Illegal Music Downloading

[FoxyPage]

There are 3 different downloaders when it comes to music.

1. People that download music to see if they like it and afterwards buy the album

nr. 1: No problem. They respect the artists and are true fans

This, I totally disagree with.

Not buying the album doesn't make you any less of a 'true' fan. Some people just can't afford to buy every album that artist comes out with. Other people take the chance to get something for free, which is a natural choice for many. I'd rather download something for free and use the $20+ I would have spent on that CD to go towards putting food on the table.

Also, some albums are not as easily accessible. I listen to Potap and Nastya Kamenskih, a Ukrainian RnB duo. Good luck trying to find their albums here.

 

[Ezequiel]

This, I totally disagree with.

Not buying the album doesn't make you any less of a 'true' fan. Some people just can't afford to buy every album that artist comes out with. Other people take the chance to get something for free, which is a natural choice for many. I'd rather download something for free and use the $20+ I would have spent on that CD to go towards putting food on the table.

Also, some albums are not as easily accessible. I listen to Potap and Nastya Kamenskih, a Ukrainian RnB duo. Good luck trying to find their albums here.

I didn't mean to say that people who only download aren't true fans. What I mean is that there's people who download music, listen to it once or twice and after that never listen to it anymore. There are fans who download the cd's in stead of buying it. But people who download the music and afterwards buy the album anyway are in a different category then the people that just download and listen to an album once or twice.

The main problem is the price. 15 euro's (20 US dollars) is too much for a cd with 12 to 15 songs. Even buying it online is too much. iTunes albums are at least 13 dollars. That's just too much.

Apart from that I agree with you on the albums that are not easily accessable. I listen to a lot of Swedish music as well as smaller American and Canadian bands. Buying those albums is almost impossible. For instance, earlier today I was amazed by a band named on this forum, Cotton Sidewalk. No way I can find that album overhere so I downloaded the songs from lala.com

 

[AboutAGirl]

For me personally, I generally download from Amazon.com legally. I like to do that just because it's more reliable and easier. If it's not available on Amazon then I go for a torrent. I'm not the type to horde all kinds of albums and listen to new stuff every day. I pick my music meticulously so I don't listen to that much music or many downloads in the first place.

As for whether it's right or wrong, that question doesn't concern me. Artists are still making money and will continue to do so. I'd like to live in a world where artists get 100% of the proceeds from their album sales, albums cost $5 and everybody buys albums. But since artists get a pittance from their album sales, I'm not going to shed any tears over the people who don't spend any money on music. In the grand scheme of things, downloading probably helps us move towards my vision than not downloading. For music to get into a good place, the industry would have to crumble. They rob you left and right, and in the internet age they are no longer necessary.

 

[Aktivator]

I didn't mean to say that people who only download aren't true fans. What I mean is that there's people who download music, listen to it once or twice and after that never listen to it anymore. There are fans who download the cd's in stead of buying it. But people who download the music and afterwards buy the album anyway are in a different category then the people that just download and listen to an album once or twice.

The main problem is the price. 15 euro's (20 US dollars) is too much for a cd with 12 to 15 songs. Even buying it online is too much. iTunes albums are at least 13 dollars. That's just too much.

Apart from that I agree with you on the albums that are not easily accessable. I listen to a lot of Swedish music as well as smaller American and Canadian bands. Buying those albums is almost impossible. For instance, earlier today I was amazed by a band named on this forum, Cotton Sidewalk. No way I can find that album overhere so I downloaded the songs from lala.com

YEah I get your point but if you are going to download it for free and findout you like it, hence will listen to it the rest of your life you need to find away to pay something. If its not for the cd then see the band live, buy some merch from their website, heck send the band a check for what you think its worth.
Just ignoring the fact that you got someone hard work for free and will listen to it for the rest of your life for free is sickening.

my answers
1. People that download music to see if they like it and afterwards buy the album
2. People that download music to listen to it and enjoy it
3. People that download music like it's dhiarrea and in some cases try to make money out of it


1. okay in my book
2. if you like it and plan to listen to it find away to support the band-concerts, mech, check to the band, advertise for the band. something-unless this is a band that is no longer, this is a bootleg or the album is out of print then I can see doing nothing
3. if you make money from another band's music and don't pay the band you should be sued by the band. Once again I'm really talking about a new released album not some out of print or bootleg concert.



hey MP I download one of your songs once should I send you a check.

