RIAA (Music haters.)

[sTuPiD-gErBiL]

Originally posted by ÆNIMA
No matter how much they charge you for the cds, you are still stealing.

There is no rationalization for the fact that you're stealing.

Yes I do agree that the prices of CDs need to be lowered, but stealing from the RIAA isn't going to help.

Who's to say that once the prices are lowered that piracy will stop dramatically?

we've been over this entire arguement several times already. the RIAA is assigning cd prices to obscene levels, while still barely giving artists anything from it, thus stealing from both consumer AND artist. we, in turn, are stealing from the RIAA's 95% profit margin and trying to force the market into more suitable cost levels. typically, if any company is doing poorly, they will usually reduce prices to ship more of their product and regain consumer interest. so by practical business model standards, the RIAA is attempting to monopolize the industry but then resorting to lawsuits instead of feasible solutions.

the anti-RIAA movement certainly has heavier facts on their side of the arguement, while the pro-RIAA movement relies on scare tactics and the gullibility of average consumers to accomplish their goals. and especially since i'm involved in music and could possibly suffer from the supposed artist risks of piracy, i feel i'd rather take that risk than let the RIAA govern how i wish to distribute my music as well as earning far more money off of it than i'll ever see in my lifetime.

in conclusion, here's what you should do:

for RIAA-governed music - download their music. support the artists you like by buying their merchandise and seeing them live. the artists make a far higher percentage off of shows and merch than they'll ever see from cd sales.

for non-RIAA music - download their music or buy their cds (usually independent music is cheaper and the artist gets a larger take than with the RIAA) and buy merch/go to shows. but most importantly, don't be afraid to donate a couple of dollars to the band or help distribute their music to new fans if you really like them and want to help them survive without mainstream support.

take the money out of corporate pockets and give it back to the people who are doing all the work.

[bloodzombie]

Originally posted by Tyson Bitbeast
I've said this before I think on one of the threads can't remember which one. I kind of like the idea of what Napster is doing atm meaning u pay money to download music but with so many programs out there like Winmx , Kazaa , Morpheus and others it's just not what someone would give up to switch over to p2p new napster. I don't think they will ever be able to shut down all the music downloading programs. I know that there is no way I am going to spend 20$ on a cd from which I only like 2 songs.

-Tyson

I'd pay $20 a month if it meant I was legal in my d/ling. But not if I can only play the songs on my computer, I need to get them to cds to be worth a damn.

[ÆNIMA]

Good idea gerbil, the trick though is to get the mass to do it...right now they're just downloading from everyone:\

Conc...for your post, I suggest we go back to vinyl! Why not? Some old fogies still believe they're better than cds...

[CrvenBan]

Originally posted by ÆNIMA
Why not? Some old fogies still believe they're better than cds...

They are better than cds...sound-wise...much warmer and organic. Granted that you listen them on a nice turntables with a decent sound system to go along (not that 300$ 750W stereo-system-junk).

This same phenomenon was known as "trading tapes" early on. Both bootlegs or recorded from original.

[WingZero]

Actually, the vinyl record is the purest form of audio. Because of the way it works with the bumps and what not, its the best you can get. Only problem is, in time, those bumps where down causing cracks and pops making it sound a lot worse.

[za gophar]

i downloaded 30 songs on sunday and burned 4 cd's. all with the prohibit filke sharing box checked... does this make me safe?

[sTuPiD-gErBiL]

Originally posted by ÆNIMA
Good idea gerbil, the trick though is to get the mass to do it...right now they're just downloading from everyone:\

for the non-RIAA artists, the mass IS helping them. whether the artist realizes it or not, having their music distributed will help them out in the long run. in previous generations, the only way for a band to get heard was via radio/videos/billboard charts, which are all pretty much controlled by the RIAA. but now the internet is such a powerful tool that it brings everyone to the same level. little guys, big dogs... it makes no difference anymore because the masses control the distribution of the bands instead of corporate suits who only push bands that can make a quick buck.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

Originally posted by WingZero
Actually, the vinyl record is the purest form of audio.

