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BitTorrent To RIAA: You're 'Barking Up the Wrong Tree'

Posted by Soulskill on from the can't-we-all-just-get-along dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent a letter to BitTorrent last week asking the company to help stop copyright infringement of its members' content. Brad Buckles, RIAA's executive vice president of anti-piracy, asked BitTorrent CEO Eric Klinker to "live up to" comments made by former chief content officer Matt Mason. Two quotes by Mason stand out in particular: "We don't endorse piracy," and "If you're using BitTorrent for piracy, then you're doing it wrong." Both of these remain accurate, but the RIAA wants to see BitTorrent do more. VentureBeat contacted BitTorrent to get their stance on the letter, and the company said, "Our position is that they are barking up the wrong tree, as it seems they were with their approach to CBS last week. ... We do not host, promote, or facilitate copyright infringing content and the protocol, which is in the public domain, is a legal technology.".

57 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. Okay... by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1, Funny

    ....now that's funny.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    1. Re:Okay... by lister+king+of+smeg · · Score: 2

      I just torrent over Tor.

      many exit nodes block torrent traffic and the tor project itself says it may not be safe to torrent over tor

      https://blog.torproject.org/bl...

      --
      ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
    2. Re:Okay... by wirefarm · · Score: 4, Informative

      Don't torrent over Tor

      Torrent file-sharing applications have been observed to ignore proxy settings and make direct connections even when they are told to use Tor. Even if your torrent application connects only through Tor, you will often send out your real IP address in the tracker GET request, because that's how torrents work. Not only do you deanonymize your torrent traffic and your other simultaneous Tor web traffic this way, you also slow down the entire Tor network for everyone else.

      https://www.torproject.org/dow...

      --
      -- My Weblog.
    3. Re:Okay... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      That would have been a copyright-infringing comment, so no, you can't see that.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    4. Re:Okay... by pnutjam · · Score: 1

      I'll just leave this here, buy a VPN that supports torrents, doesn't log anything, and accepts several forms of anonymous payment.

      --
      Cheap storage VM.
    5. Re:Okay... by doccus · · Score: 1

      Uh..Isn't that what it's for? Surely that's the only thing folks use BitTorrent for, right? I mean, I had a dream that it was being used to download "Star Wars XVI.... 'Behind the Scenes with the Vader family' - Questions for Darth in front of the Hearth" but I guess they were put off by repeated questions of "How do you tell the Vader kids apart?" but my dream got cancelled and replaced with yet another nightmarish flashback to Nathan's Gui Gallery. Must be that creepy "IE is EVIL" page. I asume he still has it up...

  2. Dumb as a bag of rocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't endorse murder...that's my view.
    That doesn't mean society or any company can expect me to go vigilante and try catching murderers. In fact if I did that I'd probably be arrested.

    It's not within my power to prevent everything *I* find offensive or immoral.
    Also, not everything I find morally repugnant is a shared world view. There are no moral absolutes.

    Also, who thought going after a file transfer protocol was a good idea? It's a fucking file transfer protocol. It's job is to get files from A to B - it doesn't care if they're MP3s, DOCs or JPGs. It doesn't care if they're MPGs full of donkey porn. It'd be like demanding car manufacturers try to stop cars being used as getaway cars: How the hell do you detect that?? It's all just driving to the car.

    1. Re:Dumb as a bag of rocks by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny

      Pah! This is mere murder. This is COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. According to Sonny Bono, the Walt Disney group of companies, and the US Congress, it is the most evil thing there is, and must be stamped up utilizing every fucking resource known to humanity. Copyright infringement isn't murder, it's a BILLION FUCKING TRILLION FUCKING KAZILLION TIMES WORSE!

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:Dumb as a bag of rocks by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 1

      A better analogy might be that you manufacture guns and you don't feel it's your responsibility to prevent murders with your product. Which it's not. But still...

