I originally posted this on a message board forum, so if something doesn't make sense, it's probably because was made for a cetain audience.
Music Downloading.
Alright. Guess it's time to put in my two cents. I was browsing a thread on the subject and decided my opinions couldn't be worse than anyone elses so I'm going to state them.
Couples things I need to say, get them out of the way.
1. I did scan the previous posts, but I did not read them all, so I'm going to warn you that I may be repeating information, and may even have some wrong (info, that is). *shrug* it happens, I'm okay with it. (this doesn't really make sense for here, but I felt I should leave it)
2. Downloading copyrighted music is illegal. no matter how you look at it, IT IS ILLEGAL. You can justify it ten ways from Sunday and make excuses till you're blue in the face, but as the law stands now, it is still illegal.
Okay. ^^^those two points were facts. the following things are mainly opinions, though they may have facts in them. I want to make sure that everyone is clear on this so I don't have to repeat myself later.
1. Ok, so you can purchase a CD and copy it, and still be within your legal rights. Fine. So theoretically, if you loan the CD to a friend and they give you a dollar for letting them borrow it, they become part owner and are legally entitled to copy it. Partial owners would have the same rights as full owners. Now some would claim that your friend is purchasing music from you second hand, which would be illegal. However, you can simply claim that you purchased the CD for you and your friend, but they didn't have any money at the time of purchase, so you made the purchase yourself, expecting that the friend's portion was strictly a loan and now the friend was just repaying that loan. (did that make any sense?)
2.Now this same rule could apply to complete strangers. It would be much like purchasing stock or investing in a company. You are investing money into music. This wouldn't be illegal, just like if someone purchased stock and you purchased a portion from them. This method could even be practiced without the exchange of money, just the exchange of ownership. You would trade partial ownership of one of your CDs in exchange for partial ownership of one of their's.
3. I am not rant on how CDs are over priced, we all know they are. And I'm not going to complain about musicians getting full of themselves. They're rock stars, it sucks but it's to be expected. With the emphasis and the emotional stock we give music, it is a perfectly natural side-effect. Yes, people in music, and also sports, movies, and television, should get recognition but not the obsessive hero worship that we place upon them. Many other people deserve recognition. And no, not necessarily teachers or politicians, since many of them suck, more like police officers, or firefighters or military people. Now, I'm trying to stay on topic, so I'm not going to go in depth with my opinions on fame, excessively high salaries, and inflated egos.
4. I will mention, briefly, that the laws seem to be incredibely lax when it comes to celebrities (although being celebrities can also make them targets). And I wonder how many "celebrities" are guilty of illegal downloading. It's interesting that no one famous has been arrested and I can't help but ponder what exactly would happen if the RIAA went after someone like, Tom Cruise, or even a famous musical influence like KISS or someone equally influential. (and you can't claim that celebrities don't need to dowload becuase they have the money to buy anything they want. there are somethings you just can't find in stores that one of your fellow countrymen mgiht have.)
5. I personally feel that too much emphasis is being placed on downloading copyrighted music. I think we should focus a little higher: on the fact that music is copyrighted period. Music is an instinctive part of our culture. No matter what else happens, we will always have music. A song is not a creation. It is a manifestation of our culture. A person is a creation, a plant is a creation. Our world and the way we interact with it is a manifestation of life. If even the slightest detail had been changed (whether you believe science, God, or both), our world would be vastly different. A manifestation is not definite, it is not the standard, it is just one possibility. Music is the same. If one note is changed, one word, the song is completely different. Music is not invented, it is discovered. You can get credit for discovering a particular manifestation, but you didn't create music, so don't act like it. You should be pissing youself with joy that we even consider your discovery "music". I think personally think that we should compile a list of all the musical artists that are in favor of downloading and only purchase CDs, merchandise, and concert tickets for artists on that list. This way we are supporting people who understand that music is something to be shared. You boycott downloading, we boycott you. We made you what you are. If it wasn't for fans, you'd still be living at home, practicing with second hand instruments, and considering it a good day when you could get your mom to listen. Shows like American Idol only prove I'm right. WE make you famous. WE can make anyone famous. You should feel damn honored that we chose to make YOU famous. What? You think you dd it on your own? You think hard work, followed by a lucky break put you where you are today? I don't think so. All the hard work in the world won't help you if we decide you suck. You think you deserve to be where you are? No. We are not fair, we are not blindfolded justice. We are fickle, we are picky, and above all, remember this: WE DECIDE WHO IS FAMOUS. WE DECIDE WHO IS SPECIAL. WE CAN AND WILL CHANGE OUR MIND WHENEVER WE WANT. WE do not needYOU. We are capable of making our own music. We just chose to listen to yours. YOU need US. We buy your cars, your homes, your drugs. Yes, at times we can be no better than sheep, following our leader. But YOU are NOT the leader. We do not follow you. You are the shepard left behind, running to catch up, hoping that one day we might pay attention to you. You are like a whore. We use you, we pay for you, but we do not marry you. You never marry the whore. You marry the ones that understand that the bond between the fans and the musicians is sacred. One can not live with out the other, so you marry the ones that recognize they are lucky to be the ones we have choosen.
