This is ridiculous. I just got a MP3 player for Christmas. I uploaded my CDs to my PC so I could download them to my MP3 player.

That's "illegal" now according to the music industry? Turds.

"Every problem they're trying to solve is worse now than when they started."

Seems to be the trend these days.

Earth to RIAA-Fuck off.

RIAA: look up "zungzwang."

God i can't wait till the recording industry dries up. With buffoonery like this, it shouldn't be long.

to carry this logic to another level...
the tools in which one would use to make digital copies should be illegal. the new turntables that enables one to copy their vinyl onto cd can only be used for one thing... copying a copy-written product.
shouldn't the manufacturer be held responsible?

this entire ordeal is all very insane, of course.
the world has spun around the music companies and they are merely grabbing at straws so as to cling on to their profits a little longer.

their ship, not unlike the titanic, is sinking... or is the that the hindenburg falling?

and i entirely agree with morris.

happy new year to one and all... except the riaa.

desperate people do desperate things. they are losing tons of revenue and they will never have a stranglehold on media as they have in the past.

adapt. change. bend. or go under. suing a couple of people to make examples out of them is a joke and they know it.

do they really think they can stop everyone on the planet with a computer from downloading music? maybe a couple of beheadings in the town square would do the trick...

MAYBE NOT!

does anyone even buy CD's anymore?

"does anyone even buy CD's anymore?"

Not many, and the riaa is one resaon, Steve Jobbs is the other reason. He has given away the razor blades, so he can sell the razors! They should go where the money is instead of fucking the small man....

It's against the law to copy copyrighted material. Stiff fines and possible imprisonment.

Yet, some who still rant about Bill Clinton lying about a blow job say that was SO horrible.

I guess some pick and choose which laws apply to them when it's convenient.

I guess some pick and choose which laws apply to them when it's convenient.


And some of us don't give a shit either way. I download music because it's easier that way. I can pick out a few songs from an artist I like and shitcan the rest.

Why?

Well it's one of the main reasons the recording industry is "loosing money", of course.

The bands, groups, individuals they sign to contracts rarely are capable of writing more than one or two hooky songs.

After that, they've blown their wad and it's so long one-hit-wonder.

If you paid for the song, you should be allowed to make as many copies as you want. Just like the SC allowed video taping of TV shows. As long as you aren't making mass copies for distribution I don't see a problem with using the song in whatever format one desires...

AXIOM

If you're paying for the downloads ... no problem.

I hear ya about the quality of songwriting. KIds started downloading when they got tired of being burned by one good song and a lot of rubbish on the CD's.

i will continue to rip cds. mine, my friends, and other's. when i find a group i like, ill go see them in concert. or rip a cd and send the band a 20 dollar bill. Let a musician make money on the basis of her talent, rather than record co. hype. fuck the riaa- those without talent sell other peoples talent, hmm?

those leeches know its over. we know its over. why must they make it so painful for themselves?

incidentally, canada's criaa (lackey of the riaa) was successful in shutting down demonoid.com's torrent tracker. this of course only spawned several new trackers, and made the trackers that are left even more active. you cant keep teenagers with computers under control, and you'd be an idiot to try

Welcome to the new America. It's okay to steal. Blame the artists, blame the RIAA, blame the record companies. Do everything but look in a mirror.
It takes labor to write, arrange, engineer and perform a song. And we're all a bunch of bastards because we want to paid, because "MUSIC SHOULD BE FREE!"
Guess what? Shelter, food, clothing and transportation should be free. And if it isn't, you should be able to steal it, right?
What do you do for a living? Do you think you should be paid?
Anyone who "shares" music is a thief. If you disagree, give me your address and I'll come over and "share" your car. I am a songwriter. Stop stealing from us.

"I am a songwriter. Stop stealing from us."

Fuck off. You get pennies on the dollar. Address your anger where it belongs, at the media monopolies.

nothing wrong with making a living igmo- its the gouging that gets me.

when you write a song, whats your cut? the studios?

do lettermans writers make what letterman does?

have you written anything i have shared? if so, ill pay YOU for it. ill WILL NOT give some asshole 30 dollars so he can give you 50 cents. You should be mad at the way the record industry treats real talent- instead of buying into that bullshit you just puked up.

