Piracy - Yay or Nay?

[LD]

I'm a choosy consumer so I like the best of whatever is available at that time.

Movies: If it's something that hasn't been released in the US and I'm desperate to see it for some reason. Plus the encoding is usually pretty bad so it doesn't scale well on a large screen. If it's movie I really want to see I'll either see it at the cinema or wait for it to be on HD cable where the quality and sound is the best it can be. If I like it a lot I'll buy the DVD.

TV Shows: I've downloaded whole seasons of shows just to catch up on episodes I've missed or things that are not being screened in the US. Is it piracy? If it's being shown on TV I don't think it is. It's exactly the same as borrowing a video tape from a friend. The quality is average and like movies, doesn't scale well on a big TV. If it's something I really like I'll buy the season.

Games and software: Most games are online so you need a valid CD key. I'm picky about what games I buy so most are usually worth the purchase. I don't buy much software most of it is bundled or work related. If it's something I'm going to use frequently I'll buy it, but if I just need it to do one thing I'll use a demo or use a pirate copy. Most of it is just too damn expensive so I'm not surprised that happens. Hello Quark Express. (I heard Keith's tale about trying to sell that. That was funny.)

Music: When Napster V1 was around I was on it all the time. If it was an artist I liked I was searching for rare and live material. For unknowns is was a good way to hear them. If it was an artist that I didn't care about that much I'd just download the odd song that I liked. Now iTunes makes it so easy I have no problem dropping a dollar for one hit wonders, the effort to find it online for free it's not worth a dollar.

My big bone of contention is "fans" copying songs from independent and upcoming artists that you can buy. If you really like that artist you should pay for it just to keep them working. They need the money more than Britney Spears and Metallica. Pirating music of an upcoming band is the same as being on this forum and pirating Keith's DVD. If they do something that you enjoy you should give them something in return.

Most young bands usually have free MP3s available at their site so using file sharing to find new songs isn't necessary either. I just did it 15 minutes ago. I was ordering some CDs and clicking around looking for new music. I came across Raised by Swans, I downloaded the two free tracks from their site and ordered it 5 minutes later.

So in summary. For most things if you are not selling it on, then I don't thinks it's a big deal. Like borrowing CDs, DVDs or videos of shows from your friends. If you were never going to buy it then they were not going to get the money anyway. And if you really like something the chances are you'll want to buy your own copy.

[Patrice]

Originally Posted by teerts

YAAAARRRRR!


I think you should pay for it if you plan to use it to make money.

I do not download movies. Takes too long. About as long as it takes to get it from Netflix.
Except for pr0n. I wish Netflix had a porn section, but then i might not want to touch
the disc to put it in the dvd player. But then again, I guess that doesnt matter much.
The previous netflixer of 6ft under season 3 disc 2 could have jacked off, pooped, and
taken out the trash and then shipped the disc back without washing his/her hands and
I probably wouldnt knwo the difference.

I think downloading television shows that are not yet released on dvd is legal. kinda.

I think abandonware (things out of print, or otherwise generally forgotten) are a grey area, not necessarily bad.

Being able to try before you buy (without having to pay someone like blockbuster to try) is a good thing.

Try Sugar DVD it's the porn version of Netflix

Music: I do attempt to buy Indie stuff instead of just downloading. I mostly download full albums that haven't been released.

Movies and TV : Have no motivation to downloaded either. Cable keeps me busy enough.

[teerts]

Originally Posted by Patrice

Try Sugar DVD it's the porn version of Netflix

Music: I do attempt to buy Indie stuff instead of just downloading. I mostly download full albums that haven't been released.

Movies and TV : Have no motivation to downloaded either. Cable keeps me busy enough.

Oh you sweet, sweet lady. Thanks!
I might give that a shot. If I do, I'll post about it.

It's fun getting music before it's released. I still like owning actual cds, though.

[Daemonik]

This seemed relevant again because of the '4 of Clubs' episode.

I'm against piracy of music or movies, it should be up to the artists to make that choice of putting themselves online, but I do agree with the viewpoint that free downloads are useful as a band promotional item.

However, as Chemda found out, commercial music downloads suck as well because they limit your options, often tying you to one brand of player. The DRM encryption on purchased music drains your players battery's faster and also, not one legitimate online music store has a setup that allows you to resell or trade your DRM'd music.

Then there's the fact that the artists are getting screeeewwwwed by their labels on legal downloads. Wierd Al recently mentioned that his label takes out 'breakage and shrinkage' fees on his downloads. Breakage??? Why the government isn't ass raping the labels with a racketeering investigation I'll never know.

The movie industry seems to be somewhat more sane than the record execs. Just today they've announced that soon you'll be able to buy blank CSS enabled disks that will let you purchase, download and burn a movie to DVD which will play in all standard DVD players. These aren't crippled versions of the movies either, but have the same extras, clips and commentaries that would be available on a store bought DVD.

Now that's something that I can get interested in.

[flaherty]

i do downlaod a shitload of music. at the same time however, i'll buy so much on vinyl that i don't feel bad about downloading it. yes, i download a lot that i wouldn't buy just because it's the top 40 shit that i know i won't like the entire record. those motherfuckers are already millionairs so i don't feel bad about that either. i don't have time for movies, tv shows, or games. software is so outragiously priced that i pirate every last bit of if possible. i'm also an avid shoplifter from major chain retailers. fuck big business and fuck feeling bad about getting something for free.

[hornskickarse]

I say yay to everything. They are too over paid as it is. Fuck everyone and fuck you!

[Rhian]

I do download alot of music, but I do buy a ton of CDs also. For what I do, I can't always justify buying a whole cd just for one song. I prefer the variety of music that isn't always available in the stores. I do have to edit the music I use quite a bit so the mp3 files are what I need anyway. I haven't downloaded movies, but I don't go to watch movies either, I'll just wait till it comes out. My husband dls tv shows that haven't come out up here yet because he just can't wait. I'm not a big gamer but we'll just buy them.

[mikhail]

ARRRRRRRRRRR MATIE!!!! I SAY YAY!

[ncfcyank19]

I listen to samples of songs on iTunes and if I like it, I'll buy it. I used to download songs about 5+ Years ago but it's so convenient now to purchase music online from reliable sources and the free samples are good enough that I don't feel the need to download shared files anymore.
As for film, like a few others here, it's an aesthetic thing. Pirated DVDs are not always a high enough quality for me. I do make copies of DVDs I purchase but I have them in a separate location with another DVD player, pictures, documents, etc in the odd case that something happens to my house and I don't have time to go in and grab things I want to keep.
As for software, I've got a copy of Photoshop on my computer than my previous business purchased. I do plan on purchasing my own copy though, since there's always the threat of at some point having to reformat the computer and I don't want to lose it. I feel more comfortable that my business purchases every bit of software and every license for every program we use.

[fomoco460]

I guess I am a I d/l everything. Music ,Movies, Though I do have Netflix, TV Shows especially Top Gear (from England), and Software. I do buy some music but a lot of what I listen to is Jungle/Techno and what i get from the net is not offered anywhere else and if I really like a piece of software and it's only 20 or so dollars I usually end up buying it after a while. I will admit that I don't pay for much though. Yo ho ho it a pirates life for me