Fascism of RIAA

ConstipatedCraprunner said:
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In other words, I just have to film two blonde lesbian babes and tell they're Belorussian for you to move there? Sweet!
 
Malkavian said:
People who pirate music and movies should go to jail for it.

It's no different from stealing a CD from a store.
It is very different. Intellectual property and physical property are two different concepts. I agree with physical property (after all, I don't want jackasses robbing me of my DVD and laptop), but I firmly believe that intellectual property is an outdated and inherently wrong concept that serves only to help capitalist corporations amass wealth. I live for the day when music will be free and record industry will no longer exist.

Even if we set aside the moral and philosophical implications, your claim that online music sharing is no different from stealing a CD from a store is incorrect from the only aspect that really matters - the economic aspect. Namely, MP3 sharing doesn't in any way impact revenues of the record companies, because people who download music are people who wouldn't purchase it legally even if the option of downloading was unavailable to them. Essentially, this means that music-sharing people aren't a market for the record companies - whether they download ten songs or ten thousand songs doesn't matter, since no economic damage is caused to the record companies. This has been proven in a number of independant researches. I had already started a thread about this, but here's the link to a research conducted by the University of North Carolina which proves it. A similar research, which produced almost identical results, was also conducted by the Harvard Business School, but I don't have the link. Anyway, the point is, you can download all the music you want without qualm, since it doesn't hurt anybody.

Besides, Malky, I seem to recall that a year ago, when you got DSL, you sent me a private message requesting links to some not-so-legal sites. Where was your integrity then? :wink:
 
I'm in a band. I want to make that my livelihood. Therefore, after being signed to a label, the label pays for me to record and distributes that recording to stores, so that people will buy the CD, and fund the record label, so that the record label can then help to fund my band's tours, equipment, recordings, and help me to eat and make ends meet.

If everyone and their mother is downloading my CD off the internet, the label makes no money. The label goes bankrupt, and my livelihood, source of income, and what I love is put into jeopardy.

Music/movie/software piracy = bad.
 
but I firmly believe that intellectual property is an outdated and inherently wrong concept that serves only to help capitalist corporations amass wealth. I live for the day when music will be free and record industry will no longer exist.

If ever there was a definition for a pipe dream...

Everything that isn't tangible is considered intellectual property. Stories, programs, films, and music, almost the entire entertainment industry is based on things which lack a material existance.

Creating these things requires time, and as the saying goes, "Time is Money." None of these things are free to make, and its a bit unfair to ask creators not to receive any benefit for their hard work.

I know you're probably going to use a strawman along the lines of, "Music sucks, they're not working very hard." This is besides the point, as everyone deserves equal protection under law. Also, would you say that the people that worked hard to create "good music" (which, keep in mind, is an entirely subjective concept) don't deserve compensation?

"A True Artist wouldn't need money." Well, artists can't live on gratitude, either.

Not only is your ideal unrealistic, I'd say that its wrong.
 
Wooz69 said:
ConstipatedCraprunner said:
Quebec has hot chicks Kotario. Ever seen Lost and Delirious? Horrible movie, super hot Quebeci lesbian action.

In other words, I just have to film two blonde lesbian babes and tell they're Belorussian for you to move there? Sweet!


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mp3_comunism.jpg
 
Eyemaster, lesbian chicks are great.

If you didn't get the rest of the post, I suggest a little holiday in Bielorussia.
 
The besetting belief that record sales is the only way for a musician to make money is one of the biggest and most dangerous fallacies in the world. Believe it or not, there are other ways to make money off your music. Advertising, for example. You can sell your songs to music sites and file sharing services for a fixed monthly amount. These services will allow free download of your music and finance themselves from banners, pop-ups and other types of ads - these ads would bring them millions of dollars, because hundreds of thousands of people would be viewing them. Another way to make money are concerts and tours. Many musicians make a living and even become quite wealthy without ever needing to publish a single record - for example, just about every underground DJ lives solely off performing at night clubs a few times a week. I know you have trouble believing this, but most musicians would hardly notice the absence of influx of money from record stores. Why? Because a lion share of those earnings goes to a slew of executives and their underlings in record companies - they are the ones stealing your livelihood, not people who download MP3 music (and I also notice you deliberately choose to ignore the scientific research that proves all your preconceptions about music sharing are wrong). Income from music sites and file sharing service would likely compensate for the loss of the meager earnings you get from your label. The only musicians who would notice a tremendous loss of income would be shitty, filthy rich, commerce shitfaces like Christina Aguilera or Justin Timberlake, but I daresay music would be better off without their talentless, one-tone squealing polluting the airwaves.

Face it, record industry is the true enemy here. Who needs the record industry? I as a potential customer (well, not really a potential customer, since I'd rather die than give a single penny to those villains) certainly don't, and neither do the artists. Absolving all record companies would maybe even help music revert to a better, more artistic form - a definite improvement over worthless commercial bullshit they bombard us with nowadays.
 
I know some independent artists who have sold more of their work because of file-sharing. Because of the increased exposure, more people are exposed to the work, and some of them like it enough to purchase full CDs and the like.
 
Thanks for the piece of info, Kotario. I myself have always believed that music sharing in many cases helps record sales by providing some free PR. However, I'm not aware of any research that would support that argument.
 
Ratty said:
<snip bullshit>

Ex-fucking-scuze me? I think I know a bit more about the music industry in America than you, you ignorant little shit.

