Illegal Downloading Of Music, Movies, Etc.

[Guest SUMM3RxBABii]

yeah, i get where you're coming from. i actually sing and i'm trying to make it in the music industry and i wouldn't like that. i usually just buy the CD if i like the artist and have a good feeling about their music. if i just like one song, i just listen to it online.

i felt bad when yellowcard had their whole CD exposed like weeks before its released and the sales weren't doing so great. downloading really lacks sales.

[Guest laiza29]

for me, it is both..

we should buy the cd to support the artist, but for a student like me and doesn't have work, i consider illegal . haha,

[Guest [Deleted User]]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

[sweetcream]

It is wrong somewhat, but there are also musicians out there that are ok with it too.

I'd support the artist as much as I can like buy their music or promote their songs.

I think it's an exception when there's music or an artist that is hard to find.

Some don't get enough exposure for people to buy their stuff, so then people download clips, etc.

[Guest blackpetals]

i download almost all of my music. yes, i get that it's really wrong and i understand why artists despise it, whether you believe it or not. i would honestly buy cds if i could, but there's really nothing i can do. you can tell me that i should just control myself and not listen because it's unfair, but i can't do that for my own reasons. if it makes you feel less angry about it, i'm just hoping that none of the music i really listen to goes out of print because i plan to buy those cds when i grow up and have enough money to. there is no way i can spend my parents' money on music. i have no right to take music, but i've also no right to spend my parents' hard earned money for my sister and i to go to college on this type of luxury.

if i actually paid for every song i've listened to, my family and i would be living on the streets with thousands of dollars of debt.

[Guest robotomy]

It's wrong but I still do it.

[Guest Angxizzle]

It's wrong but people still do it and will keep on doing it because it's free/cheap.

[Guest eyepatch]

I try to buy CD's whenever I can, but I definitely download more than I buy. Aside from the discovering-new-artists and I'm-too-poor points of views that were already listed in the thread, I thought I should mention why I personally find it hard to just buy music. I would like having a big physical music collection, but with the recession+crazy prices for Japanese CD's (90% of what I listen to is Japanese), it's not really easy. Japanese CD's are usually $30.00 a piece, and with the recession, it's $38.00 in Canadian dollars WITHOUT shipping included : / I'm sorry, but that's waaaaaayyyyy too much. Also, a lot of the Japanese bands I enjoy are signed to indie labels, which makes it harder to get their albums when they aren't widely available. Another reason why I download is because a lot of the artists I like have material that's out of print. This is one of my favourite albums of all time. However, it's out of print and because of that, the cheapest price listed there is 4,571 yen. Convert that into Canadian currency, and you have around $62.00. If you add shipping to that (which is probably around 1,500 yen IF the seller ships overseas, which most sellers on Amazon Japan do not), then that's approximately $82.00. Since this is a forum geared towards fans of Asian entertainment, you'd assume most people here listen to Asian music. Have you ever considered that some people on here aren't allowed to buy things online and have no other means of getting Asian CD's? The reasons for downloading music aren't as black and white as you'd like to believe~

[MakahaMusic]

Why buy something when you can get it for free? Why should I care about the artists' money? They are making enough.

Making enough??

sure the biggest names are, but there are a crapload of artists out there trying to make it, that struggle....

I heard some of the points some people have made in this and other forums, and I do understand some of the points. If it's out of print, I can see the point there, although I wouldn't do that myself.....but if it's commercially available and not out of print, that's another story....

And I can see why some people don't like to buy the whole CD (you can always download individual tracks legally), because on many albums, there's only one or two good songs and the rest of the songs aren't that good. There's a reason behind that phenomenon, I think I mentioned in a previous post about controlled composition clauses that major record labels have in the legal contracts with their singers/artists. Without wanting to explain in technical details in many paragraphs, I'll just say that controlled composition clauses allow the record labels to put songs on the album for less than the statutory rate for songs from outside songwriters, which means they get more money. Because the controlled composition clauses refers to the songs that the artists write themselves, the artists are encouraged to write most of the songs themselves. But usually the two or three songs chosen as singles for radio are usually written (not always, some bands/singers can write really good songs, but most need to find songs from publishers representing pro/pure songwriters, like Aerosmith found Diane Warren's song "I don't wanna miss a thing") by outside pure songwriters. Why? Because in general, most (not all, but most) singers/bands can't write commercial hit songs, because it's hella hard to do....

