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This is yesterdays news I know (maybe even older?),
but with the first Europeans being prosecuted for music swapping & just in case there was anyone who had missed the story, I thought I'd give a link
[URL]http://www.silicon.com/networks/webwatch/0,39024667,39119638,00.htm[/URL]
but with the first Europeans being prosecuted for music swapping & just in case there was anyone who had missed the story, I thought I'd give a link
[URL]http://www.silicon.com/networks/webwatch/0,39024667,39119638,00.htm[/URL]
I posted this before:
"I admit that I have used Kazaa in the past. I like a lot of the shred metal guitarists from the 80's whose records are impossible to get nowadays.
Kazaa lets me listen to them. It has helped me to discover some others as well. And when I find the records on eBay, I buy them. I don't want to be a thief, and wouldn't even consider myself as such, but I can't get some of this stuff anywhere.
I have also downloaded some more mainstream stuff in the past. And if I liked it, I bought it in a high street shop. Due to discovering more new bands than ever before, I buy more records now than ever before.
Not only that, but I'm not the only one. A quiz of my friends who use P2P programs shows that they are much the same, they download stuff to try it out, buy it if it is decent, delete it otherwise.
The record industry suffers this for a few reasons.
#1 Prices. CD's are too expensive. Now I know I buy more music than my parents. Young people as a whole I would say buy more music than older ones. But young people are also the ones with the least disposable income. Production costs for a CD or DVD are lower than they are for a cassette tape aren't they? So why charge £5 more then? Most of you are Americans I guess, in Britain, if I walk into HMV or Virgin, I expect to pay around $34 for a new chart album. $40 for a new release DVD.
How many kids get that in pocket money a week? Some probably barely get that a month. Of course that sort of pricing will breed piracy.
#2 Availability. As I already mentioned, I like a bunch of rare artists. I find it difficult to get the hold of anything they do. But if I could legally download their work for 50p a track, I would. But I can't, hence I'll download it for nothing.
Fixing number one can be done in several ways. Reduced prices to regain casual users, or better legal download services. These currently work out at almost as much as buying the CD, without the benefit of actually having a disc you can play in the car.
The other solution to number one would be to put a tax on the sale of CD-Rs etc. Something like this was done in Romania (I think, might have been Hungary) where a charge was put on blank cassettes and the money given to the record companies. It might not make it all up, but it would give the record companies some more revenue.
Number 2 is easy, have a decent back catalogue for legal downloads.
But it doesn't matter what I say, Kazaa is here to stay. If not in presence, then at least in spirit. The record companies and studios will never bother to listen to the people, they are far too narrowminded to ever listen to some of the ideas we have.
But it is them that will lose out. Downloading music just to get out of paying for it is wrong, but the record companies are wrong to force honest people into that position as well."
"I admit that I have used Kazaa in the past. I like a lot of the shred metal guitarists from the 80's whose records are impossible to get nowadays.
Kazaa lets me listen to them. It has helped me to discover some others as well. And when I find the records on eBay, I buy them. I don't want to be a thief, and wouldn't even consider myself as such, but I can't get some of this stuff anywhere.
I have also downloaded some more mainstream stuff in the past. And if I liked it, I bought it in a high street shop. Due to discovering more new bands than ever before, I buy more records now than ever before.
Not only that, but I'm not the only one. A quiz of my friends who use P2P programs shows that they are much the same, they download stuff to try it out, buy it if it is decent, delete it otherwise.
The record industry suffers this for a few reasons.
#1 Prices. CD's are too expensive. Now I know I buy more music than my parents. Young people as a whole I would say buy more music than older ones. But young people are also the ones with the least disposable income. Production costs for a CD or DVD are lower than they are for a cassette tape aren't they? So why charge £5 more then? Most of you are Americans I guess, in Britain, if I walk into HMV or Virgin, I expect to pay around $34 for a new chart album. $40 for a new release DVD.
How many kids get that in pocket money a week? Some probably barely get that a month. Of course that sort of pricing will breed piracy.
#2 Availability. As I already mentioned, I like a bunch of rare artists. I find it difficult to get the hold of anything they do. But if I could legally download their work for 50p a track, I would. But I can't, hence I'll download it for nothing.
Fixing number one can be done in several ways. Reduced prices to regain casual users, or better legal download services. These currently work out at almost as much as buying the CD, without the benefit of actually having a disc you can play in the car.
The other solution to number one would be to put a tax on the sale of CD-Rs etc. Something like this was done in Romania (I think, might have been Hungary) where a charge was put on blank cassettes and the money given to the record companies. It might not make it all up, but it would give the record companies some more revenue.
Number 2 is easy, have a decent back catalogue for legal downloads.
But it doesn't matter what I say, Kazaa is here to stay. If not in presence, then at least in spirit. The record companies and studios will never bother to listen to the people, they are far too narrowminded to ever listen to some of the ideas we have.
But it is them that will lose out. Downloading music just to get out of paying for it is wrong, but the record companies are wrong to force honest people into that position as well."
That pretty much backs up what I said on here a few months ago...
Music sales are struggling because most current artists are pouring out utter sh!te; it has nothing to do with downloading MP3's.
I've downloaded a few albums over recent months. If anything, that has led to sales being increased by at least one.
I download an album and listen to it. If I don't like it, I delete it. If I like it, I go and buy it.
The way I see it, those artists whose album I don't like are losing nothing. Those I do like are gaining a sale.
Music sales are struggling because most current artists are pouring out utter sh!te; it has nothing to do with downloading MP3's.
I've downloaded a few albums over recent months. If anything, that has led to sales being increased by at least one.
I download an album and listen to it. If I don't like it, I delete it. If I like it, I go and buy it.
The way I see it, those artists whose album I don't like are losing nothing. Those I do like are gaining a sale.
This is yesterdays news I know (maybe even older?),
but with the first Europeans being prosecuted for music swapping & just in case there was anyone who had missed the story, I thought I'd give a link
[URL]http://www.silicon.com/networks/webwatch/0,39024667,39119638,00.htm[/URL]
but with the first Europeans being prosecuted for music swapping & just in case there was anyone who had missed the story, I thought I'd give a link
[URL]http://www.silicon.com/networks/webwatch/0,39024667,39119638,00.htm[/URL]