Is the RIAA suing you?

[markie]

Originally posted by mankie:
  They will probably go after people at random...so the chance of getting caught is probably very remote. It would be sweet though if markie got nailed and then deported for being a convicted felon....okay, okay, I'm just kidding, I wouldn't wish anything like that on anyone...(except maybe GGW     )

I haven't downloaded anything illegal since Napster ended. I never realy found another good mac service and I only have dialup at home. that stuff is blocked from work.
 
 I guess the appearance of a CD game exchange 2 minutes walk away from where I live is reason enough not to bother with downloads.
 
 But before, I only downloaded a few classic songs and stuff from bands coming to play in the area that I didnt know anything about. I never downloaded a whole album.
 
 I doubt I am the kind of person they want to target. They really want the people who offer up thousands of songs for download.

[paige]

yes.. how do they go about just targeting these people? i really doubt that it's completely random. i'm sure some pose a larger threat over others?

[ggw]

Originally posted by paige:
  ggw, i think that people fall back on the first statement as justification for the second. ok, so you may be one of the very few who is just far far above the whole illegal downloading thing, but how do you expect for the other millions of downloaders to buy your point? just saying "that's wrong" with no immediately ensuing consequences isn't that threatening to a lot of people, nor is it believable.

Good question.  I don't know the answer.  I think perhaps the labels waited too long to do something about it and now there is a whole sub-generation that thinks that music is simply free. It's hard to unlearn that behavior.
 
 Depending on how the lawsuits go, perhaps people will see that there are consequences.
 
 Or maybe groups like www.futureofmusic.org will get the message across that the music industry sucks because artists have to agree to relenquish control of their works and then don't get fairly compensated but, p2p networks, in which artists have control of their work stolen from them and receive no compensation, suck even more.
 
 And Future of Music isn't some major label lobbying group, it's a collection of independent musicians and labels run by Jenny Toomey (formerly of Tsunami and Simple Machines) who lobby the government against media consolidation, in support of on-line radio, and in support of overhauling major label practices so that artists get fair compensation for their work and consumers get broader exposure to music.

[kosmo vinyl]

it appears that the riaa and their minions are issuing subpeonas and warning letters to file sharers and downloaders.
 
 the electronic freedom frontier foundation and the p2p companies are forming lobbying groups in order to change the laws in order to allow for file sharing.  but they are fighting an uphill battle against the riaa and hollywood.
 
 ultimately i see the current effort by the riaa backfiring.  it's only going to make people work harder at trading files and create even more ill feelings toward the large record companies.  and in the wake of pearl jam strike out on their own i see more groups of their statue leaving the big companies.

[mankie]

Maybe if they put a few of these "file thieves" behind bars it might get the message out that theft is wrong?

[paige]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
 Good question.  I don't know the answer.  I think perhaps the labels waited too long to do something about it and now there is a whole sub-generation that thinks that music is simply free. It's hard to unlearn that behavior.
 
 Depending on how the lawsuits go, perhaps people will see that there are consequences.
 
 Or maybe groups like www.futureofmusic.org will get the message across that the music industry sucks because artists have to agree to relenquish control of their works and then don't get fairly compensated but, p2p networks, in which artists have control of their work stolen from them and receive no compensation, suck even more.
 
 And Future of Music isn't some major label lobbying group, it's a collection of independent musicians and labels run by Jenny Toomey (formerly of Tsunami and Simple Machines) who lobby the government against media consolidation, in support of on-line radio, and in support of overhauling major label practices so that artists get fair compensation for their work and consumers get broader exposure to music.

that organization seems like a great thing to come along... people should be educated about music and downloading legally so people can still enjoy their music without being thrown in jail or fined 250,000$ i guess punishment should be used as an example of threat, but when it comes down to it, instead of castigating music listeners, they should "reform" them so they don't swear off listening to music forever. i think that doing so would prevent further losses in the future.

[thirsty moore]

Maybe if they put a few of these "file thieves" behind bars it might get the message out that theft is wrong?
 
 Yeh!  That's certainly worked with murder, drugs, rape, etc.

[paige]

and by "reform" i meant educate them about what they were/are doing and how they should stop that but find alternate means of listening to the music they love without "giving into the Man" or whatever.