So anyway that's why on many albums have one or two good songs, and eight crappy songs, guess which ones were written by the artist, and which ones were written by pro songwriters....

Which brings me back to the point I made before, I think if piracy continues, the pure songwriters will dissappear, and the singers/artists will try to write all the music because they need more money because piracy has cut into their revenue. This means that the quality of songwriting will go down, they'll be a lot more crappy songs than good ones. There are a few singers/artists who are damn good songwriters (Brad Paisley, etc.), but most singers are not....

So this is why people who download illegally are hurting themselves in the long run.....

[Guest PhuongNguyen]

I'm curious, do you watch anything online?

Ever ran a stop sign in your life?

Ever cheated on a game?

I understand where you're coming from, but you got to realize that not everyone live by your moral belief. Music to you is something that's a passion... not a hobby. You're a songwriter, and thus... you want to make a living out of music. To us, listening to music is a hobby... it's not something we plan to make money out of, and it's not something that we care deeply about. You're like a vegetarian preaching to people not to eat meat. Yes... killing animal is wrong, but it is to you, not to us. If you want to make money and feel like illegal downloading is preventing you from profiting, perhaps you need to change your occupation. Why do people have to change the things they do just for your sake? You want to make money, and people want to save money. If you're making music because you love it, why are you charging people for it?

[Guest cardamine]

Making enough??

sure the biggest names are, but there are a crapload of artists out there trying to make it, that struggle....

Then they should world harder. Practice singing, practice dancing, practice songwriting practice etc etc etc

Don't blame the artists' "failure" on people downloading music for free. That's just an excuse.

[Guest sam sik]

Then they should world harder. Practice singing, practice dancing, practice songwriting practice etc etc etc

Don't blame the artists' "failure" on people downloading music for free. That's just an excuse.

The more amazing the artist is, the more people will download due to more exposure.

[Guest Mardi09]

Honestly, I don't have money to buy all the music in the world. If it weren't for downloading, I wouldn't know music at all.

So illegal downloading is like downloading on bww2, etc. or no?

I just think....that....releasing music shouldn't be about making money and be the music itself. But of course, that's not how life goes round the world...

I don't know. If I couldn't download....I'd be musicless. I wouldn't even care about music as much as I do now.

I don't know how it feels to be a musician, etc. but everyone's grateful for the music they produce.

[Guest NotFromThisPlanet]

Personally, I think illegal downloading of any copyrighted material is wrong. It's uncool. If you can't afford to buy it, then do without it.

So that's my opinion....

What is yours??

I know it is wrong but I have and will continue to download music.

I do spend money to buy albums I like.

I will admit that I have probably spent thousands of dollars on cds, and ITunes downloads.

I wish I could own the hard copies of all of my favorite music, but its not completely possible.

Some of the artists music that I would like to purchase music by have extremely hard to find albums, or they are not available to me without extreme cost, or the album is no longer available (as far as I know).

take the hallyu movement - no illegal downloading => no popularity => no selling overseas licenses, no overseas concerts, no overseas dvds/cds, no opportunities abroad for stars...etc. think about how much that racks in itself versus the amount you'd make if only a select few from your home country, who so happened to want to dish out $20+ for you

i would have to agree with this.

illegal downloading does hurt the artist and songwriters.

however, online exposure and word of mouth is publicity.

there are fanclubs that do more promotion than actual record labels.

there are fans that may share illegally obtained music and videos and post them to share with the intent of hoping more people will fall in love with the artists they love and support them as well.

there are fans that make fansites and pages with copyrighted pictures, and post lyrics to songs which is also illegal because it breaks copyright laws.

look at all the banners and graphics people use for online forums, etc. they are using pictures that are most likely copyrighted. however, people are doing this because they want to show their love for a particular person, or group.

