RIAA has got it all wrong

[Natoma]

If you define the wish to purchase music online and hoping beyond hope that the music companies finally provide that so I can pay for it as guilt, then color me feeling guilty.

No, that's not guilt. That smells like selfishness.

Then I suppose I don't feel guilty.

Anyone who doesn't look both ways before crossing the street is an idiot and is definitely in the wrong, whether they have the light or not.

OK...then by that logic...let's just get rid of traffic lights all-together then. And let's get rid of cross walks too while we're at it...

Everyone do what they please...but just "look out" for others....

You've never been to NYC have you. People cross in the middle of the street, in the crosswalk, between cars, with the light, without the light, etc.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Then I suppose I don't feel guilty.

I know.

And again, I'm perplexed by this.

You've never been to NYC have you. People cross in the middle of the street, in the crosswalk, between cars, with the light, without the light, etc.

Yes, I've been to NYC.

And people do wrong things all the time.

 

[notAFanB]

I've done the same with videogames, i.e. import. There is no such option for music.

sorta but not quite. it came down to the following:-

1. buy less games

2. only buy imports

3. only buy 2nd Hand titles

4. rent or borrow a friends

and of course if it offends yu that much -

5. stop playing videogames.

pretty much done 1-4 yself and I don't feel strongly enough to warrent 5.


EDIT:

oooo I missed secret option #6 spend some time at the amusements. really getting back into Kotf lately.

 

[Natoma]

I've done the same with videogames, i.e. import. There is no such option for music.

sorta but not quite. it came down to the following:-

1. buy less games

2. only buy imports

3. only buy 2nd Hand titles

4. rent or borrow a friends

and of course if it offends yu that much -

5. stop playing videogames.

pretty much done 1-4 yself and I don't feel strongly enough to warrent 5.


EDIT:

oooo I missed secret option #6 spend some time at the amusements. really getting back into Kotf lately.

I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to say then. If I saw a game that was cheaper overseas or wasn't available at all here, I imported it. Most of the time this wasn't the case however.

 

[notAFanB]

my objection wasn't solely based on price but mainly on availabilty and the much discussed 50Hz issue.

I stopped buying a ton of games becuase I found them too expensive, but when I do I make sure that I at least get the product in it's original form and not some hackneyed brush off we call a PAL release. well alright that's harsh but not so long ago we (the brits) would get the shaft from pretty much everything in terms of videogames.

it's has gotton better and prices have normalised (well sorta) and the PAL issue is being addressed nicely. still import tho old habits die hard.

 

[ByteMe]

I agree that pirating all the songs you can from the music industry is GREAT! Remember when they got sued for the price fixing? Do you think the settlement was enough to pay back what they made because of the price fixing? NOT! The entertainment industry as a whole has fought every advance in technology. Most of these advances end up helping them as soon as they are forced to pull their heads out and figure out a way to make money off of it (by being more convienent for the buyer).

Microsoft is a perfect example of a company that should be pirated as much as possible. It is impossible to hold a monopoly (without patents- another debate) in the USA without doing MANY illegal acts. The thing is as soon as you have a ton of money it is cheaper to go ahead and do the illegal acts and pay for lawyers.

Some company will figure out how to use the inet to make a ton of money with music. (apple maybe?) Until then I hope the piracy continues massively until they do figure this out.

Another thing a bit OT. Have you seen how the copyright time has been extended. WTF? Like that does the people anygood.

 

[Geeforcer]

For some reason, people have a much different attitude to stealing software then hardware, and I still don't know why. It is stealing, period. If you feel that a product is not worth asking price, don't buy it. Better yet, buy a competing product instead. I find it highly ironic when the very people who complain about monopoly/lack of competition/lack of quality etc are the ones who expand the marketshare of the alleged offenders by using their illegally obtained products while ignoring and thus stifling legitimate alternatives. "I have RIAA so I am going to d/l that CD" or "I hate MS so I'll pirate Windows" are very shortsighted approaches, because they deprive their competition of much-needed revenue. Piracy hurts the industry much more then it hurts individual company by removing competitive element from it: it's hard to compete for $0.

Anyway, I think RIAA does have a wrong approach. Instead of going after major uploaders, they should go after downloaders instead, asking for either proof of purchase or "retroactive licensing fees" to a tune of $7 an album. That way, they can make money of the existing and very much operational PnP distribution network.

 

[Xmas]

Really? How many times has RIAA (or record companies) tried to implement "copy protection" schemes into CDs? And then they get ripped for doing so, of course.

Oh, if they would only stop that utter crap and save that money for other purposes. How long will it take until the record companies realize that any CD that can be played can be duplicated with relatively small effort.
Copy protection causes more harm than it helps.

