Is illegal downloading justifiable? [ENDS 23/05/2010]

[LoveToStack]

Because being a musician is a skill. A bit likely building houses. Do you think people should get houses and food for free too?

Say I'm a artist with a record label of any sort. I record an album in the studio, maybe refine it a bit on the same day. From there it's out of my hands, it's simply a matter of pressing burn over and over again.
If I'm someone who builds houses, I build one house at a time. From then on I don't just clap my hands and identical houses appear infront of me requiring no effort.
If an artist loses one album to an illegal downloader, they can burn a new copy and there's another potential sale. Analogies do not constitute evidence against illegal downloading because the circumstances are totally different.

[Niall!]

Yes, it is.

Some people have barely enough money to live on, like me, and I'll be damned if I'm giving any money to some superstar for his/her tenth solid gold helicopter.

Games? I use illegal downloading as a demo of sorts. Demos show ONLY the good bits of a game, whereas playing through it once gives me a better idea of what to expect. If I love a game, I'll buy it. If not, I delete and move on.

Movies simply because £6-7 for a cinema ticket is bloody insane and pure greedy. Older or rare movies I download because I can't find a physical copy of it.

As for software, how much is it for Photoshop these days? My point exactly.

[AgnesIO]

Say I'm a artist with a record label of any sort. I record an album in the studio, maybe refine it a bit on the same day. From there it's out of my hands, it's simply a matter of pressing burn over and over again.
If I'm someone who builds houses, I build one house at a time. From then on I don't just clap my hands and identical houses appear infront of me requiring no effort.
If an artist loses one album to an illegal downloader, they can burn a new copy and there's another potential sale. Analogies do not constitute evidence against illegal downloading because the circumstances are totally different.

But the point is these people are skilled people. Believe or not Recording studios are expensive, for example when I go with my band it normally costs £1.5k - apart from this summer where we are going due to winning it at a competition - but even though that isn't much it is for a unknown band, and proper artists spend WAY more.

I would like to see you be part of Take That or someone similar. Takes so much more skill than being a builder anyway.

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Niall don't be so bloody ignorant. 'Barely enough to live on' - living in a ******* hut in Africa is barely enough to live on.

[Fez]

Piracy is good. For those services which offer paid music/games etc. they should continue to make their services more avaliable. What they shouldn't do is try to use absolute awful methods to make their service 'pirate proof' as you'll only end up hurting the consumer.

I got into most of the music I have in my library today thanks to file sharing. File sharing isn't piracy, it's actual sharing and I don't see why it's so bad. I hear an artist I like I'll go to a service like Spotify and buy the song. I doubt pirates are evil, or strapped for cash, they just see so many restrictions.

Fighting piracy gets you nowhere, you only end up harming the consumer.

[Jam]

Its justifiable but I prefer to buy solid copies of things so apart from the rare song I'l download from YouTube, I don't do it.

[AgnesIO]

Although I am strongly against downloadable £10 cd's, I am for the downloading of the £750> software, that the everyday person clearly cannot afford.

That sort of pricing is aimed at buinesses, there should be a 'home' and 'business' version or something.

[Jxhn]

"would you steal a car?"
well if it was very easy with virtually no chance of being prosecuted and the car dealership didn't actually lose the car then yes

[LoveToStack]

But the point is these people are skilled people. Believe or not Recording studios are expensive, for example when I go with my band it normally costs £1.5k - apart from this summer where we are going due to winning it at a competition - but even though that isn't much it is for a unknown band, and proper artists spend WAY more.

Fair enough if it costs you a grand and a half every time you go to the studio but, and I mean this sincerely, how many people do you think illegally download your band's stuff? For big artists you can argue that it cost's way more but the people who "suffer" from illegal downloading are the massive artists who make tonnes of sales anyway! What's a lot to you or me isn't a lot to them. I can confirm that every album I own's artists will not be struggling because they're missing out on my £7.99.

Although I am strongly against downloadable £10 cd's, I am for the downloading of the £750> software, that the everyday person clearly cannot afford.

I agree but in the same breath, just like you can't afford a genuine copy of photoshop, for example, other's can't afford to pay £10 every time they wan't a CD. I can see why people would then say, well then if you can't afford it you can't have it but in my eyes £10 for a CD is a scam for what you get and the production costs.

"would you steal a car?"
well if it was very easy with virtually no chance of being prosecuted and the car dealership didn't actually lose the car then yes

Made the exact same point. Proves analogies to not apply. :8

[AgnesIO]

Fair enough if it costs you a grand and a half every time you go to the studio but, and I mean this sincerely, how many people do you think illegally download your band's stuff? For big artists you can argue that it cost's way more but the people who "suffer" from illegal downloading are the massive artists who make tonnes of sales anyway! What's a lot to you or me isn't a lot to them. I can confirm that every album I own's artists will not be struggling because they're missing out on my £7.99.



I agree but in the same breath, just like you can't afford a genuine copy of photoshop, for example, other's can't afford to pay £10 every time they wan't a CD. I can see why people would then say, well then if you can't afford it you can't have it but in my eyes £10 for a CD is a scam for what you get and the production costs.



Made the exact same point. Proves analogies to not apply. :8

I could get the genuine copy, I am more than likely to buy the student version if and when it is available from software4students.

I just used my band as an example, although other artists would spend far more (X Factor prize is a deal worth 1 million pounds for example.)