Course not. In my mind though, you are paying for quality of a product when it comes to music. You aren't going to get a great quality if you record off of the radio.
Funny this should come up. This past October I got a chance to listen to some research that a grad student did. His name is Ross Housewright. His topic was "Copyright Infringement from the Inside: Student Perspectives on Music Piracy." He provided some really interesting insights on the use of P2P by students at his school. In his research he found out that there are some students that view downloading and listening to songs as a modern day equivalent of listening to the radio. There are also an entire group of students who wouldn't pay for music at any price. If his group of students is representative of their population, RIAA is screwed. The students also believed that current "education" efforts by the industry are unconvincing and un-threatening. He also found out that there was a core group of students who were fanatical about heir music and would buy most anything by a certain group. For the most part, the students didn't care one way or the other.

For me personally, I quit buying anything from RIAA members. In the days of Napster, I downloaded many songs. I also went and bought many CD's, as I liked the music I was hearing. I have bought 5 CD's in the past 4 or 5 years and only one of those was from a RIAA member. I have a whole bunch of CD's that I have already bought. RIAA can kiss my shiney metal ass.
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bolt

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"And, you know, it'll take time to restore chaos and order—order out of chaos. But we will."— George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., April 13, 2003

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»www.boltweb.com]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841521 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:25:58 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841400 said by Midak:

Now, this is not a flame but did you ever think that maybe...just maybe that there music sucks?I'll second that. I haven't heard a CD worth purchasing in a long while. True, there are the odd singles that are belted out by bands...but not enough to pay premium retail for an entire CD. I'll either wait for a rental, or buy those bands CDs cheap at a used CD music store.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841400 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:10:09 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841351 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841351 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:03:34 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841050 said by FFH5:

said by nasadude:

in any event, if the RIAA and member companies would get their heads out of their @sses and offer non-DRMed music, there would be much less reason to "illegally" download or "make available".

I disagree. It just would make it easier to infringe on copyrighted material.Oddly enough, the very music execs you defend are beginning to see the light:

»news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/tech ··· 2069.stm
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That which does not kill me merely prolongs the agony.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841050 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:08:35 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841009
Yes some of them don't have talent in my honest opinion but who am I to judge? I am simply a sound engineer not an artist, so my position is different.

Yes that is a possibility, which is why to label what is piracy, to what is actual loss or simply a crappy CD is really hard to calculate if at all.

They are simply complaining, as anyone else does to release some stress. It's fair to say that a sound engineer and a artist must connect so there is a level of understand on how they want to sound and how the engineer can understand what the artists want's and make a good audio recording.

But hey, we all complain and cry and kick our feet when we are stressed out, and there are other's who simply keep it in or have a poker face like myself about it. While piracy might affect these guys to a near minimum and by that I mean people exchanging there songs across there phones via bluetooth to some class mate. I am sure if these guys actually did some kind of talent as some other clients do people will enjoy there music. Some will support other's will download.

But even in a small scale piracy is still there and what could benefit the school or us in general will be gone.

But hey, I like people who are to the point and although it may seem harsh things like that are perfectly fine and don't waste my time debating or worrying about people "hurting" my feelings.

Even as a sound engineer some of them ask me if they think they got some talent or "what I think?"

I usually have jaws dropping because I either say you sound pretty good, I like the vocals or possibly how the drummer plays and adds to the lyric or beat in general. But if you plain out suck I will most likely won't be there to waste your time and obviously your money. I am going to flat out say what I need to say.

Sure it's harsh to those who have a dream of some sort, but why make them live a fantasy that will get them no where and let them choose another dream or something else they like? To me you are hurting someone more if you just don't flat out tell them what's wrong.

Sure, people might think your an asshole you could possibly make some people cry. But the truth hurt's, and if you are going to sugar coat it and add a little extra bull (cherry) on top you might as well just save it.

But thanks for being honest.
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The only limits we have are the one's we set ourselves.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17841009 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:02:17 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840873 said by Michieru2:

I am sorry but I don't record all that rap or pop bullcrap because those are clients. The RIAA can do all they want but I work for a independent label and the artists I know are just regular joes who enjoy music and want to get a small income from what they make and every time I talk to these artists in person because we are just talking about something that shares our interest usually the problem's with bills arise.

Then they go off in rants saying how morons talk on the net how piracy is not an issue and that basically they are getting robbed every time without being able to do anything about it and some have just quit and gone to work for a company or hotel.

So what burns me the most is you destroying people's dreams you worthless trash.
Now, this is not a flame but did you ever think that maybe...just maybe that there music sucks? Maybe they are nothing but a bunch of talentless idiots who only has you and a few other HS students as fans, all of which have zero taste in music. Yes, I know that sounds harsh but is just a possibility. Maybe it would be more fair to say that just maybe their music is not popular enough to be profitable. Hey, I don't know them and they may be great but I have to ask the question that if they are so great, why is it they settle for an indie label and complain they are not making enough money?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840873 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:39:49 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840849
But frankly people just don't care. Because this is a society where people only care about themselves. They don't think the damage they could do to someone else for there actions and even if they did they still do it anyway.

