Downloading Especially Hurts Al

[danthefanman]

Oh, then that jerk I ripped it off of on the net ripped it off of the Simpsons. What a cheapskate. Oh, wait that makes me a cheapskate too.

[autrefois]

These are the situations in which I believe downloading music off the internet is justified.

1) To find out whether a CD is worth buying or not.

I can agree with people doing that, as long as they buy the CD afterwards.

3) To get a song you have on a CD just so you can also hear it on your computer (so as to not take up disk space or make you leave your seat, lazy people).

This I definitely don't see a problem with. If it's hard to get the songs onto your computer after you've already bought the CD, then I don't see a problem with downloading them.

One question, what language is the music the French are using in? French or English, or Martain?

Yes, in general they love American music, American TV, and American culture. That's why a lot of them don't understand why we make fun of them so much, and why some people even hate the French. Why can't we all just get along?!?!



I didn't mean to sound too upset before, sorry about that. They made me feel very welcome when I was there. I was there when 9-11 happened. They honored the victims of 9-11, put our firefighters at the front of their Bastille Day parade, and on a personal level they were very supportive to me at a very difficult time. Although they disagree with our politics sometimes, the vast majority of French people really have nothing against Americans. So that's why I'm a little sensitive sometimes about the anti-French sentiment that's here in the US right now.

[danthefanman]

it's cool, eventually the French will be back into the right and we won't be against them anymore, but for now we're a little mad. Anybody wanna make fun of madagascar?



And we can't all just get along cause the martain embassador has that little hand thing that comes out. And how come that woman got that congressional metal of honour, you gotta be in the army to get that, she should've gotten the President's medal. And how come there was only one plane in the whole movie? I mean really it's like the bloody 50s, jeeps instead of hummers, Hueys instead of Black Hawks, land instead of air. And wow the Mars Attacks references just got kicked up a notch!

[CatraDhtem]

Also I'm pretty sure it is legal, because when you buy an album you have the right to share it with your freinds (don't forget most of these tracks are ripped or recored off the CD).

Well you don't really have a right to that....unless I'm missing something stated in the copyright text.



If that is something you do, it's okay to just say it....you don't have to try to justify it with some "rule" that doesn't exist.



But anyway, the point is that when you do download a song, you are decreasing the artist's chance to receive their due money for releasing that song. Downloading, for example, a song off "Poodle Hat" means that there goes $1.58 (based on suggested retail price) that Al may not see. You may have made plans to buy it, but saying it and doing it are different things. Nobody gets a cut on intentions.



If you want to preview an album, what's wrong with the 30-second clips on Amazon, or checking it out at the library, or going to a sound station at any CD store?



If you wanted to see a movie in the theater, would you try to download half of it just to see if you'll like it? When it comes to media products (a CD, a video, whatever), there's always going to be the chance that you'll end up not liking some of it. That's life. Don't like the album? Go to a used CD store or on eBay and sell it. In the end, you'll end up losing only a few bucks. That seems reasonable to take a chance on a CD.



If you were willing to plunk down $1.50 for a song download, would you still do it?



Sure, it's just $1.58, right? Going by your example, downloading 3 songs (an entire fourth of a usual album!) or 5 songs (almost half!) means that Al stands to lose almost $5 to $8! Small potatoes on its own, sure, but let's just multiply that by, oh, 1,000 people (surely at least that many members exist on Kazaa). Could you stand to lose $5,000 to $8,000 for something you worked hard on?



Supporting an artist isn't just an abstract idea.

[Squirrelygirl]

Good points, CD.



Besides, no one has mentioned the new thing AOL (I think) has started; dowloads for $1.00 per song. (Is it Pay for Play?) Obviously, I haven't been there to check it out, but it seems reasonable to me. I can have the music I like (assuming it's in their databanks), the artiste gets his/her cut...everyone wins.



sg

[danthefanman]

Nevermind, I think I misread that thing on free use. But it is true that it hurts Al's buisness. And I admit I owe him about $4 in songs that I have without the album for, slim pickens in my case, but the real problem is not me, it is the other millions of people who don't do things the same way I do. I try to make the debt small(and keep things moral), and eventually non-existant, but other poeple are willing to steal 100s of dollars in albums and songs. It's like compairing a kid who steals a peice of gum to a guy who robs a bank.



Also I said that to tell whether an album is good or not I download 3 to 5, if it's not good I'll delete it and no longer be able to hear it, therefore it tno longer being stolen. Then if it's good I keep the songs on my computer and buy the album, paying off my debt. I keep them on my computer cause I figure I payed for the song, I should have the right to listen to it outside of the CD.

[Phillipemoz]

I will always buy Al CDs because I want to support him. But I see nothing "immoral" about downloading music, regardless of whether it is technically illegal or not. The music is out there. Is it immoral to tape a song off the radio? I actually heard someone say that taping something off the radio is illegal. Oh no, we better crack down on people taping songs off the radio, they are decreasing the record company's sales.

Look, if I wasn't planning on buying a CD anyway, how does it hurt the artist if I download a song from them?

The record companies just want to be able to bleed people dry with overpriced CD's, and now that people are downloading songs they can't get away with it. So they will have to lower prices, maybe let you preview your CD. How about letting you rent CD's? of course you can always sell them back and not get much for them. If you already have a CD there is nothing wrong with making an extra copy for yourself. So if you make a copy and then sell the original back, you now still have a copy of the CD. Nothing illegal about it, but is it immoral? I don't know and I don't care. Look, if you care about supporting the artist, you buy the CD. If you just want to hear a song to see if it is any good, I don't see anything wrong with downloading.

[anotheralfaninmd]

a voice of reason!!!!

















Diana :listen:

[Phillipemoz]

These are the situations in which I believe downloading music off the internet is justified.

1) To find out whether a CD is worth buying or not.

I can agree with people doing that, as long as they buy the CD afterwards.

(quote from autrefois)



But what if they don't like the CD? Do they still have to buy it? Isn't that the whole point? Of course if you like it, you can decide to buy it and support the artist. But that should be for each person to decide, not our government.

[Phillipemoz]

I know, I know, don't forget, I'm 1 crazy and 2 a complete jokester (I got into an entire discussion about a country devoted to Al music and Cheese Whis with Stupid Hippie). Now where is that foreign legion?

That should be our country! Weird Al Yankovic for president in 2004!!!!!!!!