    3. Re:Dumb as a bag of rocks by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

      According to Sonny Bono, the Walt Disney group of companies, and the US Congress, it is the most evil thing there is

      Actually, to Sonny Bono, a spruce tree on a ski slope is the most evil thing there is.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. Bittorrent "members"...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    If I run Chrome am I a Chrome member? What about Notepad? Can I be a member of that too?

    These people are completely clueless.

    1. Re:Bittorrent "members"...? by knightghost · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They aren't clueless. They are evil.

  4. Why wait? by John.Banister · · Score: 1

    You could write a stupid pointless letter to Microsoft today.

    1. Re:Why wait? by youngatheart · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You jest, but it would be a reasonable deflection to say "we've looked into it and our research revealed that most copyright infringement of music and movies is done by users of Windows, while the users of our software account for a much lower percentage of infringments."*

      Most pirated movies and music are being used on Windows and isn't that where the real problem is?

      Isn't there a major game system that uses the bittorrent protocol for updates? Even Microsoft is using peer-to-peer technology to deliver updates now.

      * - I don't actually know that Windows is used for infringements more often than the Bittorrent program, but with all the different bittorrent protocol clients out there and Microsoft's desktop majority, I feel safe making that assumption.

    2. Re:Why wait? by bhlowe · · Score: 1

      BitTorrent is built into a lot of NAS systems, which are exclusively Linux. Same with the thousands of BT hosting services that people use to "download documentaries".

    3. Re:Why wait? by Pubstar · · Score: 1

      Isn't there a major game system that uses the bittorrent protocol for updates?

      Almost all Blizzard games use a torrent updater. Or at least they did. Plenty of F2P games use Pando Media Booster which is a hybrid Torrent/Client-Server distribution program.

    4. Re:Why wait? by John.Banister · · Score: 2

      When you respond with a deflection like this, I think you're actually supporting the notion that their letter merits deflection in the first place. This supports the theory that "the truth doesn't matter so long as we pay expensive lawyers to express our viewpoint forcefully," which is the apparent theory behind their "bullying people with lawyers" m.o. Personally, I think that bullying people with lawyers is the exact moral equivalent to bullying people with firearms, and from a practical standpoint, in either situation the person who has less firepower is almost always the one who loses in the immediate sense. Unfortunately, the society within which I live does little to punish those who use lawyers as a means to bully other people. The truth is, they have no grounds for complaint, and that truth should matter. This is why my comment regarding the letter was dismissive rather than deflective.

  5. inadequate by GioMac · · Score: 1

    I wonder how incompetent are these people in RIAA. Of they're doing things like this - they can accidentally cause damage to the companies that are not involved in copyright infringements in any way. Someone should fire these guys.

    --
    "It feels like I'm at the Zoo when reading this thread - I'm frightened, but it's interesting" (c)
  6. Ha hA! by kamapuaa · · Score: 1, Funny

    And because this is Slashdot, let's all pretend people use Bittorrent for things besides piracy.

    --
    Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    1. Re:Ha hA! by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Informative

      blizzard uses it to push out patches and game downloads. so can steam if i remember correctly

      there are a number of legit uses for it that get used all the time. I believe microsoft is even using it for win 10 updates (opt in)

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    2. Re:Ha hA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, getting free linux distros to test for fun is my current use of torrent sites. Everything is streaming now anyway. I don't care how they don't get their money, just that they don't get it. ;)

    3. Re:Ha hA! by Vapula · · Score: 2

      It's Slashdot so let's pretend that no one here plays World of Warcraft (update done using Bittorrent protocol) or any other big game using that protocol for update distribution...

      And let's pretend that no one here uses Linux which uses Bittorrent to distribute the ISO as it allows both faster transferts and less charge on the distribution's servers.

      Many people use bittorrent for legal purposes... but sometimes, they don't even know that they are using it !!!

    4. Re:Ha hA! by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      More likely you are using BT for legal purposes without realising it, for example,eg: my WoT game client uses bittorrent for updates and installs, windows 10 has an option to use BT for auto updates. In other words BT is basically the industry standard for remote updates/installs.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    5. Re:Ha hA! by luther349 · · Score: 1

      BitTorrent makers have nothing to do with its use so the riaa asking them to stop piracy is barking up the wrong tree its like asking the maker of tcp-ip or ftp to stop piracy they have no control how people use it.