But I think it's best said we are all criminals because we all broke the law at least once. Might be from turning into a wrong lane to not stopping at a stop sign. We all committed a crime. Sure I might have gone over board to call a illegal downloaded song and justify that as a misdemeanor.

But frankly, I am just pissed off people talk without knowing the whole background. Oh "we aint doing no damage" as if it where all cooperate americas fault. Hell the people who run those businesses are people too, yet you always tried to squeeze in or you got some dumb shit trying to abuse the way a good or service it was intended to be use and eventually when the company gets mad and starts demanding 1 year contracts or special licenses everyone else get mad.

Why? Because one person can ruin it for everyone and the person who you should be mad at is that dumb ass thinking he is all that and so better than everyone else.

It's just like street racing "oh I am a professional driver, pfft nobody is in danger if I drive over 100"

Yet the next day you see them on the 5AM news only to find out they crashed into a school bus filled with people's children and possibly your children one day. Then your going to be the one yelling over dropping the speed limit to 30mph or less.

It's all about point of view really, there isn't much to be said on this issue because we see it every day yet in the end we never find a solution because we are too busy calling the other guy's mother a whore.
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The only limits we have are the one's we set ourselves.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840849 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:34:40 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840769
More or less it's like determining Bittorrent traffic on a network. Everything is all normal and good and then a huge wave of bandwidth is being used killing any gain a company will make over usage.

It will take an actual poll, and since I am in a big high school I think it could be possible to say on a anonymous voting on those who do steal music and those who don't. I think that will then justify a fair comparison or maybe a write in ballot explaining why people would pirate.

In most cases people will say "Duh, it's free". But hey those are not stat's that I can go and pick up, I must make a poll about it.

In many cases I met people who said, well you are comparing free to 10 bucks. Sure, obviously it's a good deal to those who simply download but I guess it's more of a moral issue. Kind of like exporting manufacturing of products to china where that new Blue ray dvd drive was possibly made by a five year old crying his ass off because he was starving to death.

I am not some specialist in polls, but I will try my best to give some info. Because piracy and losses do have a connection. I believe that's something that makes perfect sense but the real matter at hand is "how much of a loss" that would be.

Frankly because of the analog hole all DRM is useless, but it's fair to say that music is also a art and possibly a form of free speech and to charge for that is somewhat wrong I suppose in a way. But when you plug in all the number's sound equipment isn't cheap at all but that's just my honest point of view as a sound engineer who is still in high school.
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The only limits we have are the one's we set ourselves.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840769 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:21:55 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840692 said by Michieru2:

It should be a misdemeanor not a civil offense.
There wouldn't be any profit for the **AAs in suing them if the defendants only faced jail time. Believe me, putting pirates in jail is the furthest intention of theirs, so long as they can potentially gain money from the situation.

...true, jail time probably would teach pirates more of a lesson...but teaching lessons isn't necessarily the intentions of the lawsuit threats.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840692 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:10:56 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840600 said by Michieru2:

It should be a misdemeanor not a civil offense.
then RIAA would no longer be fully involved and instead it would be the job of DA's around the country, most DA's have much better thing to do then go after someone that "pirated something" plus we don't have room in prison for all these people that would be getting sent for "pirating". I don't see it becoming misdemeanor offense anytime soon.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840600 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:57:59 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840560 said by Michieru2:

Easy, if people pirate then that means many less people are willing to buy a album than buy it. So instead of selling copies for 8.99 for each user, there is just one copy sold so everyone is getting a good for free and we only get 8.99?Are you 100% sure that less selling copies simply isn't the result of the merchandice quality slipping? Perhaps the market isn't willing buy and/or pay as much as it used to. Its certainly easy to blame downloading as the cause to all ills...but that doesn't mean anything in terms of proof.

Music is not an essential commodity, and unlike staple family restockables like toilet paper or groceries, one cannot just assume X number of sales of a CD per Y number of people. If the CD's a flop, people won't buy it. Music is not something we must use in our daily lives - purchases can fluxuate.

said by Michieru2:

If you want proof I will send it your way, because I don't come here and try to bullshit nobody and I seen those paper's myself but I know that does not mean anything unless I post something that has some real value like a bill. I will keep your username on my to do list and I will send you a PM when I have that info.

Indeed. I would love numbers or anything that directly correlates digital downloads into an overall loss in sales. And none of the **AA cooked data either which just assumes a 1:1 ratio in downloads to "losses". Tell me an actual amount of pirated music (ie. loss), compare that value to purchasing customers made online (ie. gain you would not otherwise have), and then tell me if there's a net loss involved.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840560 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:52:55 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840526 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840526 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:47:47 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840510 said by Michieru2:

Don't like it? Don't buy it. Get with the program or go to jail, period.
Please try again, you can't go to jail for civil offence sorry]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840510 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:45:21 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840499
Don't like it? Don't buy it. Get with the program or go to jail, period.
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The only limits we have are the one's we set ourselves.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-EFF-Encouraging-Fraudulent-Filesharing-17840499 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:42:19 EDT