Songs pay a statutory 9 cents unless a lower 'mechanical royalty' rate is negotiated.

All expenses for bands to record and market a CD (in the mid to high hundreds of thousands for a major label pop act) are recouped before the band gets a nickel. Usually you have to sell a few million to recoup.

Thinking that stealing a dime is acceptable but a $1000 not, is akin to a woman who won't 'sell' herself for $100 as a prostitute but would for a million.

It takes labor to write, arrange, engineer and perform a song. And we're all a bunch of bastards because we want to paid, because "MUSIC SHOULD BE FREE!"
Guess what? Shelter, food, clothing and transportation should be free. And if it isn't, you should be able to steal it, right?
What do you do for a living? Do you think you should be paid?
Anyone who "shares" music is a thief. If you disagree, give me your address and I'll come over and "share" your car. I am a songwriter. Stop stealing from us.

Posted by igmoramus

unlike the shit you probably produce shelter, food and clothing aren't "optional" they are necessities.. music and entertainment are way down the list on the hierarchy of needs..If I couldn't listen to an illegal copy of green day i wouldn't really give a flying shit, but deny me of my house and oatmeal and some body is going to bleed.

come over and "share" my car it aint the same thing .. its called grand theft auto

LEGIO

It isn't the one dime you steal from a songwriter and music publisher's rightful royalties, it's the billions of dimes that add up to songwriters income taking a dramatic drop. It's as though you stole a car one piece at a time. The car quits working and you're out of your whole car eventually.

Royalties are the largest income stream for songwriters and perfomrers (outside touring for highly successful artists).

There is one way to rape the RIAA just as effectively as they are trying to rape the comsumer:

Stop purchasing any and all music which benefits the RIAA.

No CDs, no 'legal' downloads (Apple, MS stores). Go cold turkey, buy nothing, nada. Not one penny to them.

Go to concerts, visit live music venues, download music from My Space and other sites where bands not affiliated with RIAA post their music for download. Listen to the radio, make mp3's from that (that's still legal, isn't it?)

If you don't agree with RIAA's tactics, just refuse to play. Let them starve.

"does anyone even buy CD's anymore?"

Of course. I have absolutely no use whatsoever for mp3 files. I don't use a portable mp3 player or ipod and don't walk around with headphones on. The compression used on those types of recordings is simply awful; CDs are bad enough these days, mp3s are much worse.

Like zat I prefer vinyl. A good analog signal is vastly superior to a digital one and you can hear the difference even if you are half deaf like me.

In fact, it was kind of funny a year ago this summer. One of my buddies was over helping me work on the place and he noticed I had a turntable attached to my system. He said "hey, why do you still have a record player, why don't you get rid of it?" He was absolutely floored when I told him I'd bought it earlier in the year and that it was actually new...

"MUSIC SHOULD BE FREE!"
Guess what? Shelter, food, clothing and transportation should be free. And if it isn't, you should be able to steal it, right?
What do you do for a living? Do you think you should be paid?
Anyone who "shares" music is a thief. If you disagree, give me your address and I'll come over and "share" your car. I am a songwriter. Stop stealing from us.

Posted by igmoramus

Boo Fuckin' Hoo...Get a real job.

If I buy a CD or a song, I should be able to do anything I want with it. If I buy a car, do I have to get permission from Ford if I want to lend it to a friend? No, once I part with my hard earned cash, that product belongs to me.

BTW, I am also a musician and I am more happy to spread my music around and get people to hear it. If they like what they hear, chances are they're going to buy a ticket to the show when I come into town and buy some merch once they're there.

It takes labor to write, arrange, engineer and perform a song.


Money that is made back through the sale of concert tickets and other merchandise. If the record companies really wanted to make money off of selling CD's, they could afford to drop the price of the CD's, Tapes, whatever. Instead they look for the maximum payout with minimal effort. Which leads to people justifying stealing the music.



Anyone who "shares" music is a thief.


Anyone who sells the shit that comes on most cd's these days for the amount of money it costs is a fucking thief. The cost of production of a compact disc is measured in 10's of cents, not 10's of dollars. But I bet you're ok with the consumer paying 15 or 19 bucks for a cd that has maybe one or two decent songs on it and the rest is filled with unintelligible garbage.


