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The Effect of Pirated CDs
Moderation abuser writes "The real reasons music isn't selling as much as it used to, and not a lot to do with file sharing." I'm not sure that I agree that piracy is the reason for all of the music industry woes - I think creativity also has something to do with it, but those are still some huge numbers for pirated CDs.
If you look on the Eff website, it has some interesting ways in compensating the artists if you don't want to buy their CDs.
I have over 70 freaks, do you?
B) If pirated CDs are to blame, why aren't there FBI raiding Chinatown's over the U.S. everyday?
They are. Commercial pirates are busted all the time.
Just because it each individual case doesnt make a slashdot headline, doesnt mean it doesnt happen.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
It's easier and more cost-effective to sue in the US, where they're almost certain to win, and recoup court costs as well. At the moment I happen to be living in the Czech Republic, and there's a huge problem with pirated CDs at most of the vietnamese open-air markets, esp. near the German and Austrian borders (this is not a racist remark, it is a comment on the state of affairs...) The Czech police are almost helpless to stop it -- most of the time, as soon as the police show up to raid the markets, the owners simply walk away from their stands, and the police confiscate what's on display, but arrest noone. Worse, court cases in the CR are notoriously prone to dragging out for years, so it's no wonder that RIAA wants to go after US-based downloaders.
it isn't like musical quality has notably sunk in the last few years.
yes, they're putting out less albums - but because they're marketing individual 'pop sensations' more. the trend to produce less began before the sales fell.
and it's not because 'pop music is crap' that sales are falling. this bubble-gum shlock is the predominant bulk of what people are trading online. not to mention that britney is not qualitatively divergent from marky mark and the funky bunch. or wham! or winger before that.
people need to stop pretending that file sharing isn't going to kill cd-sales. it will. just as CDs killed cassette, just as cassette killed vinyl (audophiles and their tastes notwithstanding)
the artists -do- get most of their revenue from touring and tshirts and stuff, but the RIAA exists solely to distribute music. they -do- get rich off the rights to sell CDs so naturally their business revolves around protecting their rights. particularly because they dont have the infrastructure or the expertise to control, in any small way, electronic distribution. (since mainly you just have to post mp3s and advertise, or license apple to soak up the bandwidth costs for a share of your per track cash.)
but stop pretending: sales are down because trading is easy, and no-one except people who had money before and will have money after is being effected. not because pop music is 'crap'. not because there's 'less'.
yes, p2p is killing it. and for good reason.
i do wonder though, if file sharing has had a hand in the increase in concert attendance these last few years. (note number of summer concert 'festivals' and their earnings increases)
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
or 7) Because of the definition of the word "theft"
/t
theft
\Theft\, n. [OE. thefte, AS. [thorn]i['e]f[eth]e, [thorn][=y]f[eth]e, [thorn]e['o]f[eth]e. See Thief.] 1. (Law) The act of stealing; specifically, the felonious taking and removing of personal property, with an intent to deprive the rightful owner of the same; larceny.
Note: To constitute theft there must be a taking without the owner's consent, and it must be unlawful or felonious; every part of the property stolen must be removed, however slightly, from its former position; and it must be, at least momentarily, in the complete possession of the thief.(Emphasis mine) See Larceny, and the Note under Robbery.
2. The thing stolen. [R.]
If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, . . . he shall restore double. --Ex. xxii. 4.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, (C) 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
#!/usr/bin/english
Pirate CDs sell more than original in Argentina. On every train station, on every main door of a college, there are informal booth offering prirated CDs. Sometimes is a table, and sometimes is just a fabric on the street with the CDs on. They have color photocopied cover. Official CDs costs around 10 USD, and illegal ones, between 1 and 2 USD. When most people earn 200 USD for month, there is no choice.
People who can't affort Internet access, buys this cheaper CDs. Almost nobody buys original CDs.
Another popular way of getting CDs, is asking them to your favorite software dealer. They send it on MP3 or wav, as you wish.
At least here, downloading music is not something RIAA should take care for. There are other issues more important for them (like the booth at every train station full of illegal CDs).
DNA in your Linux: DNALinux
Thank you for injecting a much-needed reality check into a /. discussion on music swapping. If there's anything about your comment where I would nitpick is the use of the word "stealing". I think that copyright infringement is not "stealing", it's copyright infringement. This doesn't make it any less illegal, I just wanted to be clear.
As for conscience-clear cheap music aquisition, try out EMusic. It's not for everyone, but if you're into indie rock and/or jazz, it's well worth it. $10-$15/month for all-you-can-eat, no-DRM, 192Kb/s average VBR mp3s (encoded with LAME, no less). Support for Mac/Windows/Linux.
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
# Don't pay for the recording or mastering that was done for the music
Neither do record companies - the artist does
# Don't pay the artist whose music they're stealing
True but it is typically less than ten per cent of the retail price
# Don't pay for the artwork on the cd
Couple of hundred bucks mostly
# Don't pay for promotion or advertising, since that's all done by the label
Not all promotion is paid for by the label. It does on the other hand promote the artist -- see Microsoft's attitude to piracy in China (would you rather they used linux?)
# Don't pay the lawyers to research the songs to ensure you're not stealing some stupid snippet of lyrics or a partial tune, as just happened with Flaming Lips and Cat Stevens
True but music is not supposed to be welfare for lawyers.
It is unclear why CDs should be have been more expensive than vinyl or why their prices should rise in real terms. Normal economics would suggest that faling production and distribution costs should make the optimal price lower, possibly substantially, but that hasn't happened.
Specifically, Double Vag, Double Anal. Thank god for the education I get from Trey and Matt.
-72
-Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music.