Is it wrong to download music?

[worrywort]

I'm curious to hear people's opinions on this topic....what do you think of the whole internet download/piracy thing?

Do you regularly, or have you ever, downloaded any media from the internet....not just music, but film, software, images, e-books, etc....and do you ever feel any guilt when doing so?

Do you think it is morally wrong to download music/film etc from the internet? or do you think there are ever circumstances or occasions when it is ok?

What do you think about the future of the music and film industrys? Where do you think our new technologies will take them?

or any other thoughts?

 

[Generical]

Happily download software as they seem like massive businesses that will have made enough deals with companies to make a profit (adobe)...so unless it's made by one guy in a shed then it's to a download site...which i actually pay to use.

With music i do feel guilty but to buy everything i've downloaded would cost a quite a bit and i would never use the format anyway...unless i buy as mp3 but i would buy cd or vinyl over that as it's actually physical....which i would then never use and i've now made a contradicting circle.

I like to think i download music as a lengthy try before you buy but untill i get a steady income with piles of money i've got nothing to do with i think it'll be a while before i catch up.

I've bought a few mp3 albums and games like Machinarium and Samorost as like i said they seem like small companies or even just an extended hobby from a group of peeps at uni or something.

It's not like that "you wouldn't steal a car" advert as the thing is virtual their not losing the item, their not losing money, just not making any from that person, which arguably is the same thing...arguably.

I guess nowadays artists shouldn't solely try and make a living from their music and if all they care about is money then they shouldn't be artists.

Paragraph Man!

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

I'm curious to hear people's opinions on this topic....what do you think of the whole internet download/piracy thing?

Do you regularly, or have you ever, downloaded any media from the internet....not just music, but film, software, images, e-books, etc....and do you ever feel any guilt when doing so?

Do you think it is morally wrong to download music/film etc from the internet? or do you think there are ever circumstances or occasions when it is ok?

What do you think about the future of the music and film industrys? Where do you think our new technologies will take them?

or any other thoughts?

I just roll my eyes whenever anyone says "It's the same as stealing." No! It's isn't!! When you steal, you deprive the owner of the thing you have stolen. If you download a song/movie/whatever, you don't deny the owner of it. At worst, you deprive them of the potential revenue they may have gained if you had bought the item. Not the same thing at all.

If you look at the history of the music industry, you'll see that before CDs came along they had a slogan - "Home Taping Is Killing Music". This would be used as a doom mongering device to try and scare people who recorded vinyl albums to tape. Well did it kill music? Doesn't look like it to me.

All that said, I tend to buy music online legally, now that it is easy purchase individual tracks cheaply. I used to object to having to buy a 10 track CD which had 2-3 decent tracks and 7-8 fillers tracks that I didn't want and would never listen to. I don't download movies because I can watch all the movies I want through my DVD rental subscription, and those I really want to see in a movie theatre...well, I go to see in a movie theatre.

The only thing I download is TV shows, and as they are free to air anyway I don't feel bad about that morally.

 

[Illusions]

I've always been downloading albums, e-books and DVD rips online... illegally, of course. However I do feel guilty when I don't buy the albums of my favourite music artistes so I make it a point to buy 'em sooner or later.

 

[Ignace]

I try to buy good games to support the gaming industry. But I'm one of the few who actually do that. That's the problem with PC gaming. Developers don't want to make anything anymore for PC cause of the piracy.. But they have to. Why is anyone going to buy a gaming rig without games ? So if they stop making games for PC a whole market is lost. But still, I'm doubting of getting a console this Christmas instead of a new GPU. But then I gotta buy every game and about what price ? Around ~€60 per X360/PS3 game online. In shops nearby a game easily costs ~€80... A PC game is ~€40 on the net and ~€50 in shops. So it still would be cheaper to game on a pc after a while.. I'm in a dilemma !

 

[vj288]

Listening to the radio - free and legal
Borrowing your friends CD - free and legal
Downloading friends CD - free and legal
Youtube - Free and legal
Pandora - Free and legal
Downloading from internet - Free and Illegal?

It just doesn't make sense to me...

 

[Luke1993]

I'm not really a big music fan, I only really listen to video game music, and since most of their soundtracks are not sold I download them to listen to. Films only rarely and usually they are obscure ones that I wouldn't be able to find at a shop. Although I have probably downloaded stuff that I could've paid for. Honestly I don't feel any guilt from it I'm only one person and not exactly rich, musicians and film people get more than enough money anyway!

And I agree I don't think it's stealing. If I had a chair and someone took it from me then that would be stealing. But if they made a copy of the chair and kept it I don't consider that stealing.

 

[arsenalwa]

Hell no it's not! Even if it is, I refuse to admit it is. It's all I ever do

 

[coyote]

wait...

you can download music?

how? where?

if the people who made it don't want anyone to download it, why did they put there to begin with?