Okay, deep breath, got a little worked up there.
6.I'm not trying to say that music should be completely free. It's a career choice, just like being a doctor or a copmuter engineer. You have a right to make money. But you don't have a right to be an asshole about it. I don't piss on someone if they aren't on fire, I don't get in cars with strangers, and I don't buy CDs unless I know what I'm getting into. It's just plain stupid. Downloading should be legal. A lot of people download and still buy CDs. People who download without supporting the artists are just as big of jerks as the artist who don't want downloading in the first place. find a nice median. Get mad at artists who don't want to share and get mad at people who don't dish out money every once in a while to help someone earn a living.
7. Almost everything I would download (notice I haven't actually said whether I download or not. I'm sure this will make some people angry, so I don't really need to implicate myself), I would completely intend to purchase at some point, whether it be music or movies or software. (some things it is simply not possible, so there are exceptions) However, as it stands now, I am a [very] poor college student. I do not have the money to purchase CDs or movies everytime I find something I like. But that doesn't mean I don't want to enjoy it in the mean time. Plus it helps me remember what I like. I could make a list, but then I won't remember why things are on there. Downloading just makes sense.
Alright. it's late, I'm becoming emotionally exhausted (not to mention physically). (when I orignially wrote this it was 3 in the morning) And somehow get the feeling that I've said enough. I would apoligize for anything offensive, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. Opinions are meant to be shared. Feel free to disagree, I welcome your thoughts. But to anyone out there who is thinking about writing me back and telling me I'm wrong: save your breath. I'll just ignore you. Like I said at the beginning, these are opinions. Opinions aren't be wrong. (that doesn't mean, however, that you should respond saying "well in my opinion, I think you're a (blank)" that will just make you look like an idiot and a jerk, and I'll still ignore you)
I don't know how well people have been so far, but let's try to be mature. Much of the world already thinks we're ignorant morons, let's not encourage the myth.
Music Downloading.
Alright. Guess it's time to put in my two cents. I was browsing a thread on the subject and decided my opinions couldn't be worse than anyone elses so I'm going to state them.
Couples things I need to say, get them out of the way.
1. I did scan the previous posts, but I did not read them all, so I'm going to warn you that I may be repeating information, and may even have some wrong (info, that is). *shrug* it happens, I'm okay with it. (this doesn't really make sense for here, but I felt I should leave it)
2. Downloading copyrighted music is illegal. no matter how you look at it, IT IS ILLEGAL. You can justify it ten ways from Sunday and make excuses till you're blue in the face, but as the law stands now, it is still illegal.
Okay. ^^^those two points were facts. the following things are mainly opinions, though they may have facts in them. I want to make sure that everyone is clear on this so I don't have to repeat myself later.
1. Ok, so you can purchase a CD and copy it, and still be within your legal rights. Fine. So theoretically, if you loan the CD to a friend and they give you a dollar for letting them borrow it, they become part owner and are legally entitled to copy it. Partial owners would have the same rights as full owners. Now some would claim that your friend is purchasing music from you second hand, which would be illegal. However, you can simply claim that you purchased the CD for you and your friend, but they didn't have any money at the time of purchase, so you made the purchase yourself, expecting that the friend's portion was strictly a loan and now the friend was just repaying that loan. (did that make any sense?)
2.Now this same rule could apply to complete strangers. It would be much like purchasing stock or investing in a company. You are investing money into music. This wouldn't be illegal, just like if someone purchased stock and you purchased a portion from them. This method could even be practiced without the exchange of money, just the exchange of ownership. You would trade partial ownership of one of your CDs in exchange for partial ownership of one of their's.
3. I am not rant on how CDs are over priced, we all know they are. And I'm not going to complain about musicians getting full of themselves. They're rock stars, it sucks but it's to be expected. With the emphasis and the emotional stock we give music, it is a perfectly natural side-effect. Yes, people in music, and also sports, movies, and television, should get recognition but not the obsessive hero worship that we place upon them. Many other people deserve recognition. And no, not necessarily teachers or politicians, since many of them suck, more like police officers, or firefighters or military people. Now, I'm trying to stay on topic, so I'm not going to go in depth with my opinions on fame, excessively high salaries, and inflated egos.
