Your thoughts on the present actions of the MPAA and RIAA

[Lostman]

That's an outstanding point. I would do the same thing if I was in they're shoes.

But now people are NOT buying they're CD's. They had to have seen this coming. But insted of changing they're business plan to better accomodate the new trends in technology, they sue all these people.

I think both sides are wrong here. The RIAA for they're "soloution" and the users for stealing.

 

[RussSchultz]

That's an outstanding point. I would do the same thing if I was in they're shoes.

But now people are NOT buying they're CD's. They had to have seen this coming. But insted of changing they're business plan to better accomodate the new trends in technology, they sue all these people.

I think both sides are wrong here. The RIAA for they're "soloution" and the users for stealing.

How do you change your business model when people are convincing themselves that stealing is acceptable?

Stronger DRM is one solution--which is vastly protested as "taking away our rights".

So, then...what!?

 

[Althornin]

How do you change your business model when people are convincing themselves that stealing is acceptable?

Stronger DRM is one solution--which is vastly protested as "taking away our rights".

So, then...what!?

Well, people do expect to be able to make a copy of their music for the car, and rip it to listen to on the computer - the problem with DRM is a lack of fair use - at least with the DRM ideas i have seen thus far.

read this article for a different take on piracy - it seems that regular piracy is worse, and is a growing problem, but is almost left alone.

Then again, I'd also say that MOST people will pay for something because they think it is the right thing to do. If there was a service that was priced reasonably, and offered full quality downloads with a huge selection, it would be popular.
But look at "iTunes" - a day late and a dollar short. Only music format is 64bit AAC (maybe as good as 128bit LAME encoded MP3, depending on what music you listen to). If i am paying full CD price (1 dollar per song), then i want to be able to download the damn WAV file if i want. Or,it must be cheaper to offset the decreased quality.

Its quite a conundrum the music industry is in. I liken it to the one the movie industry was in when VCR's first started becoming popular. They thought everyone would just steal all the movies. Turns out that now its their best money maker. Sure, SOME people steal movies, but MOST people find that they can pay a reasonable price to rent them, and still be "moral" - ie, not thieves.

If a viable alternative existed, it would be in use. The current situation was caused by the RIAA not providing said alternative to kazaa/winmx/etc.

Failure to adopt to changing marketplace demands will result in a "black market", pretty much regardless of the industry. Attempts to legislate a fix are ultimately futile.

 

[Lostman]

Great article. Goes to show you that the RIAA dug themselves into this hole and could be using P2P networks as the scapegoat.

 

[Legion]

Great article. Goes to show you that the RIAA dug themselves into this hole and could be using P2P networks as the scapegoat.

this is exactly what the local police do with child porn and crack busts. They attack easy targets allowing them to make others believe they are achieving something while taken the focus off their inevitable failure.

 

[notAFanB]

just wanted to post an article which may be related to this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3117505.stm

 

[RussSchultz]

I take exception to this statement in the article:

In America and the rest of the world the biggest culprit in falling music sales is large-scale CD piracy by organised crime.

This is certainly true in Asia, but not in America. I've never seen a pirate CD, and I wouldn't have a clue where to go (other than kazaa) where to get one.

Now in Hong Kong, however....Mong Kok is the shiznit.

 

[notAFanB]

I take exception to this statement in the article:

In America and the rest of the world the biggest culprit in falling music sales is large-scale CD piracy by organised crime.

This is certainly true in Asia, but not in America. I've never seen a pirate CD, and I wouldn't have a clue where to go (other than kazaa) where to get one.

Now in Hong Kong, however....Mong Kok is the shiznit.

yupo some of the claims are a bit 'off'.

PS: you don't really need to go to Mong Kok just for that 8)

 

[Lostman]

Kawloon had vendors lined up on the streets. I was too drunk to see clearly though.

 

[Natoma]

I take exception to this statement in the article:

In America and the rest of the world the biggest culprit in falling music sales is large-scale CD piracy by organised crime.

This is certainly true in Asia, but not in America. I've never seen a pirate CD, and I wouldn't have a clue where to go (other than kazaa) where to get one.

Now in Hong Kong, however....Mong Kok is the shiznit.

You should walk through Manhattan sometime. There are pirates selling CDs on corners everywhere. Down the street from my job near Times Square I pass guys selling CDs and cassettes for $5 that look like the real thing. When I've gone through Chinatown, same thing. And it's almost as bad in Harlem and the Bronx.

Just not looking in the right places my friend. They're everywhere.

What's sad is seeing this happening to DVDs now. My mom, bless her heart, wouldn't steal a thing in her life. She purchased a DVD for me off the street thinking it was legit. Turns out it was a camcorder recording of the movie from the theater.

My mom gets lost going around the corner from her house (and no, I'm not exaggerating that one. Trust me on this.). If she can find pirated material and purchase it, it's literally everywhere.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

Natoma,

My mom gets lost going around the corner from her house (and no, I'm not exaggerating that one. Trust me on this.). If she can find pirated material and purchase it, it's literally everywhere.

This struck me as interesting. I do not work in an overly large city, Boise, ID (pop 185,787), and I do not see bootlegged CDs being sold on the street corner. The small town where I live, Kuna, ID (pop 5,382), does not have bootlegged CDs being sold on the street corner. Where I was brought up, Muncie, IN (pop 67,430), there was not bootlegged CDs being sold on the street corner.

I would guess that in the real big cities they would be selling bootlegged CDs on the street corner while in rural areas it would not be as rampant.

/sarcasm on Are large cities really the den of evil? /sarcasm off

I would think that it would take many sacrifices to live in a large city.

Dr. Ffreeze

PS. I am NOT saying that you can't buy any bootlegged CDs in these cities, but they are not rampant and on street corners.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

Natoma,

it's literally everywhere

Kinda lost my train of thought in the above musings. What I found interesting was what your definition of "everywhere". This is not to pick on "you" per say, but just how each and every one of us perceives our world though the filter of personal experiences. For example, the "rich" people I know are hard working. I therefore perceive that most "rich" people are hard working, yet I really don't know enough rich people to make an accurate statement.

/ponder
Dr. Ffreeze

 

[Natoma]

What was that post you made earlier about splitting hairs Dr. Ffreeze?

 

[RussSchultz]

Living in Houston (population ~2Million) and Austin (population about 750k - 1M), I haven't seen bootleg CDs sold anywhere.

But, I'm sure all sorts of crazy things happen in NYC.

It doesn't mean that piracy is rampant in America, though.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

Natoma,

What was that post you made earlier about splitting hairs Dr. Ffreeze?

I was not trying to split hairs, it was more of a, "Wow, that is interesting how we form our perceptions of the world" sort of a thing. That is why I posted again to try to better clarify my point. =)

Dr. Ffreeze

 

[Natoma]

Living in Houston (population ~2Million) and Austin (population about 750k - 1M), I haven't seen bootleg CDs sold anywhere.

But, I'm sure all sorts of crazy things happen in NYC.

It doesn't mean that piracy is rampant in America, though.

That's cause Texas is full of nothing but hicks who wouldn't know anything about technology. NYC is where it's at.

 

[RussSchultz]

Which is, no doubt, why Austin is called Silicon Hills: because of the fake boobies.

 

[Legion]

Which is, no doubt, why Austin is called Silicon Hills: because of the fake boobies.

Are you sure you don't have Austin mistaken with Daytona Beach?

 

[Natoma]

Which is, no doubt, why Austin is called Silicon Hills: because of the fake boobies.

I thought hollywood had that distinction?