 

[spect01]

Downloading does no real harm like the RIAA says it does. Mainstream music artists and record companies make enough money to be set financially for life. People like michael jackson (his thriller album ALONE sold 110 million copies worldwide and grows every year) or bands like the beatles and elvis, metallica, etc. they've made millions. Nowadays, all you need is 1 hit song and your album will sell over 60 million copies worldwide, then you're set for LIFE. But they complain about some random person downloading one of their songs on google search engine. So what are you trying to say rich [insert mainstream band here]? You're not gonna be able to pay the bills and eat because someone downloaded one of your tracks? get outta here. You're just greedy. If I was a mainstream artist and I had a string of platinum 40 million+ sales rankings I wouldn't care if people downloaded because #1 I'd be glad people were listening to my work and I already made some money. Now I know touring and production costs and record company deals need to be considered too, but still, mainstream bands who sell huge amounts of albums, it won't hurt them one bit. Now if we're talking about less successful or obscure/independent artists, people downloading their music would be harmful. But mainstream multi-platinum/diamond selling artists have nothing to fuss about here.

 

[Mr.Moon]

It's one of them things that will never be stopped no matter how many times they try to arrest a random person just to scare other folks.

Them music artists and bands 'n what not are rich enough as it is and most barely contribute anything to real society I think.

So why not?

 

[IAMN]

Yes, and lots of it. I have a music collection that would not be financially possible without downloads. I do think it is stealing, but we've all seen futurama right?...i love stealing... I love taking things...

 

[Ignace]

Downloading does no real harm like the RIAA says it does. Mainstream music artists and record companies make enough money to be set financially for life. People like michael jackson (his thriller album ALONE sold 110 million copies worldwide and grows every year) or bands like the beatles and elvis, metallica, etc. they've made millions. Nowadays, all you need is 1 hit song and your album will sell over 60 million copies worldwide, then you're set for LIFE. But they complain about some random person downloading one of their songs on google search engine. So what are you trying to say rich [insert mainstream band here]? You're not gonna be able to pay the bills and eat because someone downloaded one of your tracks? get outta here. You're just greedy. If I was a mainstream artist and I had a string of platinum 40 million+ sales rankings I wouldn't care if people downloaded because #1 I'd be glad people were listening to my work and I already made some money. Now I know touring and production costs and record company deals need to be considered too, but still, mainstream bands who sell huge amounts of albums, it won't hurt them one bit. Now if we're talking about less successful or obscure/independent artists, people downloading their music would be harmful. But mainstream multi-platinum/diamond selling artists have nothing to fuss about here.

Michael Jackson was lucky enough to live in a time without illegal downloading. Artists of this time just have to cope with the fact that they're music is being downloaded. Most artists have to tour to make profit, cause all people think others will buy their album so it's not a bad thing when they download it. Also, if artists would live a normal life without their super expensive stuff they have nothing to complain about.

 

[worrywort]

Listening to the radio - free and legal
Borrowing your friends CD - free and legal
Downloading friends CD - free and legal
Youtube - Free and legal
Pandora - Free and legal
Downloading from internet - Free and Illegal?

It just doesn't make sense to me...

haha! beautifully put!!!!

As far as I know it's also legal to record music or film off of the radio or TV for your own private use [Video Recordings Act 1984][this may have changed though? correct me if I'm wrong], but it's illegal to download the exact same music or film for the exact same purpose. This seems stupid to me.

...If I had a chair and someone took it from me then that would be stealing. But if they made a copy of the chair and kept it I don't consider that stealing.

..yea good point! I agree. If loaves of bread could be freely and limitlessly copied and pasted, it'd be absurd to still be charged for it. But I guess the real question is of the value of art. If a genius chef had spent a long time coming up with an incredible secret recipe for a loaf of bread that tasted amazing, we'd all obviously rather a copy of that loaf, than a plain ordinary loaf. But what would the chef get in return for his or her efforts? Shouldn't the chef have the right to charge whatever they wish for their recipe? Isn't there a difference between the practical needs of a loaf satisfying hungers, and our human wants and desires to taste something better? [these questions aren't directed at you specifically btw! just to anyone ]

It's one of them things that will never be stopped no matter how many times they try to arrest a random person just to scare other folks.

Also a very good point! If this is the case and we fast forward a few decades I wonder what the artistic industries will look like if eventually all art, music, film etc becomes free.

I reckon any artform that can be created on small budgets would benefit. Like the music industry for example. Personally I think the sooner all music becomes free the better, because it will sift out the true artists from those only in it for the fame and fortune. But artforms that require bigger budgets would suffer, such as the film industries. If there is no money being injected into the film industries then all these epic grand spectacles we've come to expect on our cinema screens will no longer be made, and that would be a terrible thing imo.

 

[spect01]

Michael Jackson was lucky enough to live in a time without illegal downloading. Artists of this time just have to cope with the fact that they're music is being downloaded. Most artists have to tour to make profit, cause all people think others will buy their album so it's not a bad thing when they download it. Also, if artists would live a normal life without their super expensive stuff they have nothing to complain about.

Yeah back then you could tape songs off the radio instead of buying the album or dub cassettes with 2 stereos next to each other. 1 plays the music and 1 records. But today they make millions so they have nothing to worry about.

 

[HeadFace]

If it is wrong, then I'm one sinful mother****er. All of my music I've got for free. All 11Gigs of it.

 

[arsenalwa]

If it is wrong, then I'm one sinful mother****er. All of my music I've got for free. All 11Gigs of it.

lol same here.

 

[crunch-yogurt]

If its a artist I really like ill try to buy the album just to suport them, but if its someone im not that into or cant find their cd anywhere ill download it.