    6. Re:Ha hA! by lister+king+of+smeg · · Score: 2

      And because this is Slashdot, let's all pretend people use Bittorrent for things besides piracy.

      ...I actually do torrent linux distros... occasionally virtual machine images.
      And I haven't downloaded any movies/music over bit torrent for years now. Most of the time you can find them via http stream or download.

      Netflix Hulu Amazon prime if all else fails search video linking sites for a stream be sure to have enough script blockers to keep the malaware away. Don't feel secure doing that use tor as well it will be slower but even less likely to be caught. want it to watch later use a video downloader (or just hard link to the file in your temp directory on nix systems (haven't tried windows) )

      If you really must torrent though try using something like tribler and set to use anonymous download(it is a beta feature but probably better than nothing like vanilla bit torrent).

      I do wish though that the pirates would all move to something like freenet or i2p or tribler. decentralized anonymous and censorship resistant they would be the perfect tools but no many don't even offer magnet links.

      --
      ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
    7. Re:Ha hA! by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 2

      Most of us (the people who belong here) torrent gigabytes of Linux ISOs regularly while you are trying to figure out what a torrent actually is.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    8. Re:Ha hA! by lister+king+of+smeg · · Score: 5, Funny

      If RIAA really wanted to they should go after TCP/IP, I hear virtually all online piracy uses it.

      don't go give them any ideas. I don't want to regret getting rid of the token ring nix or the IPX gear tossed when cleaning out my parts box

      --
      ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
    9. Re:Ha hA! by Krishnoid · · Score: 1

      Facebook and Twitter as well -- internally, but they do use it.

    10. Re:Ha hA! by youngatheart · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The first time I used the bittorrent protocol, I used it to get a copy of Debian. I'd never heard of it before, but I read up on it and was impressed how potentially useful it could be. Software updates were the obvious first thing that sprang to my mind (as I work with a program that gets a lot of updates, all from a host that was more or less flat lining every time the updates came out.) When I found out people were using it for copyright infringement, I was shocked since, by it's nature, the protocol shares the IPs of everyone sharing the file.

      I recalled there was some company that was using it for software updates so I googled for it, and not only found that, but some other rather significant users of bittorrent protocol:

      • Blizzard Entertainment uses its own BitTorrent client to download World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo III.
      • Facebook and Twitter both use BitTorrent internally to move files around.
      • The Internet Archive recommends people use BitTorrent to download its content, as it’s the fastest method and allows the non-profit organization to save on bandwidth costs.
      • Linux ISO distribution, as I first discovered it, is a big use.
      • The UK government released several large data sets showing how public money was being spent.

      Then there's NASA, and BitTorrent Sync and all the legal music and videos Bittorrent Inc puts out. P2P file sharing just makes sense for so many things, I'm still surprised people associate it with copyright infringement. I think the real key to understanding that association is all the media coverage of the *AA battles against Napster, Limewire, Mopheus and The Pirate Bay. I suspect there would be a lot less infringement if the public wasn't constantly hearing news about how people are getting content without paying.

      What I find most newsworthy is that Microsoft is using P2P to distribute updates now. Maybe the makers of the software I work with will finally get the hint.

    11. Re:Ha hA! by youngatheart · · Score: 2

      Microsoft is using its own version of P2P that is much like bittorrent, but apparently not actually bittorent. I am quite interested in learning more about it, but all I've been able to find so far is that it is likely based on Avalanche.

    12. Re:Ha hA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm cool with that as long as they go after 127.0.0.1 and ::1 as well

    13. Re:Ha hA! by jisom · · Score: 1

      The windows 10 updates are opt out. There are 2 settings. Share over lan & share over you internet connection.

        Win10 has very bad defaults on a number of things. Reseting default apps without clearly showing that you can prevent it, many privacy settings, no parental controls without a MS account(i.e. requires internet to set up), forced updates & probably alot more. My thoughts on the updates it that they should have a setting to delay updates, say 1-14 days. I do think people should be updating, but knowledgable people should have the option to delay.

