24 songs= $80,000 per song.

[AoE]

The artist you're stealing from?



You don't see a difference between taking what a grocery store freely gives you and taking something without asking? Could I walk into the Circle K near my house and try all their candy without paying for it?

If they have a no hassle policy in their store, you probably could. lol

[Xavier]

People have been making illegal copies of music and distributing them among friends for decades.

That it has gone on so long, however, doesn't really negate the fact that it is still illegal. Distribution over the internet has just made it feasible to actually track and prosecute. The problem now, I guess, is that pirating has become so prolific that, while traceable, it would be logistically impossible to prosecute every offender.

Having said that, $80,000 per song is pretty ludicrous. She was obviously being made an example of, and I cannot imagine that verdict ever being paid. $3,500 seems pretty fair, would have to be insane not to settle.

[Auspice]

however you want to cut it, but in actual effect (not ease due to advancing technology), music "pirating" is really no different than the old days of recording crap off of the radio or simply sharing albums with your friends. I think we're basically in agreement here though.

THIS! I think the only reason they're pursuing any of this is like what was said above; they can actually track some of it with IPs and shit now.

[Plow]

If 1 person that would have bought each of those songs on iTunes downloaded it instead, there's half the settlement.

If 2 people did the same, there's your settlement.


It's tremendously amusing to me to see all these people complain about how all the music now is teenybopper bullshit, and nobody's putting out good music, so they just pirate shit. Because apparently the shit they want to pirate is shitty music.

And yet, it never occurs to them that they keep pumping out the teenybopper bullshit because the teenyboppers actually *pay* for the fucking music.


Also, if you want your "grocery store samples"... try the radio.

[6souls]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image..._jammie203.jpg

In court she described herself as a "huge music fan".

BBC - Newsbeat - Technology - US mum is guilty of file-sharing

[thestalkmore]

FUCK

[Beckwin]

The artist you're stealing from?

If I buy an album and my friend listens to it all the time, am I stealing from the artist?

[pohibaba]

If I buy an album and my friend listens to it all the time, am I stealing from the artist?

No, you bought the album.

Let's assume that you're able to convince me that there's no problem with this. Let's assume you're able to convince everyone on BG. Let's assume that we go and spread the word to the point that everyone agrees with you and we're all downloading music from sites like these? Is the music industry going to be able to keep itself alive? Are musicians going to be able to make a living doing what they love? What about if we all watched TV on surfthechannel? What if we all downloaded movies off the internet? At what point should this stop?

[Baelorn]

Let's assume that you're able to convince me that there's no problem with this. Let's assume you're able to convince everyone on BG. Let's assume that we go and spread the word to the point that everyone agrees with you and we're all downloading music from sites like these? Is the music industry going to be able to keep itself alive? Are musicians going to be able to make a living doing what they love? What about if we all watched TV on surfthechannel? What if we all downloaded movies off the internet? At what point should this stop?

You're assuming the artist is actually making any money worth speaking of off of the album purchase. If album sales tank(more than they already have over the past decade) then there will be more of a focus on things you can't download. Live shows worth going to where the artist actually makes more money than the record company, bonus material inside the album that you can't download, etc..

The same goes for movies. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to buy a DVD that is just a plastic case and the movie? Or how about all the previews and anti-piracy warnings at the start of the movie? I obviously bought/rented the damn thing so you don't need to waste my time with that shit.

I don't deny what she did was illegal but this case was downright unconstitutional. Her punishment was excessive to make an example out of her and it should be overturned or reduced.

There's a lot of change needed on both sides of the issue but shit like this is not helping anyone.

[pohibaba]

If the record company isn't making money there simply aren't going to be world wide tours; who do you think pays for those? I agreed from the beginning that this ruling was ridiculous, but she thought that she had a right to something that took other people a lot of hard work and time to put together without compensating them at all; she deserved to be punished for that.

[gamez]

I thought stanford or some other ivy league law school were going around after RIAA over this bullshit, whatever happened to that?

It's Harvard Law, one of the head legal professors is pursuing RIAA for using the courts for personal gain or something. Because of that, RIAA refuses to touch most law schools in fear of en masse retaliation from huge boards of lawyers/professors and law students.(so now they're picking targets to make examples of instead of going about every case properly).

I don't remember the exact case, but I know they disputed one of these outrageously large law suits under the premise of being a private business using the public courts to enforce/bully gain from everyday citizens who deserve a slap on the wrist and not $50K+ lawsuits. Can probably find it pretty fast with google if you're more interested in it :/

[Gregorio]

You don't see a difference between taking what a grocery store freely gives you and taking something without asking? Could I walk into the Circle K near my house and try all their candy without paying for it?

