by JH 15 Replies latest jw friends
How easy it is to download MP3 music on the internet. With KaZaA, or other sites, it becomes child play. Do you feel that it's right or wrong for a person to do that? Of course witnesses wouldn't do that? If you gave an elder a CD of his favorite songs that he used to listen to many years ago, and that he can't find anywhere in stores, and you told him that it comes from the internet, do you think he would accept it?
Edited by - JH on 28 November 2002 7:42:22
I know of a current ministerial servant who downloads 24/7 - MP3s/AVIs etc .... doesn't seem to bother him.
My own point of view is, yes, it is wrong to rip off artists and their work, but I have done it. I can't buy everything, but like to hear lots of different music. As long as you buy the occasional CD, I don't think it does a lot of damage to the industry. The execs' still have big cars / big houses and fat cigars
It's a grey area - sorta - it's illegal, but is it morally wrong?
It's illegal to buy or borrow a CD and record it to a tape or blank CD for your own use, let alone make copies for your friends or sell it.
The man who is making a mix tape is still breaking the law, but it's not as wrong as criminals selling pirate CDs, VCDs, games etc - what else are these people selling or involved in?
About 90% of my downloaded MP3s are of songs that have long been deleted by the record company and are nigh on *impossible* to find elsewhere (other than maybe searching second-hand record stores for 10 years straight and the company wouldn't see a penny from that either). Of the other 10% it's a mix of things I already own and stuff I plan on getting in the very near future (checking if like the album tracks etc) and only keep temporarily.
People have been making compilations for each other for as long as there has been recordable media. I don't think it's *bad* unless there's money changing hands.
If I was making a CD for an elder, I'd make sure all the files were converted to .wav so it'd play in a regular CD player, not just on a computer, and never mention the words "MP3" of "Internet".
A few weeks ago an elderette told me I was daft for buying original DVDs when "you can get VCDs so cheaply"!
Whether or not artists or record company execs still have fat cigars is really irrevelant as to the legality of the act isn't it? The same thing can be said if you rob a bank. The bank still pays dividends and the owners of the bank still have their cigars don't they? And your ass will still sit in jail for a federal felony, won't it?
You folks are preaching a moral relativism that I don't believe you really belive in. It's either illegal to make such copies or it's not. Is it not stealing if you steal less than a $100.00, but is stealing if you steal $100.01? Or is stealing $0.01 just as bad as stealing $100.00? How big does your "take" have to be to make it a criminal act? Or is it not criminal because it's so hard to detect you downloading a few tracks at your home computer? Just like it's hard to detect you taking 2 newspapers from a coin box when you only put in enough coins for one paper? Or maybe if the newsstand operator is blind and can't see that you've got two copies, well, and a coke he can't see? Is that not illegal, too?
I've only asked questions here. You have to provide the answers from your own heart.
If you're going to download MP3s of Kingdom Melodies, then YES that is definitely wrong.
And SICK.
Love, Scully
Personally I download music to get mp3s of some of the vinyl music I have. I've also got into quite a few bands I would of never heard of had a friend not sent me an mp3. I always try to buy their albums on cd when I can.
Ignored One.
Edited by - ignored_one on 28 November 2002 9:48:18
Francois
You do make very interesting points there and yes you are right - by law it is a crime to download and play a full copyrighted track. So many here are law breakers. Just the same as (in the UK at least) it is unlawful to store TV shows on video cassette or indeed archive Radio shows on tape or CD. The media is there, it is easy, it is a faceless crime and many commit themselves to this act on a regular basis.
My conscience has no problems downloading the odd track to listen to. Personally, I do not spend hours each day ripping music from the net, but the odd obscure Jazz track or the latest Reggae track from JA, I quite like listening to. Over the years I have spent many hundreds of pounds buying music and that is my personal justification. I still buy new music when I can afford. The itch is too strong not to sneak a few tracks down occasionally.
I work for a small record company in the uk - http://www.reggaeretro.co.uk - and our policy in the future will be to provide full free MP3 tracks to help earn the respect of our client base (well that is the theory at least). It is a great way to get music out there and there is the argument, which is certainly true in some cases, that if you get to hear the odd track off the net it can help boost sales. I have bought a number of Jazz albums off the back of downloaded tracks.
I think the main problem is the hardcore pirate, who sets him/herself up at a rag market and opens a suitcase full of cheap CDs, with printed labels at 5 pounds a go. This has always been the main concern of the industry as a whole.
The fat cigars argument does stand for me, as I used to work for a software house. One year we (the slave/monkey class) were not given a bonus of any sort and the Mr Bigs at the top end of the company granted themselves the best part of 2 million pounds between themselves. Yes, they all drove Jags, they all spent company money on 50 pound bottles of lavish wine and they all puffed on fat cigars. Bloody annoying. At that time I felt that the software pirate had a point.
Edited by - Dizzy Cat on 28 November 2002 10:17:20
I see it as no different than taping off the radio, unless you plan on selling them for your own gain. I currently am using WinMX for my downloading to replace vinyls I could not clean up or to find old music no longer available in the stores. In the past, I have used many, including Kazaa, rapigator, Imesh, Swaptor and the like.
I am also using Roxio 5 as my program to burn the CDs and clean up old records that I have and can. But, if too scratchy, you lose too much of the quality when cleaning them.
As for downloading Kingdom Melodies, I would never do that. I still have the complete set in CD, under a ton of dust somewhere. I found it odd that when the JW exwife left, she didn't take them with her. But, out of curiosity, I did search for them once and found them being offered through download sites. Someone must be real hard up for music to want them, though.
Lew W
It IS NOT illegal to make mix CD's for your own personal use, as long as you own the cd's that contain the original songs, period, it's called fair use, and has been backed up by the supreme court. Look up fair use, this is why you can record songs off the radio, and record tv shows off the air, for personal use, it's fair use, you can't however turn around and sell these. I see nothing wrong with downloading songs, and turning around and buying the cd. I do it all the time, there is a alot of crap out there, where a band has one really good song, and the rest of the album sucks, I'd really like to know before I'd go out and spend money on overpriced CD's.
Just the same as (in the UK at least) it is unlawful to store TV shows on video cassette
Are you sure? I'm in trouble then!
I think it is in Germany - I read in the paper ages ago that in some countries you can't buy blank video tapes because it's illegal to tape off of TV.
I've actually downloaded a Kingdom Melody midi before! <Hangs head in shame> I had a good reason though, I needed plinky plonky music for a game I was making!