    14. Re:Ha hA! by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Nope. I am pirating documentaries with it. Quite a few, really. And sharing them. Yes, I kind of am egging them on - I have been for years. They just won't sue me.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  7. Re:RIAA facilitates copyright infringement... by tompaulco · · Score: 1

    RIAA could deal 100% successfully with the problem of copyright infringement by ensuring that all its members put their music immediately in the public domain. Piracy problem solved! And everyone is happy, because these days the only people who pay for their music are those who want to.

    Well, not everyone. I mean, the artists, producers, recording engineers, marketing and advertising agencies aren't. But all the people that like to listen to crappy self produced music for free are happy.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  8. Nope by DMJC · · Score: 1

    Fuck off RIAA, bitorrent is distribution for Linux ISOs, nothing more, nothing less. It's like jacking a bus and using it for a robbery

    1. Re:Nope by luther349 · · Score: 1

      it make no difference what its used for its like ftp or tcp-ip the maker have nothing to do with its use.

    2. Re:Nope by KGIII · · Score: 1

      We're just going to strip that bit out of the packets when we send them out, rip them to disk, or download them. Some of us will be actively evil in this matter. I, myself, am such a person. I currently am seeding about 500 GB of files, mostly movies, that I will never watch. I have them downloaded to a NAS just for the purpose of seeding them. Yes, I actively participate in that thread at KAT - and I download stuff I will never, ever, watch just so I can help the guy/girl seed it. Why? I am a prick and want to mess up the numbers. I want them to sue me. I can pay the fees but I plan on making it noisy and take them a very long time. They will be suing my estate by the time I am done.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  9. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  10. Re:RIAA facilitates copyright infringement... by hackwrench · · Score: 1

    You essentially say that self-produced music, by which I think you mean music by people who have no intention of making a living, is trash. I say that it is a mixed bag that would be improved with the right software tools, while the money-extraction encrusted music is trash.

  11. And because money is used to buy drugs... by sandbagger · · Score: 1

    ...we should also ban money.

    --
    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
    1. Re:And because money is used to buy drugs... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Kansas tried that. My "mistake" was having it in my pocket. I had refused to allow them to search the car. They were going to keep it and claim it was for drugs. I gave them my lawyer's card (never mind that he is not really a criminal trial attorney himself - there are some in his office, though) and told them I would be staying in town to get it resolved. I then took pictures of the police officers. They gave me the money back and told me to get out of Kansas and that I was permanently banned from Kansas and subject to arrest if I ever returned. That made me giggle a little bit. They can do no such thing but, as I was right next to Missouri, I felt it prudent to let them "win."

      More amusing was they tried, so hard, to get me to let them search the car. They tried everything - including a drug dog. They made up so many excuses and tried peering in the windows for a glimpse of anything that would be probable cause. They worked so hard. They even tried telling me that my refusal to allow them to search was probable cause to enable them to search. (Yes, yes I have shared the Kansas story before - it is important.) *chuckles* I pointed out that I was not a teenager, that I was a fully grown adult in his 50s, that I was actually probably more aware of the law (as a concept - not the specifics of their state and county), and that they were pretty silly for trying such. They looked sad and dejected, I kid you not, as if they thought I might be subject to being guilt-tripped and would let them search the car. I congratulated them on their witty attempt, the whole thing about not allowing a search was probable cause for a search, and they looked a little happier. It was after that they decided they were going to confiscate my cash. I had a large sum of cash, a giant wad in my pocket to be quite honest, for reasons of my own.

      Some of that reasoning was to be able to buy additional drugs if my drugs had run out. You can always find more opiates in a reasonable sized town. Anyhow, I no longer do drugs and the moral of the story (which should probably be 'fuck da police') is really just, "Know your rights!"

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re:And because money is used to buy drugs... by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      Is it really that easy to score opiates in the US? I live in an Australian City of 500,000 and there is no way you can score anything unless you know someone.