You're missing my point. You're trying the sample BECAUSE it's free. The same way I'm downloading Funky Cold Medina BECAUSE it's free. I wouldn't buy a instant-deviled eggs in a can from a supermarket, and I wouldn't buy a Tone Loc album either. There is no theft because the artist hasn't lost anything aside from possible lost revenue, which you can't prove. The artist and RIAA still owns the original 0's and 1's they started out with.

[pohibaba]

You're missing my point. You're trying the sample BECAUSE it's free. The same way I'm downloading Funky Cold Medina BECAUSE it's free. I wouldn't buy a instant-deviled eggs in a can from a supermarket, and I wouldn't buy a Tone Loc album either. There is no theft because the artist hasn't lost anything aside from possible lost revenue, which you can't prove. The artist and RIAA still owns the original 0's and 1's they started out with.

And you're now enjoying a song that an artist and a production team put a lot of time and hard work into without any sort of compensation. What part of that seems morally ok to you?

[Gregorio]

And you're now enjoying a song that an artist and a production team put a lot of time and hard work into without any sort of compensation. What part of that seems morally ok to you?

The part where if it was not free I wouldn't bother listening to it at all, so they have lost nothing.

Did you ever tell a joke that you heard from a comedian? Did you send him 99 cents?

[pohibaba]

The part where if it was not free I wouldn't bother listening to it at all, so they have lost nothing.

Saying it's free is like saying the Ferrari I got at the mall is free because someone left their keys in it. Stealing =/= free.

Did you ever tell a joke that you heard from a comedian? Did you send him 99 cents?

No, but I bet you that I saw it on TV, bought their album, or went to see them live. Either way, I still compensated them for their work. Anyway, telling a joke without giving credit for it is morally wrong as well.

[Beckwin]

No, you bought the album.

Let's assume that you're able to convince me that there's no problem with this. Let's assume you're able to convince everyone on BG. Let's assume that we go and spread the word to the point that everyone agrees with you and we're all downloading music from sites like these? Is the music industry going to be able to keep itself alive? Are musicians going to be able to make a living doing what they love? What about if we all watched TV on surfthechannel? What if we all downloaded movies off the internet? At what point should this stop?

musicians can sell concert tickets and merchandise, and produce music on a smaller scale for vinyl/cd enthusiasts, which will still earn them cash. maybe fewer of them will be worth featuring on cribs, but the people only in it for that generally make shit music anyway.

step away from your tired free-marketeer rhetoric about taking away incentive and think about the reality of things; the creators generally make most of their money by touring, merch, and promotional deals AND that genuine artists throughout the history of man typically don't have financial gain figuring into their greatest motivators in the first place.

[510Meeze]

I disagree. She didn't steal anything, really. We've all seen the picture...copying 0's and 1's leaves the original copy intact. The person who's property was "stolen" loses nothing. And before anyone says it, the artist didn't directly lose revenue from people buying the CD just because it was downloaded. Just because I'll download Right Said Fred's "I'm too Sexy" for free, doesn't mean I would pay 99 cents for it off iTunes if I had to.

lol, worst argument I've ever heard.

Thats like walking into best buy and stealing a big screen TV, then justifying that the company didn't lose cause you wouldn't of paid for it if you couldn't get it for free.

Right Said Fred gets royalties off sales whether it be his album, or itunes, if you want his music pay the man, or recognize you're stealing from him.

Personally, I don't mind getting free albums (internet or a friend), or buying stolen goods, but I know what I'm doing is wrong. I understand I'm taking money out of whoever's pocket.

[510Meeze]

The part where if it was not free I wouldn't bother listening to it at all, so they have lost nothing.

Did you ever tell a joke that you heard from a comedian? Did you send him 99 cents?

It's not free, you're downloading it illegally. If you want to download it legally, but it from Itunes.

[Jodwahh]

Stealing is removing something from the original owners possession. Downloading music isn't stealing as the original owner still has it. If you gonna get all angsty about it then call it illegal copying. If I could walk into a shop and copy a TV and they still had the TV they want to sell then fuck yes I'd do it. They still a TV to sell and I get a free TV. Everyone's a winner!

[Khamsin]

lol, worst argument I've ever heard.

Thats like walking into best buy and stealing a big screen TV, then justifying that the company didn't lose cause you wouldn't of paid for it if you couldn't get it for free.

Right Said Fred gets royalties off sales whether it be his album, or itunes, if you want his music pay the man, or recognize you're stealing from him.

Personally, I don't mind getting free albums (internet or a friend), or buying stolen goods, but I know what I'm doing is wrong. I understand I'm taking money out of whoever's pocket.

What's removing the TV from Best Buy's possession have to do with copying music?

No, you bought the album.

So did the first person to seed the song on P2P sites.