Looked at logically, I think 'so what?' -- take any hard drive, iPod or car mix CD and you'll find at least one ripped off album. The music industry *still* doesn't get it after all these years; the business model is broken, a vestigal product of a bygone era. They're wasting time trying to delay its inevitable demise.
The service that these guys provide is worth the money it cost you to obtain the tracks, I just think it's a shame that people believe that it's a legal way to download music. It works, but it's not legal.
It'll take more than some record-industry shill shrieking "It's illegal everyone!" to stop me using it.
If it's illegal, then they should have no trouble shutting 'em down. (Cf. Piratebay.org last week.)
They have shown that people are willing to pay for mp3s. WHEN they come in a non-DRM-crippled format, in a bitrate and format of the user's choice, and they're value for money (ie. Not the same price as a fucking CD track.)
I still think there'll be a sea change in the way that music is sold, and it'll happen soon.
Music is an art form, the same as painting or sculpture.
When an artist paints a picture, they get paid when someone decides that the painting is desirable enough to be owned, and not when someone looks at the painting -- in fact the artist actively encourages people to freely look at the painting in order to encourage people to buy further works of art and to make a name for themselves. The idea that an art association levees a charge to anyone who looks at the painting, or is going to look at the painting seems out of place.
Music should move to a more simplified system and we should only pay for live music and performances, how it used to be before greedy talentless shysters decided they could milk artists and performers and get a cut of their pay.
These days, anyone with a laptop has a recording studio, so the need for record companies and artists associations has long gone.
The reason music companies existed originally was two fold. One was because recording studios were (are) expensive and two, because they have a worldwide distribution network. Both of these, as ruut pointed out are freely available to anyone with a laptop and a bit of creativity, which I happen to think is great for the artists who have, for the first time ever, direct access to their fan base (thru the likes of MySpace - I myself am 'friends' of MyLifeStory and Nerina Pallot). The downside to all this MP3age is that people like me think that they suck, both in terms of sound quality and the fact that they are so easily deleted/destroyed (reinstall of windows anyone). Yeah, I know all about backups and separate partitions/drives for data and all that, but thats because I am a bit switched on to what computers are about. Do you honestly think that little Jimmy with his iPod nano has given any thought at all to what will happen to his 'record' collection should he lose his hard disk? Will he be expected to pay to download them all again? You're damn right he will. I still want something I can hold in my hand, and read the sleeve notes etc. To me, a return to vinyl would be a backward step, even tho I am a believer that it actually sounds better (in that it has more pressence) than CD, but the clicks, scratches, dust etc are a real downer. Someone said to me recently of my cd collection - "You should get a huge iPod - that would solve all your problems". What problems? I *like* having them all there. Besides which, they dont do an iPod big enough!! :-)
Urge to say "I told you so" rising...
ReplyDeleteLooked at logically, I think 'so what?' -- take any hard drive, iPod or car mix CD and you'll find at least one ripped off album. The music industry *still* doesn't get it after all these years; the business model is broken, a vestigal product of a bygone era. They're wasting time trying to delay its inevitable demise.
The service that these guys provide is worth the money it cost you to obtain the tracks, I just think it's a shame that people believe that it's a legal way to download music. It works, but it's not legal.
It'll take more than some record-industry shill shrieking "It's illegal everyone!" to stop me using it.
ReplyDeleteIf it's illegal, then they should have no trouble shutting 'em down. (Cf. Piratebay.org last week.)
They have shown that people are willing to pay for mp3s. WHEN they come in a non-DRM-crippled format, in a bitrate and format of the user's choice, and they're value for money (ie. Not the same price as a fucking CD track.)
Ruut said:
ReplyDeletethe business model is broken, a vestigal product of a bygone era
Are you sure?
whats the link to hir0?
ReplyDeleteLet me try that again.
ReplyDeleteI still think there'll be a sea change in the way that music is sold, and it'll happen soon.
ReplyDeleteMusic is an art form, the same as painting or sculpture.
When an artist paints a picture, they get paid when someone decides that the painting is desirable enough to be owned, and not when someone looks at the painting -- in fact the artist actively encourages people to freely look at the painting in order to encourage people to buy further works of art and to make a name for themselves. The idea that an art association levees a charge to anyone who looks at the painting, or is going to look at the painting seems out of place.
Music should move to a more simplified system and we should only pay for live music and performances, how it used to be before greedy talentless shysters decided they could milk artists and performers and get a cut of their pay.
These days, anyone with a laptop has a recording studio, so the need for record companies and artists associations has long gone.
Host, do you have my guitar?
Allofmp3 make a statement.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is they'll fall into line with iTunes-ish prices.
The reason music companies existed originally was two fold. One was because recording studios were (are) expensive and two, because they have a worldwide distribution network. Both of these, as ruut pointed out are freely available to anyone with a laptop and a bit of creativity, which I happen to think is great for the artists who have, for the first time ever, direct access to their fan base (thru the likes of MySpace - I myself am 'friends' of MyLifeStory and Nerina Pallot). The downside to all this MP3age is that people like me think that they suck, both in terms of sound quality and the fact that they are so easily deleted/destroyed (reinstall of windows anyone). Yeah, I know all about backups and separate partitions/drives for data and all that, but thats because I am a bit switched on to what computers are about. Do you honestly think that little Jimmy with his iPod nano has given any thought at all to what will happen to his 'record' collection should he lose his hard disk? Will he be expected to pay to download them all again? You're damn right he will. I still want something I can hold in my hand, and read the sleeve notes etc. To me, a return to vinyl would be a backward step, even tho I am a believer that it actually sounds better (in that it has more pressence) than CD, but the clicks, scratches, dust etc are a real downer. Someone said to me recently of my cd collection - "You should get a huge iPod - that would solve all your problems". What problems? I *like* having them all there. Besides which, they dont do an iPod big enough!! :-)
ReplyDelete