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
    3. Re:And because money is used to buy drugs... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Very much so and, frankly, it has been easy to score everywhere I have ever been. It is not a long process. I have my method. I go to a bar or look for the disheveled person on the street. Offer them some and, frankly, someone always comes through. (Never leave your money, always keep it in sight.) I have never even been ripped off. Then again, I have had long hair for most of my life, except when I was in the military. I also know the lingo and am fluent enough in it to not get more than a cursory look. I scored in Melbourne in your country and then in Cann River but the Cann River connect was setup before I even went.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    4. Re:And because money is used to buy drugs... by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      In Sydney there are specific suburbs where you cannot even get off the train platform when you arrive without someone offerring you rock Heroin. Though we pay around $400 a gram in AU. apparently the most expensive smack in the world

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
    5. Re:And because money is used to buy drugs... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      The price has gone up a lot in five years, it would seem. It was $200 AUS/g in Melbourne and Cann River is out in the middle of nowhere - I was off Prince's Highway, just off it, really. It was $250 out there in the bush.

      We went back into Melbourne to get some cocaine during the middle of my stay, I was there for about a month, and that was insanely expensive in AUS dollars. I did not do the conversion to see what was comparatively. Generally a gram goes for $60 to $120 USD in the US and it largely depends on location and quality. The cocaine was $200 AUS/g if I recall correctly. I had sold my business not much before that and did not really even note the price except to note that it was expensive so that could be off a little but I seem to recall it was about that much. We also needed to go to multiple dealers and spent a night in a hotel just to be able to get a bunch of it.

      I prefer Fentanyl which I can extract from the Mylar patches (no, I will not be explaining how) and Fentanyl is what kills heroin junkies because it is insanely powerful. I prefer it - I can meter it fairly accurately and always practiced safe injection. You can put more in you but you can never take any out.

      Getting rigs (syringes) was problematic there. I am used to being able to go into a pharmacy and buy a pack without a prescription. Such was not possible in Melbourne and I had only brought two packs in with me in my suitcase. Here we have needle exchanges for junkies - I have never used one. We can just go to the store and buy a pack of ten and that is legal in most states. Some states will let you buy up to 1000 at any one time. As an aside, you can almost unilaterally walk around with drugs on you IF you are bringing used needles in for exchange or proper disposal. There are still residual amounts of drugs left in the needles and one is exempt from the law for that specific purpose. Yes, yes I have checked the laws out in a number of areas - it pays to know the laws and it pays to be smart.

      Sorry for the novella but I figured I would do my best to make it a complete story and answer any other questions you might have as well as offer some insight. Even though I no longer use, I still strongly support the idea of full legalization for those who have reached the age of majority. Someday, maybe, I might return to using. It is unlikely but it could happen. Taking the criminality out of it may do a lot to ease some of societies woes. I was very functional and very successful.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  12. Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by Dynedain · · Score: 3, Informative

    For once the RIAA actually gets it. They aren't claiming that BitTorrent (the protocol) is illegal or that it doesn't have legitimate uses.

    Instead, they very specifically said that of the illegal file sharing happening over BItTorrent, the majority of it is coming from uTorrent, the client published by BItTorrent (the company).

    They're clearly looking hoping the company will implement filtering to combat piracy (likely knowing full well that they'll kill the company in the process). This tactic has worked against other companies in the past who published software that was used more for piracy than legitimate uses (MetaMachine and eDonkey anyone?). Don't go after the technology - go after the company supporting the technology.

    --
    I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
    1. Re:Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes they are! They do not "get it" at all! Copyright infringement is NOT piracy, nor is it in any way as serious or heinous as piracy. The RIAA/MPAA/Publishers will never completely stop copyright infringement. The only way to slow it to a crawl is for the RIAA/MPAA/Publishers to stop all of the geo-blocking, delayed releases in certain formats, and stop trying to create an artificial scarcity of their products. They need to create quality DRM-free products, and make them easy to get over the Internet at what consumers consider a reasonable price.