I thought I should mention why I personally find it hard to just buy music. I would like having a big physical music collection, but with the recession+crazy prices for Japanese CD's (90% of what I listen to is Japanese), it's not really easy. Japanese CD's are usually $30.00 a piece, and with the recession, it's $38.00 in Canadian dollars WITHOUT shipping included : / I'm sorry, but that's waaaaaayyyyy too much. Also, a lot of the Japanese bands I enjoy are signed to indie labels, which makes it harder to get their albums when they aren't widely available. Another reason why I download is because a lot of the artists I like have material that's out of print. This is one of my favourite albums of all time. However, it's out of print and because of that, the cheapest price listed there is 4,571 yen. Convert that into Canadian currency, and you have around $62.00. If you add shipping to that (which is probably around 1,500 yen IF the seller ships overseas, which most sellers on Amazon Japan do not), then that's approximately $82.00. Since this is a forum geared towards fans of Asian entertainment, you'd assume most people here listen to Asian music. Have you ever considered that some people on here aren't allowed to buy things online and have no other means of getting Asian CD's? The reasons for downloading music aren't as black and white as you'd like to believe~

I completely agree with this post.

When I first start of listening to X-Japan I had to listen to illegally downloaded mp3s.

I lived in New Jersey at the time and there were no places for me to buy the cds I wanted.

The part of NJ I lived in at the time had no Japanese shops, or Asian shops that sold Japanese cds.

I did not have a credit card at the time so I could not purchase the cds from online stores.

I am not fluent in Japanese so I could not buy the cds from a Japanese site.

However, since I have moved to Hawaii it is 100% easier to find Japanese music.

Yeah the cost may be expensive at 30 or more dollars but I have more than one of X-Japans albums.

The same goes for the Utada Hikaru songs that I fell in love with.

Times are changing though and it is easier to find some artists now because their music can be found on I-Tunes and other sites.

Recently, artists such as BoA, Utada Hikaru, and X-Japan had some of their song catalog added to I-Tunes which makes it much easier to obtain high quality and legally obtained music. Im absolutely sure that if I had had Daiei or Shirokiya in NJ, I would have dropped 30 dollars in a heartbeat by buying an Utada or X-Japan cd.

Honestly, I don't have money to buy all the music in the world. If it weren't for downloading, I wouldn't know music at all.

So illegal downloading is like downloading on bww2, etc. or no?

I just think....that....releasing music shouldn't be about making money and be the music itself. But of course, that's not how life goes round the world...

I don't know. If I couldn't download....I'd be musicless. I wouldn't even care about music as much as I do now.

I don't know how it feels to be a musician, etc. but everyone's grateful for the music they produce.

I agree with the first part.

If it wasnt for filesharing, and videosharing I would never know about some of the artists that I love.

However, I think that making music is like any other occupation, and people should be compensated monetarily.

Singers and songwriters create art and I appreciate what they do.

I wish there was an easier way to obtain the music that I like to listen to legally.

[MakahaMusic]

I heard some of the points some people have made in this and other forums, and I do understand some of the points. If it's out of print, I can see the point there, although I wouldn't do that myself.....but if it's commercially available and not out of print, that's another story....

And I can see why some people don't like to buy the whole CD (you can always download individual tracks legally), because on many albums, there's only one or two good songs and the rest of the songs aren't that good. There's a reason behind that phenomenon, I think I mentioned in a previous post about controlled composition clauses that major record labels have in the legal contracts with their singers/artists. Without wanting to explain in technical details in many paragraphs, I'll just say that controlled composition clauses allow the record labels to put songs on the album for less than the statutory rate for songs from outside songwriters, which means they get more money. Because the controlled composition clauses refers to the songs that the artists write themselves, the artists are encouraged to write most of the songs themselves. But usually the two or three songs chosen as singles for radio are usually written (not always, some bands/singers can write really good songs, but most need to find songs from publishers representing pro/pure songwriters, like Aerosmith found Diane Warren's song "I don't wanna miss a thing") by outside pure songwriters. Why? Because in general, most (not all, but most) singers/bands can't write commercial hit songs, because it's hella hard to do....