Things aren't that fucking easy, dude. I want to be able to pay rent and eat doing what I love, and I can't do it with fucktards like you going around ruining the industry.
 
I'm not ruining the industry. Actually, I'm presently doing jack shit to the industry. But I would ruin it, given a chance. Too bad no matter how many MP3s I download, it won't have any effect on its revenues. You can sleep peacefully, Malky - your paychecks will still keep rolling in. It takes a whole lot more than a couple of million dudes downloading MP3s to so much as affect the incomes of a mastodont like RIAA.

And don't get all high and mighty with me just because you're in the business - there are many, many musicians out there who share my views and see file sharing as something to be embraced rather than outlawed. And besides, I have enough common sense and knowledge to know how economy works.
 
Take your weapon. He is defenceless. Strike him down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the Red side will be complete.
 
Here is a bit of information, from Corante. I haven't changed the emphasis in any way, just reproduced it (the links and bolding). Check out the original article here.

Corante said:
Musician Survey Says P2P lawsuits aren't helping- Posted by Jason Schultz
We know what the RIAA thinks about suing individual file-sharers, but what about the musicians and songwriters they supposedly represent?

Well, Pew Internet has finally conducted a survey of 2,700+ musicians/songwriters on their attitudes toward file sharing and the results are rather revealing.

1) 60% of artists do not believe the RIAA lawsuits will help them.
2) Artists are deeply divided on whether P2P is affecting music sales for good or for bad.


The issue of effect on the market for CD sales was particularly interesting. 35% said P2P was good for artists because it promoted sales; 23% said P2P was bad for artists because people could get music without permission or payment; and the other 35% agreed with both positions. This reinforces the notion that's been passed around lately of there being mixed effects with P2P. Some people buy more; some buy less. It's not a clear-cut effect.

When looking at whether P2P has affected their careers, the artists' responses get even more interesting. 37% say it has not made a difference; 35% say it has helped; 8% say it has both hurt and helped; and 15% say they don't know. In other words, 72% of artists think P2P has either a neutral or beneficial effect on their careers. Who says it can't Promote The Useful Arts and Sciences?
 
The besetting belief that record sales is the only way for a musician to make money is one of the biggest and most dangerous fallacies in the world.

I think you're focusing too much on the reality of my argument rather than the spirit of it.

Why do you think I made allusions to the game and film industries? The way you were talking, one would think that any type of intellectual property should be free. Which is neither realistic, nor right.

You can argue about how little these record companies are losing, and you are indeed correct. But the bottom line is, that people are breaking the law, and exceptions shouldn't be made just because it's a "victimless crime."
 
King of Creation said:
Lots of DC++ hubs have the following as a header:
disclaimer

thereby making it illegal for the RIAA to go into ANY of them.

Heehee, reminds me of the disclaimer at www.cosmicradius.com: "If you exist in any way, shape, or form, you are prohibited from entering this site." :D
Last thing I heard about CD sales (at least in Australia) is that they'd gone up, not down. Singles sales however pretty much plummeted, but those things were a rip-off anyway (AU$15 for 3 songs, only one of which is any good? Whatever you say Mr Record-Company!).
I'll try and find the article I got that particular piece of info from, for verisimilitude.

*EDIT* My bad, they have gone down. Something like 8 percent in the first six months of this year.
 
Kotario said:
I know some independent artists who have sold more of their work because of file-sharing. Because of the increased exposure, more people are exposed to the work, and some of them like it enough to purchase full CDs and the like.

There are also a fair few good (according to the majority) artists who've made even more money with the help of the likes of the RIAA.


The idea that intellectual property should be freely copied and spread by anyone is usually drummed up by people who dont have their own IP that they've spent years of effort and time and money on. IP pretty much always has, and should have a price tag attached to it. The only one allowed to make judgement is generally the one who came up with it.


Even if P2P piracy helps sales the distributers and artisits have the right to shoot themselves in the foot sales wise and demand that you dont pirate their IP.



Grrr, Sorry about he rant, I'm just sick to the guts of hearing a bunch of arguments going "piracy is good" that wouldn't stand up to an english class of 12 year olds.
 
Piracy is a natural response when the RIAA and other companies artificially raises prices on CDs and DVDs.

Recently a short OVA anime series was released, FLCL, only six episodes long. The American publisher wanted to increase profit though, instead of releasing a single DVD, they split the series into three DVDs, each with two half-hour episodes. While I normally don't pirate anime (I like to encourage companies), that was highway robbery, it's one series which I have pirated, and I'm not ashamed of doing so. It's the alternative to submitting ourselves to greedy corporations.

When music and DVDs are reasonably priced, I have no problem paying for them, the vast majority of my entertainment media is legitimate. I do use piracy as an option to discourage companies who have become greedy.
 
Recently a short OVA anime series was released, FLCL, only six episodes long. The American publisher wanted to increase profit though, instead of releasing a single DVD, they split the series into three DVDs, each with two half-hour episodes. While I normally don't pirate anime (I like to encourage companies), that was highway robbery, it's one series which I have pirated, and I'm not ashamed of doing so. It's the alternative to submitting ourselves to greedy corporations.

That's not even the worst. Blue Sub 6 was a similarly small mini-series, and they packaged it ONE EPISODE to a DVD.

For what it's worth, though, assuming that DVDs normally cost $25, I would pay 75 bucks for the whole shebang. 6 episodes or not, that was a great show.

Hellsing also had 2 episodes to a DVD, but I didn't mind it so much. Sometimes I feel that increadible quality justifies an inflated price tag.
 
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