I am a songwriter. Stop stealing from us.


Are you a shitty songwritter? Do you guys do it in comittee? It'd be fucking great to know that a group of people thought the shitty songs they write were 'good ideas'.

Anyone who sells the shit that comes on most cd's these days for the amount of money it costs is a fucking thief. The cost of production of a compact disc is measured in 10's of cents, not 10's of dollars. But I bet you're ok with the consumer paying 15 or 19 bucks for a cd that has maybe one or two decent songs on it and the rest is filled with unintelligible garbage.

You're buying the wrong CD's then, and also not counting in the costs of producing the music itself and marketing the product.

Is 20 bucks for a CD overkill? Probably, but I'll bet most of that revenue aint going to the artists.

If I buy a CD or a song, I should be able to do anything I want with it. If I buy a car, do I have to get permission from Ford if I want to lend it to a friend? No, once I part with my hard earned cash, that product belongs to me.

You can't make copies of your car and give one to each friend you have. In any case, whatever you do with your car, only one person is driving it at a time.

Are you saying it's OK for you to photocopy a novel and share it with all your buddies too? Do that for long enough and there will be no writers for you to steal from.

He was absolutely floored when I told him I'd bought it earlier in the year and that it was actually new...

Posted by DCinMA at 2008-01-01 01:18 AM


Well, have fun in your 50's time wharp

You're buying the wrong CD's then, and also not counting in the costs of producing the music itself and marketing the product.


No, I'm not because I only buy cd's from artists after I have heard the entire cd. If there are more than a few songs I like on the album, I'll plop down the money, otherwise I've downloaded, listened and then deleted.


Are you saying it's OK for you to photocopy a novel and share it with all your buddies too? Do that for long enough and there will be no writers for you to steal from.


Why would writers suddenly stop writing because someone made a few photocopies of their work?

I hate to point this out to you, but you can find quite a few books in electronic format available for download from bit-torrent, p2p and usenet.

Surprise! People are still writing books and other people are still buying them. Why? Because having a bound, paper book makes the experience of reading that much better.

There's nothing a record company can do to enhance the experience of listening to the music the put out.

LEGIO

It isn't the one dime you steal from a songwriter and music publisher's rightful royalties, it's the billions of dimes that add up to songwriters income taking a dramatic drop. It's as though you stole a car one piece at a time. The car quits working and you're out of your whole car eventually.

Posted by AMERICANUNITY

you guys have forgotten..

want versus a need.. music and tv and ain't a need. Comparing music and tv shows to an automobile is ridiculous. Many of us have had to get a new "job" due to outsourcing, technology change or obsolescence. Sorry but your argument is lame. As stated earlier you should go after the ones that are getting rich on the backs of those doing the work.

BTW.. I pay for CD's and DVD's

"BTW.. I pay for CD's and DVD's"

Yes, you do.

But you do not pay for reproduction rights. Certainly not beyond personal use.

This battle has been going on for over 30 years now. Once the cassette became the standard over the archaic 8-track, it was easy to 'copy' the songs you liked from the vinyl LP.

You bet it is about the money going to the companies and not really the artists and the song writers, etc. I don't work in the industry but have heard the arguements for a long time. Hard to quote 1970's stuff here as the web wasn't around then. The same problem exists in the computer world with software applications and use. Who makes copies and gives the CD/DVD to a friend to use -- piracy there also. Same principle!

But I believe it is all about once you have legally purchased the material, you should be able to listen to it in any format that you have bought. After all, the RIAA has not sued the manufacturers for putting a record button on casette drives nor sued the manufacturers of writable CD/DVD devices yet so people can make copies of music, software, videos as needed in order to perserve those items for their personal use. I seem to remember that there was an implied lifetime use when purchased -- no one bought a limited license on any product.

I also like to hear my music mixed with other artists -- not just the Beatles, AC/DC, Hammer or whoever. Having them all on the same tape/MP3 seems to make the most sense to my tastes. That way I can listen to what I like when I want to, not when the radio station thinks I need to hear something.