So anyway that's why on many albums have one or two good songs, and eight crappy songs, guess which ones were written by the artist, and which ones were written by pro songwriters....

Which brings me back to the point I made before, I think if piracy continues, the pure songwriters will dissappear, and the singers/artists will try to write all the music because they need more money because piracy has cut into their revenue. This means that the quality of songwriting will go down, they'll be a lot more crappy songs than good ones. There are a few singers/artists who are damn good songwriters (Brad Paisley, etc.), but most singers are not....

So this is why people who download illegally are hurting themselves in the long run.....

I know it is wrong but I have and will continue to download music.

I do spend money to buy albums I like.

I will admit that I have probably spent thousands of dollars on cds, and ITunes downloads.

I wish I could own the hard copies of all of my favorite music, but its not completely possible.

Some of the artists music that I would like to purchase music by have extremely hard to find albums, or they are not available to me without extreme cost, or the album is no longer available (as far as I know).

as I mentioned in the above post, I understand the point about not buying the entire CD--you can download a single song legally....

I'm talking about illegal downloads....

yes, me too, over the years, I've spent hundreds of dollars, probably thousands on CDs, and a few itunes downloads--it's legal....

but illegal downloads of music, movies, and video games and ALL copyrighted material is just plain wrong to me....

[Guest dolcedor.]

About your other point, true, it can promote the artist/singer, possibly bringing more people to the concert, but the free download doesn't do a thing for the songwriter (unless the singer is the songwriter). How does the songwriter get revenue for that??

I'm sorry, that is false. The songwriters get a fixed rate for the songs they submit. It's the artist that gets the amount that remains after the record label, producers, SONGWRITERS, and managers are paid. That's why they say that artists earn the most money from concerts and touring--because they don't get money from album sales until everyone else is paid (unless they also wrote songs for the album).

Songwriters also get royalties whenever their songs are performed or covered or used in any way, in public (ie. on TV, movies, etc). The artist does NOT get royalties if they did not have a hand in writing the song. So that's even more money in their pockets.

[Guest hippiehop]

I download music illegally but I go to concerts fairly often

Most of the singers I enjoy also write their own songs... so.... * shrug * I buy CDs if they aren't famous or I really enjoy it.

[Guest cardamine]

The more amazing the artist is, the more people will download due to more exposure.

duh................

[Guest SillyyJenn]

well i see it as free promotion.

i am more likely to buy an album from an artist whom i download music of.

[MakahaMusic]

I'm sorry, that is false. The songwriters get a fixed rate for the songs they submit. It's the artist that gets the amount that remains after the record label, producers, SONGWRITERS, and managers are paid. That's why they say that artists earn the most money from concerts and touring--because they don't get money from album sales until everyone else is paid (unless they also wrote songs for the album).

Songwriters also get royalties whenever their songs are performed or covered or used in any way, in public (ie. on TV, movies, etc). The artist does NOT get royalties if they did not have a hand in writing the song. So that's even more money in their pockets.

what are you talking about??

Songwriters don't get any revenue from concert ticket sales!!!

which is what I was talking about in that particular post.....

What you are referring to is statutory rate, and I mentioned it in one of my previous posts. And the statutory rate is for CDs. If they're not selling CDs because of piracy, songwriters are being affected. As I mentioned in a previous post, songwriter Lamont Dozier said in an interview his royalties have been cut in half by illegal downloads.

Yes I know songwriters get performance royalties also, for anything in film, TV, radio, etc. I got a placement for one of my songs on the ABC TV soap opera "One Life To Live" and I got my royalty check from ASCAP, which keeps track of performances on TV, radio, etc. But I've made 0$ from downloads, CD sales etc.

Again Lamont Dozier said his royalties were cut in half, so illegal downloads are hurting songwriters.....