Is Downloading Music Stealing? Not In My...

[TIBZ]

ok well theres a big difference between gettin a CD from the store and downloadin it well if u were to steal the CD it wud have the cover the booklet and the CD cover and all that shit when u download it it dont have that shit so i dont really think of it as stealing and plus the people that put that stuff up r the stealers ur just taking it from them under their permission

[60sveteran]

Hi! I've supported the music industry since I was 9 yrs old (I'm over 50), when I saved my allowance for 2 wks to buy a 78-RPM record by the Everly Bros. ('Bird Dog' with 'Devoted To You' on the 'B' side). Over the many years since I've acquired and lost more record collections than I can remember. Some albums I've bought several times over simply because I couldn't bear to be without them. Most of the music I d/l I've bought at one time or another. Am I stealing? Probably, but I don't care. The RIAA (& its members) has extracted its lb of flesh (& then some) from me, so I don't feel a bit guilty. CD's are way overpriced and with file-sharing, I get to experience a lot of stuff I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. From the musician's point of view-the potential audience for their material is unlimited-not an unattractive notion to them, I'm sure. (Incidentally, that 1st Everly Bros. 78-RPM record I bought some 45 yrs ago? I left it in the sun briefly & it melted-forcing me to save up another 98 cents to replace it. Thanks to file-sharing that won't ever happen again.) Thanks for listening.

[iwalrus]

Originally posted by tiba06@4 July 2003 - 23:32
plus the people that put that stuff up r the stealers ur just taking it from them under their permission

Sorry, man, I believe recieving stolen property [with the foreknowledge of it's stolen origin] is still a crime. This is why you don't buy PlayStation 2's out of the back of a car

Is it stealing? If you haven't bought the CD it is. The artist make a product, the compaines sell it to make profit. If you take it without buying it, you are, in essence, stealing. However, do the stores which you would normally buy the CD from buy the CDs from the company then re-sell it to you and eat what they don't sell, or do they just pay when they sell and send back the unsold? If it's the former then it's already been bought for you and you're not stealing at all, now are you? The original maker has been reimbursed already...


Anyway, most of the song I download are from CDs/33s/45s I already have, and those that aren't serve as samples to the stuff I will buy, most likely. If I don't like the song/artist, it gets the Recycle Bin.

This is not justification of course, just the mindset I use to keep my conscience clean.

There is a brighter side to p2p, isn't there? most of the local bands 'round here get their stuff out through file sharing. It's the only way to really get a fanbase, give them the songs they want, get them loving it, then hawk the CDs they burned on their computers and T-shirts they printed from their PCs.

But I'm weird.

[BlizZ]

Tiba06:

ok well theres a big difference between gettin a CD from the store and downloadin it well if u were to steal the CD it wud have the cover the booklet and the CD cover and all that shit when u download it it dont have that shit so i dont really think of it as stealing

Yes, good point,, that's EXACALLY what I mean.

[theFUZmixman]

Stealing?????? No... theft? No... how the hell could we steal something that was readily available under the users consent..? Bullshit. Its no different then recording a song off of the radio. That is not theft. That is simply liking a piece of music and recording it to listen to it again.... Breeching copyright? Fuck copyright laws. Now, if you were to record something, then SELL IT, that would be wrong. Kazaa users don't recieve money. Actually, they don't really recieve anything other then gradification from other users for sharing with the community. Think of how kazaa even works. Somebody has to purchase a cd, this user burns his/her cd collection to their computer for others to hear, thereby spreading the word about that particular artist. The more someone likes an artist the more inclined they are to perhaps invest in a ticket to concert in there area, or continue to tell others about them which will eventually lead to more exposure for the artist. I don't see how that is wrong. I am a musician and the more people who hear my voice the better.
We are talking about music. Something that has been shared with other ears for centuries. Why should it stop now?

[funny_bunny]

The issue isn't about the physical nature of a compact disc. It is about the intellectual copyright contained within the material on the compact disc.
All countries have laws pertaining to this copyright which tend to suggest that if you did not buy the right to this content then possesion is unlawful!
So, based on the law, filesharing is unlawful.
Now, let's look at this from a different perspective.
I download one track from the new Eminem (say) album from a filesharing comunity. The reason I only download one track is because the rest of the album sucks and there is no way in hell I am ever going to buy this CD. How much has the music industry lost? Nothing.
Whoops! Sorry; I bought the propaganda version there for a minute. What I should have said is how much has Eminem lost? After all, it is his music!
I have more to say but want some feed-back on this first.

[ultramagna]

Originally posted by MagicNakor@4 July 2003 - 16:00
Actually, violating copyrights = breach of copyright, not theft.

Same thing. You'all getting into semantecs again. You're not minding their copyright=taking what you've not paid 4=theft.

All I have to say is the music industry is screwed (the Producers). The good artists I fully support (except Metallica). They deserve all the glory (money). Not the producers.

If it worked that way, cd's would cost a dime and the Artists would get all the profits. That would work out to about the same as if you take out the middle man producers

[ultramagna]

Originally posted by funny_bunny@5 July 2003 - 16:47
I download one track from the new Eminem (say) album from a filesharing comunity. The reason I only download one track is because the rest of the album sucks and there is no way in hell I am ever going to buy this CD. How much has the music industry lost? Nothing.

Well, provided that you were never given the opportunity to get that one song elsewhere or by other means, you never know. Deep down the music industry is betting that you would have layed down the dough for that one song just to play in your car to impress friends of your new track

[MagicNakor]

Originally posted by ultramagna+6 July 2003 - 01:01--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ultramagna @ 6 July 2003 - 01:01)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MagicNakor@4 July 2003 - 16:00
Actually, violating copyrights = breach of copyright, not theft.

Same thing. You&#39;all getting into semantecs again. You&#39;re not minding their copyright=taking what you&#39;ve not paid 4=theft.

All I have to say is the music industry is screwed (the Producers). The good artists I fully support (except Metallica). They deserve all the glory (money). Not the producers.

If it worked that way, cd&#39;s would cost a dime and the Artists would get all the profits. That would work out to about the same as if you take out the middle man producers [/b][/quote]
No, I&#39;m not getting into semantics, unless you feel using actual legal terms is doing just that. If you get caught, they won&#39;t nail you for theft. They&#39;ll nail you for copyright infringement. In the legal system, the two have different requirements. The RIAA and folks like them throw around the word "theft" because it sounds more threatening to the average person, and it&#39;s more likely to be understood than "copyright infringement." Theft is when a person intentionally and fraudulently takes personal property of another without permission or consent and with the intent to convert it to the taker&#39;s use (generally for selling). Copyright infringement is the improper use of a patent, writing, graphic or trademark without permission, without notice, and especially without contracting for payment of a royalty. I hope that clears it up for you.

[mandagoShare]

What we are doing follows an alternate economic mode. Big busniess is unable to adjust to the possibilities of technology quickly enough to realize a profit. The internet was designed to facilitate the free exchange of ideas. A concept that is anthematic to copyright laws.

I am NOT getting somthing for nothing. I abide by the rules of this community I take what I want and in return I make available that which others want.

The RIAA would say that because they do not realize a profit from the exchange that exchange should not be allowed, but I have been to many gagage sales, pawn shops, second hand stores and swap meets do the CDs in these places constitute copyright violation? Sure you bet but the RIAA dosen&#39;t go after these folks

Sorry to go on different tangents

Here is the bottom line goods recieved in exchange for other goods is NOT theft.

The RIAA would like to scare you into being a thief.

You ARE stealing if you download without allowing uploads