Murdoch backing the Conservatives it's hard to imagine they'll be any more open to reality.

I think the UK is going to see an explosion of file trading if that law goes into effect.

/Hot, like my music collection.
//Probably spent more on music than I'd ever like to know.

I've spent many times more money purchasing music in the going-on-14 years I've been a netizen than in the 20 years prior to my discovery of the internet.

The reason why can be succinctly summarized in one sentence: "With the Internet's aid, I know exactly what is is that I'm buying."

The Internet is a tool.
I like to believe that I've used that tool wisely (with regard to my exposure to music [and film and books and other collectible tangible expressions of creativity]).

feckingmorons: Bank robbers probably spend a lot more money than their neighbors too, but that does not make it OK to rob banks. It is still illegal.

Rationalize it any way you want, but it is illegal.

I was constructing an argument as to why your comparison was so dissimilar to the current situation when I realised that it just was not worth it. If you truly believe your comparison is adequate then I doubt my wasted time and effort is going to change your mind.

Oh, and if konigforst happens across this thread, I checked out the Mordant Music comp. I rather liked a good bit of it, although there were some tunes that were blah.

Shackleton is the new Muslimgauze.

I download a metric ton of music. if I don't like it, I delete it. if I find myself listening to it often, I buy it. last year I bought about 60 cd's. it's only November of this year and i've already surpassed that with 66 purchases. I buy what I like. if an album sucks, fark it. I hate blind purchases and you should too.


/also always goes and sees a band I like whenever they come through town, and about half the time end up buying the cd directly from them or a tshirt.

Japancakes: The reason why can be succinctly summarized in one sentence: "With the Internet's aid, I know exactly what is is that I'm buying."

this. With the internet, I haven't "Bought Blind" (made a purchase without knowing what I'm getting into) in years. Yeah, impulsive buys can be rewarding, but more often than not, I only like one or two tracks. Generally the only thing I buy without previewing first is an artist I already like anyway.

Well, I can't download vinyl.