 

[Hepcat]

ComfortablyNumb;

The music industry is its own worst enemy and ruins it for themselves.

Why? Because they're in business to make a buck? Isn't everybody? That's the way things are supposed to work.

Ezequiel:

The main problem is the price. 15 euro's (20 US dollars) is too much for a cd with 12 to 15 songs. Even buying it online is too much. iTunes albums are at least 13 dollars. That's just too much.

Oh come on. The price of albums has not even tripled in the last forty years. Compare that to what has happened to the price of concert tickets. Let me give you a hint though. They were both roughly the same level in 1968.

Moreover, the $12 to $20 price of new CDs is split between the retailer, distributor and music label, which both produces the discs and promotes them. Those things cost money. Ask the artists who produce and market their own discs whether that has been a path to riches. It helps enormously when you have a big player's marketing muscle behind you.

 

[LG]

Some good points all around.

Mud I agree the labels have not helped themselves, they're incapable of adjusting to a new business model, their whole campaign has been to save their Percentage of the profits from their stable of artists, that is one major flaw that needs to be changed.

The price of CD's now is way less than the equivalent I paid for vinyl when I was collecting in the 70's and 80's, then I have paid for the same album multiple times on vinyl, cassettes, VHS tapes, CD's, and DVD's, out of all those repeat sales the artist only gets a maximum of 12-15% of the revenue, ask yourself if that is fair, not to mention the label takes control of the content as well.

There will always be big players in the music world, but the old dinosaurs sinking into the mire of their own greed and ineptitude will not be around much longer. Something different will arise to take their place, and I fervently hope it's not i-tunes whom I despise for what they have done.

 

[Ezequiel]

Grendel, there's no use to compare prices of today to prices of the 70's for albums. The truth is that producing a cd nowadays is a lot cheaper than producing a vinyl album all those years ago. The profit they make on 1 album is just too much. If they sell albums for 10 dollars I am sure people will be easier pursuated to buy an album.

Apart from that, nowadays it's much easier to copy cd's. Without even considering the whole downloading world. When my brother for instance, has a cd, I can easily copy it with the technology that I have. Buying clean cd's is a piece of cake and the price is 20 cents for 1 cd, so why pay 20 dollars?

CD's are too expensive, that is one of the main causes that there's so much illegal downloading

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

ComfortablyNumb;



Why? Because they're in business to make a buck? Isn't everybody? That's the way things are supposed to work.

If that was the case the albums would not be incredibly overpriced. They are there to make more then a quick buck. Greed is their own worst enemy and I am glad they are getting it right in the ass from people who download for free.

After reading an interview with Greg Sage I can say the record companies deserve to crumble with how they operate.

They overprice, they get more of the money from album sales when they really did nothing to create the music that went onto the album.

You do not need to overprice albums and rip people off to make a quick buck.

Indie bands and DIY bands are perfect examples of that.

Music is an art not a business.

Once it becomes a business it loses its artistic value.

The Big record companies can shove it.

 

[LG]

The point I was making Ezequiel is that the price of a vinyl album, considering the value of the dollar then and now, was still way more expensive not even counting the production costs.

A new album cost about $8.99 on average in the late 70's. That is over $30 in today's currency. Most CD's are under $15.00 now.

 

[FoxyPage]

Yeah, I was just going to mention that a lot of CDs range from about $12 - $15. You still get some that are sitting at around $20 - $30 but it depends on the album.