Why is File-Sharing So Bad?

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Why is free music so bad?

Music is an art form. I believe art should belong to everyone. No matter what the music industry does there will continue to be ways technology gets around these outdated copyright laws. Often they say bands/artists need the money, because no ones ever paid over a thousand bucks to see a concert. Not to mention appearence fees etc. I detest when bands say they love their fans, they love their fans money, or else maybe they'd make their music available to everyone.

I challenge technology and the industry to come up with something that makes everyone happy. A way to get music free while not putting labels out of business. File Sharing is a rather brilliant way of peeving off the music industry. A legal (for now) way to get free music. They call owners of these sites con men or criminals, but really they are brave innovators. Bring in a new era of technological freedoms.

Please comment! I love feedback. Maybe you have an idea to fix this war for music? I'd love to hear it.

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ccons003's picture

Actually, file sharing of copyrighted material (including music) is illegal. It's hard to enforce because so many people do it, but there have been cases of people being prosecuted for using file sharing to get music. Just thought you might like to know that.

Thanks! I thought the law said something about unless its been given to you or something... Did they recently pass it?

ccons003's picture

Um...they passed it a couple of years or so ago. I don't know the specifics offhand, but I know a law (and possibly multiple additional laws for specific regions/municipalities) against it has been passed.

Hehe I hope they don't look on my PC. Why are the website still aloud to run?

sundials's picture

Technically, the websites all have clauses in their terms&conditions saying that sharing copywrited material is illegal and their software should only be used to share uncopywrited material. But most people click through those without a care, and searching through each and every file being transferred and checking it's legality is nearly impossible.

I do recall something like, please adhere to all your states copyright laws or something like that.

TUFFGONG's picture
Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

I read an interview with a musician recently, I can't remember who, I think it was one of the guys from a band called Asylum Street Spankers, in it he was asked what he thought about file-sharing etc, a\nd he replied by saying that if musicians were out there doing their jobs and playing gigs then they had nothing to worry about.
Personally I find it hard to reserve sympathy for people who get paid millions for playing a few tunes in a studio somewhere, when there are people working down coal mines, 12 hours a day, for the price of Lars Ulrich's daily moisturizer. Bands that aren't earning millions will only earn more, because now they can get the exposure which was previously only available to the pets of the music industry. I want to choose my own music thanks, not select the best of the worst some fuckin suit can root out of the commercial top drawer. The music industry is to music, what the pharmaceutical industry is to medicine. Industry here simply means extracting maximum profit through maximum exploitation, it has nothing to do with music, it is just commerce. If the whole music industry collapsed tomorrow, all those industry executives would simply move to another industry and continue sucking money.

I agree...if bands really were musicians then they would be more concerned about how much people love and enjoy their music...not how much money they can make.

ccons003's picture

Well, the problem is the artists who are complaining are the ones who are already making a ton of money and selling a bunch of albums. Generally speaking, it's harder to find indie, garage or underground groups on file-sharing systems, whereas the most commonly downloaded songs are ones that are already really popular and from well-recognized artists. The people who are most likely to be hurt financially (I mean truly hurt by it, not just deprived of their third mansion) are the ones who aren't really able to be hurt by it.

If that makes any sense...

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"Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Live one day at a time, emphasizing ethics rather than rules."
-Wayne Dyer

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