      I know that is not what these entities want to hear, but that IS the only way that they can survive today. They are drowning themselves, about to go under for the third time, and won't admit it to themselves. The longer that they delay the necessary changes, the more consumers will see them as the parasites that they really are!

      Attacking BitTorent or any other file protocol is just silly. There is nothing about BitTorrent that is illegal. BitTorrent is not responsible because a few people choose to transfer copyrighted files with their program, which has legitimate uses.

    2. Re:Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by Required+Snark · · Score: 1
      Yes, you're right. Because killing the messenger always works.

      RIAA/MPAA/monopolistic-whatever could wipe peer-to-peer communications off the face of the earth (and out to geosynchronous orbit) and piracy rates would stay the same. Same for DRM. The underlying issue is that bits are fungible. If you can copy a document file you can copy a film or music file. This even precedes bits: they used to make dual video decks so that it was really easy to make illegal copies of video tapes.

      So going after a specific piece of software or protocol is flat out stupid. All it does in screw up legitimate users. Those who want to cheat remain unaffected.

      What the monopolists would like is the solution being tried in North Korea: house to house searches.

      “The local propaganda departments are getting inminban [people’s unit] heads to collect cassettes and CDs from people’s homes and are combing through them,” a source speaking from inside the country claimed. “If even one song from the banned list is discovered, they incinerate the whole thing.”

      The RIAA is jealous. They keep trying to get the equivalent system started here.

      --
      Why is Snark Required?
    3. Re:Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > They need to create quality DRM-free products, and make them easy to get over the Internet at what consumers consider a reasonable price.

      Indeed. Last time I bought music was when lala.com was offering full-length previews of tracks along with DRM-free downloads. It was so awesome that I immediately signed up and spent about $100 over the next few months, as the full length previews made it easy to sample potential purchases and find new music I wanted. Then Apple bought them and killed them. So I went back to acquiring music in "other ways."

      I also tried walmart.com years ago, when they offered DRM tracks. Bought one track, decided that process was complete shit, and never bought another.

      More recently I tried emusic.com, which offers lower prices on a monthly subscription plan. Despite it being a stupid way to sell music, I figured I like music enough to commit to buying $10 of it per month, so I signed up, then spent about $9.50 of that. Come next month, I see my balance reset to $10, rather than $10 added to it. Having had no time to discover new music that I wanted, I quickly bought $10 of music I only kind-of wanted, then cancelled my account. Fuck that shit.

      As I see it, the problem has a few causes:

      1. People will avoid signing up with awful companies like emusic.com or Apple whenever possible.
      2. Finding music one enjoys is so difficult that, by the time one finds it, they feel as if they've earned it.
      3. If one must steal a track in order to preview a track, any motivation to purchase it is already half-removed.

      So the solution is as simple as addressing those issues. Create a non-scummy service that makes decent recommendations for music one might enjoy and offer full-length previews of the recommended tracks. People will love it and sales will be astronomical.

      The problem is that the closest thing is pandora.com, but its recommendations are awful and the rate at which it repeats music makes it not all that useful for exploring new music. I guess because they insist upon having a simple UI rather than collecting more data from users with an advanced UI, and so they lack obvious features like an "exploration mode" which causes it to never play the same song twice, and they refuse to collect more detailed information from listeners about exactly why the do or don't like a track, and so the result is that it has almost no understanding of why you do or don't like a track, and so the effect of a thumbs up or a thumbs down is borderline random.

      It's annoying as all fuck because I know what I like: vocal-centric songs with happy lyrics, subtle vocal harmonies, swing beats, 100 to 140 beats per minute, electronic instrumentation, and drum beats that aren't mind-numbingly predictable. That I can't just check some boxes on a web site and get a page of links for music I might want to buy is ridiculous.

    4. Re:Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I will start by saying that I know that I have no right to insist on being able to buy things in a manner that suits my needs best. I do not have that right and, by my account, that means I am ethically obligated to do without that material. Being ethics, and not morals, they are subject to change - as in situational ethics. So, I happily pirate and assist others in doing so.