[mankie]

Originally posted by thirsty moore:
  Maybe if they put a few of these "file thieves" behind bars it might get the message out that theft is wrong?
 
 Yeh!  That's certainly worked with murder, drugs, rape, etc.

I was thinking for otherwise law abiding people...like Paige for example, she's now thinking "oh shit". Thieving bastards are thieving bastards you can't change that, but when someone comes up with a creative name like "file sharing" I can understand why some folk wouldn't realize it's actually stealing, because there's nothing tangible that you've picked up and shoved in your pocket.

[paige]

Originally posted by mankie:
  I was thinking for otherwise law abiding people...like Paige for example, she's now thinking "oh shit". Thieving bastards are thieving bastards you can't change that, but when someone comes up with a creative name like "file sharing" I can understand why some folk wouldn't realize it's actually stealing, because there's nothing tangible that you've picked up and shoved in your pocket.

i usually have a good conscience that tells me if something i have done isn't the most sound of all decisions.. it's easy to get caught up in the accessibility of downloading and forget what you are actually doing. and since this whole idea has surfaced in the past few months, i don't think i have downloaded any songs. i do feel guilty, because when it comes down to it i don't think it's right to take away from an artist's "fruits of labor" - especially with smaller, indie artists, but then again with huge artists like britney spears, will she notice that she has $439735 million dollars instead of $465089? yes yes i know either way it's wrong.. i'm just trying to make a point.

[ggw]

Just look at things from the artists perspective and try to put yourselves in their shoes.
 
 What if somebody developed the technology to steal XM radio for free, and everyone justified it by saying that $200 for installation and $100/year for XM radio was too much and they already paid for the car and go to lots of concerts and buy CDs, so they feel no qualms about stealing it.
 
 That would kind of suck, wouldn't it?

[thirsty moore]

Good point.  Similarly, the recent full page ad in the NY Times that the RIAA took out telling file sharers to get lawyers made me remove Kazaa from my computer.
 
 As a reformed thieving bastard, I feel that I have fully reintegrated myself into society:)
 
 

Originally posted by mankie:
 Thieving bastards are thieving bastards you can't change that, but when someone comes up with a creative name like "file sharing" I can understand why some folk wouldn't realize it's actually stealing, because there's nothing tangible that you've picked up and shoved in your pocket.

[paige]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  Just look at things from the artists perspective and try to put yourselves in their shoes.
 
 What if somebody developed the technology to steal XM radio for free, and everyone justified it by saying that $200 for installation and $100/year for XM radio was too much and they already paid for the car and go to lots of concerts and buy CDs, so they feel no qualms about stealing it.
 
 That would kind of suck, wouldn't it?

way to use an analogy that hits close to home    
 
 you have a valid point but i can't see it comparing to downloading songs. how much do you think that one song is "worth"? if people were stealing xm, i think it would have a greater immediate effect than downloading a song or two... hmmm

[ggw]

Originally posted by paige:
  way to use an analogy that hits close to home      
 
 you have a valid point but i can't see it comparing to downloading songs. how much do you think that one song is "worth"? if people were stealing xm, i think it would have a greater immediate effect than downloading a song or two... hmmm

Let's say they found a way to steal the signal for only one or two stations.  Is it fair now?
 
 Because, they could say that those are the only two stations they want to listen to, and it isn't fair that they have to pay for the whole product when they only want a part of it.  And since you won't sell them just those two stations at the price they are willing to pay for it, then it's not really stealing, and even if it is, it's your fault that they are stealing it since you won't give them exactly what they want at exactly the price they want to pay.

[kosmo vinyl]

Originally posted by thirsty moore:
  Good point.  Similarly, the recent full page ad in the NY Times that the RIAA took out telling file sharers to get lawyers made me remove Kazaa from my computer.
 
 As a reformed thieving bastard, I feel that I have fully reintegrated myself into society:)
 
 

As a sign of solidarity I just removed WinMX from mine.  
 
 But here's an interesting dilemma... I once had a indie band tell I should download their out of print cd off another sharing service as long as i promised to buy it if it ever gets rereleased.