I'm gonna call shenanigans on that statement. No.

[ÆNIMA]

Go on conc.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

Alright, it's really very easy. To say something like "it's the purest form of audio," you're basically saying that the recorded waveform is most true to the original source.

With vinyl, even with pristine copies, there are going to be slight variations in playback. Here, it's twofold:
1) Even with brand new stamps, there are going to be micro variations in each pressing of a vinyl record (due to residue and the physical attributes of vinyl).
2) Where you play it back is as crucial to the sound quality as the quality of the disc itself. Even small warps in the vinyl cause major phasing. Bad cartridges on bad turntables will leave a pristine record sounding like crap, possibly even damaging the record.

If you didn't want to read the above, it boils down to this:
There are so many small things that can go wrong with vinyl, you can't possibly look at the output as audio in it's "purest form."

You can say that you like vinyl the best, but you can't tell me that vinyl's more accurate than something like a HDCD or something.

[Hoju]

Originally posted by CrvenBan
They are better than cds...sound-wise...much warmer and organic. Granted that you listen them on a nice turntables with a decent sound system to go along (not that 300$ 750W stereo-system-junk).

agreed... my dad's turntable is really nice.. and I popped the CS&N album on there and listened to Wooden Ships and it was far better than the CD. But you have to have a decent sound system. My dad splurged and got this huge klipsch/denon system that was quite expensive and it sounds amazing... good stuff

edit: conc has a point too... I have a few SACD's and HDCD's which sound even MORE amazing.. especially the surround sound ones.. music in surround sound is very cool

as for the subject of the thread... RIAA sucks... paying for music is ok... downloading music is stealing.. i am a hypocrite however, because I have 3,000 mp3s... but many of them are ripped off my own collection of cd's which I do not share online...

[geekbot]

Originally posted by ÆNIMA
No matter how much they charge you for the cds, you are still stealing.

I can understand being idealistic and I do believe in right and wrong, but not everything is as black and white as you make it seem. The laws we follow are not black and white. There is "fair use" of things you buy. Sharing music with 1-2 friends is definitely ok under this. It was ok when we shared tapes with our friends. It was ok when we taped TV shows. It was ok when I made a CD for my girlfriend. But now filesharing is wrong because the RIAA is losing money. Is TW Radio wrong? Songs are freely being broadcast (streamed) to thousands of people. Is that much different than filesharing?

Even if there are laws passed in the future that make it explicitly wrong there are reasons to continue to share music. First thought is civil disobedience.

"I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest." - Martin Luther King, Jr, from his Autobiography, Chapter 2

Ok, most people aren't thinking about this but the point is- some things are right or wrong but not everything is.

EDIT: heh, "thousands" of people don't listen to TW Radio but it's possible and what if they did? : )

[fatty_acids]

down w/ RIAA
LONG LIVE KAZAA!!!

[Machine of God]

Originally posted by bloodzombie
Maybe if they didn't spend millions of dollars on overproducing shit to make britney spears sound good, and started backing actual artists, they woudln't need to charge so much for cds.

FUCKING RIGHT, the whole system needs to change before I even think about buying CDs on a regular basis. Its all about the recording companies wanting money, and any "artist" that complains about not getting enough money should change to a profession that actually deserves to be making millions of dollars. then complain about it.

[Machine of God]

I think the funniest thing was when Lars from Metallica said something about how its not about the money at all, and how its because he dosent have any say in whats happening to his music. He said he doesnt like it when people go on Napster, search for each single song and download them seperately because he wants you to hear the whole CD, not just certain songs. He said jokingly something about how its not fair to song 5 and song 7 if you only download song 6. Well whats the difference between downloading song 6 or hearing song 6 on the radio or MTV. Stupid Lars