 

[Sonic]

Joe, just to clarify for you, I'm not fighting for the artists and I'm not fighting for my own selfishness. I'm not a poor person and will gladly purchase something if I deem it to be worth the purchase. If I want to check out a few songs on a CD I'll go to a store and have them pop it in for me to see if I would like to purchase it. I see no point in downloading music of this day that I won't bother to listen to for any reason. I've got about 500 CD's and only about 50 of them do I have backed up so I can listen to them on my Nomad player while working out. That's all, no reason to pirate them. So please do not assume that because I present an argument that I am pursuing the activities myself.

 

[ByteMe]

For some reason, people have a much different attitude to stealing software then hardware, and I still don't know why. It is stealing, period.

I consider it vigilante justice.

 

[notAFanB]

For some reason, people have a much different attitude to stealing software then hardware, and I still don't know why. It is stealing, period.

I consider it vigilante justice.

welcome to the hellands ppl, I hope you enjoy your stay

 

[Geeforcer]

For some reason, people have a much different attitude to stealing software then hardware, and I still don't know why. It is stealing, period.

I consider it vigilante justice.

While we are making sweeping generalizations, I'll say that people who "support" piracy have never in their lives created things worth stealing. Their perverted sense of entitlement blind them to what they are actually doing to the software industry.

Pirate: OMGWTF M$ suxors!
Alternative OS provider(Linux disto/Apple/other): Great! Buy our software instead!
Pirate: I'll show them! <pirates Windows>
Alternative OS provider: Humm, everyone hates MS by no one buys our software. Aren't people supposed to vote with their money? <goes out of business, MS market share grows further>
Pirate: OMGWTF M$ suxors! Why is there no competition?

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Oh, if they would only stop that utter crap and save that money for other purposes. How long will it take until the record companies realize that any CD that can be played can be duplicated with relatively small effort.
Copy protection causes more harm than it helps.

I guess software companies should stop trying to protect their property as well?

See, I'm as upset as you for things like copy protection schemes that limit my hamper ability to legally do things like make my own compilation lists, and even just play the CD on "touchy" or older CD players.

But the difference is, I don't blame the record companies one bit for doing it. Their hand is being forced by music pirates.

 

[Willmeister]

Their hand is being forced by music pirates.

No, they're masters of their own misfortune. It's obvious that people are unwilling to part with money for their product. The marketplace has decided against them and the RIAA has turned to the government to avoid having to deal with the marketplace by using the insturments of government coersion to maintain their pricings.

The writing is on the wall for the record industry as we knew it...

 

[Joe DeFuria]

No, they're masters of their own misfortune.

No, that's the pirates who bitch and moan about pricing being too high and there not being compeition....while they are at the same time stealing from companies forcing higher prices, and not legitimately buying alternative music.

It's obvious that people are unwilling to part with money for their product. The marketplace has decided against them and the RIAA has turned to the government to avoid having to deal with the marketplace by using the insturments of government coersion to maintain their pricings.

Wrong.

RIAA is turning to the law.

The writing is on the wall for the record industry as we knew it...

That may be true....and it would be unfortunate if it is the case due to piracy....because that would mean it's not just the record ("traditional publisher") industry that is doomed...but the music industry in general...

 

[Willmeister]

I'll tell you right now, people would prefer to buy CDs.

We've all had our fair share of HDD reformats and crappy CDRs. Now this is also coming from someone with 600 CDs in his collection, but also note that my buying of CDs has become a trickle as of late. Is it because of old age or because there isn't much worth buying anymore?

 

[Joe DeFuria]

I'll tell you right now, people would prefer to buy CDs.

We've all had our fair share of HDD reformats and crappy CDRs. Now this is also coming from someone with 600 CDs in his collection, but also note that my buying of CDs has become a trickle as of late. Is it because of old age or because there isn't much worth buying anymore?

Dunno.

My point is, if you stop buying CDs because you don't think much is worth it...that's fine. And if the record business goes down in flames because people just don't buy the stuff...then fine. That's how it's suppossed to work.

If people stop buying CDs because they can illegally get tracks for free off the 'net...then "that's bad."

 

[ByteMe]

While we are making sweeping generalizations, I'll say that people who "support" piracy have never in their lives created things worth stealing. Their perverted sense of entitlement blind them to what they are actually doing to the software industry.

My last company was an IP company. I do not figure I am "entitled" to anything except that big business will follow the same laws that I do. If they don't and have enough money to make the court system work to their advantage then fokk them. I pirate and recommend everyone to pirate microsoft as much as possible.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

I do not figure I am "entitled" to anything except that big business will follow the same laws that I do. ...I pirate and recommend everyone to pirate microsoft as much as possible.

This has to be the most idiodic, self-contradictory, pile of absolute shit comment I've ever heard on this message board. No need to comment on it further. The sheer lunacy speaks for itself.

 

[Silent_One]

This has to be the most idiodic, self-contradictory, pile of absolute shit comment I've ever heard on this message board. No need to comment on it further. The sheer lunacy speaks for itself.