stealing music, and the future of copyright

Exactly right. Most people play music because they enjoy it. The business side of music is a filthy affair and no matter how talented you are it doesnt ensure success. Many of the best and brightest musicians are completely unknown and/or make zero money but they still play and will always play no matter how many MP3's are downloaded for free.

 

true. i am cheap and go go the library and i get every book i could possibly imagine for free. they even have video games at my library now! the creative people get nothing, and my neighbors and i, we all get free enterainment.

(although to be fair the reason i go go the library is because i dont like to own a bulky book to store and i feel guilty about throwing away when i am finished.)

human beings, for the most part have to perform a task to be paid. even most producers of information. the reporter has to continue to write stories. the cellist has to get out of bed and go to the theater to play with the symphony. it doesnt seem immoral to me that people might not be able to live off one performance, duplicated and replayed, while they relax and let the cash roll in. the lawyer doesnt get to win one case and sell the recording. the cop doesnt get to eat one donut and pull one guy over for speeding and then live off the royalties. if musicians have to perform live like everyone else, so be it.

 

I don't know martin. Maybe he is a theif. He does live in New York with all those tall buildings. For all I know he could be a cat burgler but for the purpose of this post lets assume that martin is not a theif. He wouldn't steal your car or your wallet or your TV or even the loose change he found in your couch. OK, he might steal your girlfriend but that would be her choice too and still wouldn't make him a theif.

But lets say that martin, who you know to be an honest man and would trust with your life were to find himself alone with your music collection. martin really likes a lot of of it and wants very badly to have it for himself. But being an honest man martin would never steal your records or tapes or CDs even though he knows he could get away with it by blaming it on a burgler or something.

So what martin does while you are away is burn himself copiees of all the music he wants not even using your blank CDs but using CDs that he has paid for himself. You return home and find eeverything in perfect order. You are misssing nothing. martin has even put the loose change he found in your couch somewhere where you will be sure to find it.

martin never tells you that he has copied all your music. Why? Maybe he is just absent minded or maybe he just dosen't feel like it or maybe even knowing how you feel about free music he fears you will still call him a their.

Again, you are missing nothing. martin hasn't even put a scratch on one of your precious vynal records because he has been so careful with them.

Is martin still a theif? He has no plans to sell the music to anybody else for a profit. He just wants to enjoy the music.

 

i agree entorely with bengl b's points.

if you and i went to the farmers market, and you would always steal a couple bananas and apples, i would get sick of it and i might even report your ass. it isnt fair to the farmer. and i want the farmer to stay in business. i want him to be motivated to grow me some tasty vegetables. i dont want you to steal from him.

but if you and went to the a buddies house and his ipod has kickass music, and you copied some to your ipod, i would not care at all. and i dont think this is simply because i am in immoral person. that i am immoral is beside the point.

i just dont think it is comparable, stealing physical items vs infinitely replicatable ones and zeros.

 

the originator of said music isnt being properly compensated for their work. its still their product.

Just because you can easily copy it doesnt mean you arent effectively stealing it (illegally by definition).

You prevent their rightful compensation by giving the product to someone who may have purchased it later.

 

i thought i convinced you years ago with my analogy about recipes. if i write one, and it took me years to perfect it, you have no qualms about copying it and serving to your guests, reaping the benefits of my labor. it would seem ludicrous for me to ban you from taking advantage of it.

same thing if i told a joke and you stole it and used it to impress girls when i am not around. it doesnt hurt me at all, i am happy for your dinner guests and charmed girls.

it is arbitrary wich info we have decided is protected. well i shouldnt say arbitrary, it is based on technical barriers. whatever could be protected was. now less things can be protected. that is not a negative.

 

if people were known to be copying cds they borrow at the library (and i think they most assuredly are), then shouldnt the music industry push the government to ban libraries from lending? what about that isnt stealing in the same way i steal? what does it matter if i put my music on a file sharing services, or if i allow it to be lended at a library? what is the difference?

 

I thought it was illegal to copy licensed music.

you're still hurting the originator by not allowing them proper compensation for their work.


and in effect, it lessens their incentive to continue to be as creative. some of those really unique fellas wont have enough money to be able to sit around spinning on psychedelics all day writing far out tunes.

all because you stole their ****.

they'll be forced to bus tables which lessens our overall supply of
quality music. But its not about the overall supply really.

its about stealing the work of an individual. which is exactly what you're doing. they should be compensated for their work by all that use it.


otherwise if it becomes legal, someone simply buys one copy and sticks it on their website for free.

then that cd is downloaded and enjoyed by lets say, 100 million people worldwide.

yet the artist made only 10 bucks from one sale. thats pretty tough.

you can argue that they can cash in on their fame and popularity through other avenues but thats not the issue either.