And I buy the music if I like the group/artist. I don't buy it if I don't like the music. If they just put out garbage (highly technical term here) in order to comply with a contract, then they lose me as a listener/fan. I only liked certain periods of Elvis (Presley) not Costello (him also really). But I did like all that the Beatles did together and most of what they did separately. I didn't buy all of what Ringo did though. He needed more help from his friends.

So I have a mix of vinyl, CDs, tapes and an odd 8-track (that I can't play anymore) laying around. Can I sue the RIAA for storage of their artists material?

"have you written anything i have shared? if so, ill pay YOU for it. ill WILL NOT give some asshole 30 dollars so he can give you 50 cents. You should be mad at the way the record industry treats real talent- instead of buying into that bullshit you just puked up."


Hey- the musicians you're PRETENDING to support with your little statement are the ones that agreed to and signed the deal. You dont even consider that this is the system that the artist you want to see has chosen.

I dont know about making a copy for yourself- you can only listen to one at a time- but unless an artist is giving away their product to you, the act of file-sharing is theft.

Doesn't matter how vital a service it is- that's a straw man argument. Besides, if anything, it makes the opposite case. It would be more forgivable if it was a vital service, such as stealing food or jumping a turnstile to go to work. Besides, to someone in the arts, stealing their stuff IS vital.

"Are you a shitty songwritger?" Axiom

Maybe I am but one thing is certain. You're a fucking thief.

"unlike the shit you probably produce, food, clothing and shelter aren't optional." Legio

Maybe I do produce shit but one thing is certain. You're a fucking thief.

"Boo Fucking Hoo . .Get a real job. If I buy a song or CD I should be able to do anything I want with it." TFDNIHILIST

The next time you buy a CD, try reading it before you listen to it. It will tell you that reproducing it without permission is a crime.
Boo Fucking Hoo . . . Get a fucking clue

None of you assholes answered this question. If you work for a living, do you expect to be paid?

I bought ZZ Top Fandango on 8 Track for $7.99 and I played it until the tape broke....The RIAA laughed when I bought another one $7.99 (it melted on the dash). 8 tracks died out and I bought same ZZ Top in cassette form for about $7.99. The RIAA laughed all way to bank (and the tape broke on the cassette). This time I bought ZZ top Fandango on CD it cost about 14.99 and when I listened to it some engineer remixed the music and it sounded like techno-drums in an echo-box. I felted ripped-off and left with altered music. I have paid for this music 4 times over. The RIAA has ripoff the public,ripped of the artist, suppressed talent, and altered the music. Now they want to sue downloaders up to the tune of $9000 per song. The most they should get is the cost of the CD the song was originally on. The RIAA has dug its own grave and I for one would like to shovel some dirt on these F%#@ers.

Ignoramus,

We all work for a living and get paid. You get paid also. But how many times do you want to get paid for the same product.

I bought and paid for a CD. You got your money. If I want to listen to your song again, I do not have to pay you again - ever! I already paid you upfront for the right to listen to that CD forever. Now if it wears out or breaks, I have to repay you for the right to listen to the same music that I already paid you once to listen to without license already! Where is the logic in that? The product is defective that the music game on. I should be able to return that 10 cent CD and get the same music back on another CD (now maybe costing 10.4 cents) based on the implied lifetime listening ability that I already paid for.

But no, the RIAA says that I have to purchase at full price, now one or two dollars more to be able to listen to that music.

To take the car analogy above, if my car breaks down, I take it and get it fixed. At the beginning there is a warranty that I paid for. I can purchase additional years to keep my costs down for repairs. But I don't have to buy an entire new car to get a new radiator! And when I want a different car, I trade it in and get money for it. Does that money go to the factory worker at Chrysler who built the car in the first place? Or to the executive running General Motors -- No! It goes to the car dealership and their people and they do with it how they want.

I don't have to pay the Chrysler worker every time I use the car they produced. I can't copy it for sure, but I didn't have to give them any profits on my 1968 Charger when I sold it for much more than I paid for it. That appreciation went into my pockets. And I had the pleasure of driving the car and being seen in it.