      For my desires, not needs, I want them to get together and centralize a single site. At this site I want to be able to buy unencumbered, DRM-free, content from the major and minor studios in a variety of payment methods and in a variety of file types and qualities. I would prefer, and would pay a lot, to be able to go online and have access to all content (say a few months old or older) that the movie houses, in my country, have put out. I would expect a repository for other countries to be available.

      If they are in for a penny then they are in for a pound. To use the service they must reasonably make all of their content available on the site. I suppose we could make it mandatory with copyright law changes but I would hate to see it go that far - I am not really a fan of increased legislation. Unsigned, independent, and any artist can use the medium. It should have open APIs and optional data tracking and a chance to build communities within it.

      I would prefer to pay a single fee - I will pay hell-a-good money, willingly. I should be able to stream or download it. They are free to use some overhead to put a file identification number in random whitespace as even compressed protocols have room for that. This will enable them to track downloads that have been shared and to take appropriate action.

      As music and movie studios are often the same parent company, I would like music and movies to be in the same spot. I will happily pay even more for the added benefit. In other words, in a situation where most would expect to pay less (buying in volume and paying a subscription) I would eagerly pay more just for the ease of access, DRM-free, and multiple file types being in one single place and under one single room. Then, anybody wishing to include their content, is free to submit it to them and is paid if their material is downloaded or streamed. It is a proportion and percentages...

      The rates need to be exactly the same for everyone and everyone must charge. This will not be a medium for giving out free music or movies. That is not what it is designed for nor what it is to be used for. Every single movie pays the same percentage to be on the site and only when it is downloaded which is also the only time it is paid. People could subscribe, gift, subscribe to parts, buy individually, etc... I accept reasonable limitations (even though I could circumvent them easily) and will adhere to them. I accept a single IP connecting at the same time and I will not share my login information with other people outside of my household.

      I would pay a few hundred bucks a month for full, unfettered, access like that. Right now I am paying for my ISP to connect me and I have found almost everything I have ever looked for with only a few exceptions. I would pay a great deal of money for the access, speed (I am assuming), and interface. We can talk about adjusting things on the legal side in a different conversation.

      I have absolutely zero faith that such will ever be created.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    5. Re:Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by bzipitidoo · · Score: 1

      I have no right to insist on being able to buy things in a manner that suits my needs best

      We do have that right. If a seller accepts cash only, and you wish to pay by credit card, you absolutely can take your business elsewhere or refuse to buy.

      I would pay a few hundred bucks a month for full, unfettered, access like that.

      The trouble is that their business model of selling copies never did work that well, and now that copies are incredibly easy to make, doesn't work at all. It's only inertia, pity for those poor starving artists, and respect for the law that keeps their impossible business model on life support. You propose a different business model that I think isn't enough of a change. Identifications embedded in files can always be changed or stripped. What we really need is some kind of crowdfunding method. Create the art, receive the funds that have already been promised or collected, and from then on the art is freely available. The public library will be able to have a digital copy immediately, which any number of patrons can copy, no more long bureaucratic delays.

      --
      Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
    6. Re:Actually, RIAA isn't far off base by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I think you will find people are too greedy and that we will lose a lot of creative works with that method. Times have changed... I do not say that they have changed for the better or anything. Just that they have changed. We used to have patrons. I do not see that being viable today. I suspect we will never agree on that.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  13. huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This is like asking the estate of the inventor of bullets to stop gang violence.

  14. Let me fix that letter for you by xenog · · Score: 1

    Dear RIAA,

    tl;dr: Fuck you!

    body of response letter

  15. i don't dowload ... by Skapare · · Score: 2

    ... any RIAA crap. i use Magnatune.

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  16. Easy way out by MoarSauce123 · · Score: 1

    Shooting the messenger was always easy. I wonder why the RIAA does not drag USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL to court. After all, they 'distribute' plenty of copyrighted material.

  17. They should go after Microsoft by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    Their OS allows the storage and playback of these illegal files, not to mention it allows piracy apps like uTorrent to run!

    --
    Twinstiq, game news