4. I will mention, briefly, that the laws seem to be incredibely lax when it comes to celebrities (although being celebrities can also make them targets). And I wonder how many "celebrities" are guilty of illegal downloading. It's interesting that no one famous has been arrested and I can't help but ponder what exactly would happen if the RIAA went after someone like, Tom Cruise, or even a famous musical influence like KISS or someone equally influential. (and you can't claim that celebrities don't need to dowload becuase they have the money to buy anything they want. there are somethings you just can't find in stores that one of your fellow countrymen mgiht have.)
5. I personally feel that too much emphasis is being placed on downloading copyrighted music. I think we should focus a little higher: on the fact that music is copyrighted period. Music is an instinctive part of our culture. No matter what else happens, we will always have music. A song is not a creation. It is a manifestation of our culture. A person is a creation, a plant is a creation. Our world and the way we interact with it is a manifestation of life. If even the slightest detail had been changed (whether you believe science, God, or both), our world would be vastly different. A manifestation is not definite, it is not the standard, it is just one possibility. Music is the same. If one note is changed, one word, the song is completely different. Music is not invented, it is discovered. You can get credit for discovering a particular manifestation, but you didn't create music, so don't act like it. You should be pissing youself with joy that we even consider your discovery "music". I think personally think that we should compile a list of all the musical artists that are in favor of downloading and only purchase CDs, merchandise, and concert tickets for artists on that list. This way we are supporting people who understand that music is something to be shared. You boycott downloading, we boycott you. We made you what you are. If it wasn't for fans, you'd still be living at home, practicing with second hand instruments, and considering it a good day when you could get your mom to listen. Shows like American Idol only prove I'm right. WE make you famous. WE can make anyone famous. You should feel damn honored that we chose to make YOU famous. What? You think you dd it on your own? You think hard work, followed by a lucky break put you where you are today? I don't think so. All the hard work in the world won't help you if we decide you suck. You think you deserve to be where you are? No. We are not fair, we are not blindfolded justice. We are fickle, we are picky, and above all, remember this: WE DECIDE WHO IS FAMOUS. WE DECIDE WHO IS SPECIAL. WE CAN AND WILL CHANGE OUR MIND WHENEVER WE WANT. WE do not needYOU. We are capable of making our own music. We just chose to listen to yours. YOU need US. We buy your cars, your homes, your drugs. Yes, at times we can be no better than sheep, following our leader. But YOU are NOT the leader. We do not follow you. You are the shepard left behind, running to catch up, hoping that one day we might pay attention to you. You are like a whore. We use you, we pay for you, but we do not marry you. You never marry the whore. You marry the ones that understand that the bond between the fans and the musicians is sacred. One can not live with out the other, so you marry the ones that recognize they are lucky to be the ones we have choosen.
Okay, deep breath, got a little worked up there.
6.I'm not trying to say that music should be completely free. It's a career choice, just like being a doctor or a copmuter engineer. You have a right to make money. But you don't have a right to be an asshole about it. I don't piss on someone if they aren't on fire, I don't get in cars with strangers, and I don't buy CDs unless I know what I'm getting into. It's just plain stupid. Downloading should be legal. A lot of people download and still buy CDs. People who download without supporting the artists are just as big of jerks as the artist who don't want downloading in the first place. find a nice median. Get mad at artists who don't want to share and get mad at people who don't dish out money every once in a while to help someone earn a living.
7. Almost everything I would download (notice I haven't actually said whether I download or not. I'm sure this will make some people angry, so I don't really need to implicate myself), I would completely intend to purchase at some point, whether it be music or movies or software. (some things it is simply not possible, so there are exceptions) However, as it stands now, I am a [very] poor college student. I do not have the money to purchase CDs or movies everytime I find something I like. But that doesn't mean I don't want to enjoy it in the mean time. Plus it helps me remember what I like. I could make a list, but then I won't remember why things are on there. Downloading just makes sense.
Alright. it's late, I'm becoming emotionally exhausted (not to mention physically). (when I orignially wrote this it was 3 in the morning) And somehow get the feeling that I've said enough. I would apoligize for anything offensive, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. Opinions are meant to be shared. Feel free to disagree, I welcome your thoughts. But to anyone out there who is thinking about writing me back and telling me I'm wrong: save your breath. I'll just ignore you. Like I said at the beginning, these are opinions. Opinions aren't be wrong. (that doesn't mean, however, that you should respond saying "well in my opinion, I think you're a (blank)" that will just make you look like an idiot and a jerk, and I'll still ignore you)
I don't know how well people have been so far, but let's try to be mature. Much of the world already thinks we're ignorant morons, let's not encourage the myth.
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