Pirate bay

[SimpatiK]

So they got sentenced to jail today. This will however continue up to a higher court and the debate will even more violent now. The swedish pirateparty will hopefully receive a spots in the EU parliament as the election is held this summer.

I understand those who are angry and think people steal their money by downloading their stuff, but they can't see the possibilities. Pirate bay is more important than the radio for young people to get their music and movies. I can only speak for myself. I download regularly, but when I really enjoy something I buy it. I wouldn't buy as much records without piratebay and other torrent sites. Take one of my close friends who hardly downloads music at all. He also hardly ever buys albums.

[Knifeboy]

Re: Pirate bay

Ah, that sucks. I was hoping sweden could get this over with a little bit faster. They're the only country in a position to actually change things in the world of copyright at the moment

[Biber]

Re: Pirate bay

I download regularly, but when I really enjoy something I buy it.

Right.
It's a good possibility to hear if the album is good before you buy it.

[cribble]

Re: Pirate bay

It's been an interesting debate, and a good follow. Its just real unfortunate they got stung this time - though this could be a start to an even bigger debate, which I hope so, as it's been a tense couple of months.

[redmosqui]

Re: Pirate bay

not that it's the same thing, but stores like fye now allow you to listen to any album in full at the store before you buy...granted, it's not in the comfort of your home or car or wherever, but I think places are realizing music esp. is something people are tired of buying blindly...it was always one of those items or what have you, that you took on faith, and buyers got sick of being screwed with a crappy album....and even more so, missing out on a good one.

[Ars Sycro]

Re: Pirate bay

There's also lala.com, which will let you listen to any song on their site once for free. You can also unlock it online by either synching your personal collection or paying like $0.10/song. You also get 50 free songs for signing up. You can also buy the MP3 albums on the super cheap. I think the new Silversun Pickups album was like $4 on there.

With the Pirate Bay, I only really use it to look for leaks of CDs I'll be buying the day they come out and to catch up on shows I may have missed. Like I downloaded the first 5 episodes of "Better Off Ted", and that show is terrific, so it's being added to my DVR.

[Lye In Your Eye]

Re: Pirate bay

I talk about things like this all the time and I could go on forever but here's some thought I have:

I used to listen to it and then buy it if I liked it but then the companies selling it to me continued to treat their customers as criminals. You know, it wouldn't matter if they raided my place and saw that I owned 2000 CDs if I have a hundred or so on my computer, which maybe I haven't listened to I'm still a criminal and they were still going to come after me. They have since stopped doing it, but it's the mark of a industry that's been exploiting people and would continue to if they were given the opportunity.

I stopped buying CDs. Completely. I'm never going to buy another one. Here's really where the issue is: record labels are useless now and like all useless markets should be allowed to die out. And... furthermore, until I'm sure their greedy unethical (and would shit on us again if they got control of the system again) asses weren't profiting from the sales.

The music industry was useful to artists for the following reasons:

distribution of the material, the means of which the artist did not have (cds)
marketing
booking tours
recording money

the bands got almost nothing from every cd sale... so if they get nothing now, it won't be much of a change. I to shows, buy merch... do anything that gets the band money more directly, but I'm not buying the discs. Distribution is free!

Marketing is free. Thanks internet. Get this, you have to have more than one good song to get noticed now because people are actually listening to your album.

Booking tours is much easier. It's very easy to look up venue reviews/locations and get contact information, again, thanks internet. Hire someone to do it if you want.

Recording money? Bands will work this out if they really want to, not that home recording isn't improving constantly anyway, this is a whole new topic.

The point is... why should the record industry (one who has been exploiting people and artists and purposely looking for the quick buck as opposed to promoting great artistry) be kept on life support when what they do is extinct or been streamlined into artist directly to listener efficiency? When the car was invented was there an outcry that the carriage business was being shafted (hehe)?

There is precedence for this. It's happened at every step of our media evolution. Cable, cassettes, radio, movies even with books... there was always someone who claimed they were being pirated but it all came down to the government realizing that it was just society moving forward and the refusal of the previous medium to adapt to changes... and they were let fade to their rightful place. What other mechanism do we have to correct corrupt systems?

Here's the last thing I'll say. The underlying fear - I'm not sure if it is spoken or not - is that if the record industry fails the artists will suffer and won't be able to thrive. The way I see it is that artists won't be able to be able to make millions and millions of dollars and have 6 houses and 10 cars.

Ask this question: If there was no opportunity to become a millionaire by selling music, who would make music?

The answer isn't nobody.

I think went off on a tangent or something.

[Sittingsideways]

Re: Pirate bay

i like to download music, and it makes me buy more music at record stores that i would NEVER buy... EVER.

[cribble]

Re: Pirate bay

Would you steal a handbag...

[BuddyGoodness]

Re: Pirate bay

no, I'm a guy, society dictates I don't get to have one.

[Knifeboy]

Re: Pirate bay

Would you steal a handbag...

no but i'd shit in a coppers hat

[Trathena]

Re: Pirate bay

i like to download music, and it makes me buy more music at record stores that i would NEVER buy... EVER.

This is me too. I have CDs in my collection by bands that I would never have heard of if not for sites like this one and Sordo.

Russian Circles, Elbow, 65daysofstatic, Mew, Porcupine Tree, Mogwai, etc., etc.

Sure many of the CDs I buy are used, but quite a bit in my collection were bought new. Moreover, like Lye said, I've gone to more concerts in the last three years than I've ever attended in my entire life. And I'm old! I buy t-shirts and Eps there. That's how we fund bands. That's how we ensure their financial success and survival.

I also agree with Lye that musicians will make music whether they'll make millions or not. Hell, most of the bands I listen to anymore are not on the radio and not winning the grammys, and--for all appearances--not wealthy.

[Gnomad]

Re: Pirate bay

Good post, Lye.

[Trathena]

Re: Pirate bay

Good post, Lye.

Good post, Gnomad.

[Knifeboy]

Re: Pirate bay

Good post, Knifeboy

Good post, Knifeboy