All this is very analagous I believe to your copywrite arguement. You produced a product which I purchased. What gives you the right to say how I can use it? Just some wish to keep making more and more money by an industry that is already ripping me off on a defective 10 cent item with products on it that I have to repurchase if the vehicle goes bad. No very convincing!

And yes, Ward is my real name just Ignaramous must be yours

Fecal Matter has it right. I did the same with Tapestry although mine was lost in divorce as well as machine failure.

"mine was lost in divorce as well as machine failure."

Fuck that bitch, were you able to fix the machine?

"I bought and paid for a CD."

You got it.

A CD. One, uno, solo, period.

Look, I've written books that have been published and for which I received an advance, payment on delivery of an acceptable manuscript, and royalties based on the number of copies sold (minus those returned). When you by that book you have not purchased reproduction rights. Now, if someone wants to put a creative product under the heading "public domain," they are welcome to do so.

The core of the problem goes beyond piracy (which is always there): the law hasn't kept up with technology.

"how many times do you want to get paid for the same product."

What - aside from blood, semen, or eggs - have you ever produced that anyone wanted to buy?

But you do not pay for reproduction rights.

Certainly not beyond personal use.

POSTED BY DOC_SARVIS


Isn't the the point here Doc the personal use issue?

Doc
I understand the difference. And I respect the book's copywrite. I cite any and all use of direct quotes. I gave credit as a source for the idea/theme. I never copied more than the allowed to support research. Then I destroyed what I didn't use. I admit that I kept copies of what I used in papers for school if I never ended up buying that particular book.

However music is meant to be heard and shared aloud! I know that I can read a book to my children and others, but I don't do that routinely. When I hit play or start the turntable, that music is available to more than just me. I have paid for that right to listen to the music.

But the CD is a poor vehicle and that is the problem -- Shoddy materials forcing the consumer to have to repurchase the music over and over again-- like a shell game.

If I take care of your book, I will have it my lifetime to use over and over again. I don't think that acidity of my fingers will ruin the paper too fast that I can't re-read your book several times. Those pirated books from China, produced on terrible paper don't last and are at best a one-time use. They should be banned and burnt on discovery. I am all for that.

But consumers buying a product should expect to have reasonable use of it. Your book, properly published, gives them reasonable use. The music industry does not give us reasonable use of the vehicles they sell.

Compare the tape quality of a cassette purchase versus a blank tape from TDK or whoever. Music quality and length of service is better with the after-market tape.

Compare the CD/DVD you purchase from similar companies to the ones that your music is on? Same difference. The after-market companies have to produce quality merchandise because durability is the key to their profitability. Turnover of music is the key in the music industry!

So the consumer has to protect him/herself in order to get the best music quality and duration.

Most of my more recent vinyl LP's have been played only twice. Once to ensure no skips/pops or other defects when purchased and once to put onto quality tapes to listen to when I wanted to and to copy onto other tapes for mixes.

That is and continues to be for my personal use and the pleasure of people in my house and car and around my like music has always been produced for.

Doc, the problem has always been shoddy materials on which the music is laid. That is the reason the after-market tape/CD and now MP3 industry is thriving.

WARD -

Yours is obviously a well thought out statement. Let me read it, do some digesting, and get back to you, ok? Thanks

"I have paid for this music 4 times over. The RIAA has ripoff the public,ripped of the artist, suppressed talent, and altered the music."

"Now if it wears out or breaks, I have to repay you for the right to listen to the same music that I already paid you once to listen to without license already! Where is the logic in that? The product is defective that the music game on."

Do you people expect every product you buy to last forever ??? The ZZ story took place over at least 2 decades. Do you not feel you got your moneys worth for this great music? If a tape breaks it was probably your tape deck- if it melted on the dash, well whose fault is that?

Things wear out and break. Try getting a warrantee for a 20 year old car. CDs and records are fragile. Not the labels fault. If you dont like them, dont buy them. No one is forcing you to carry music around. But stealing is not an ethical option. Question- if your jeans get a rip on the 5th wearing, or wear out after years of use, are you entitled to a new free pair?

What do you people do for a living? Is there no responsibility on behalf of the consumer to use your wears or services responsibly? Especially if you're expected to keep replacing for gratis?

WARD - I'll buy the "reasonable use" argument
Doc

As far as the car comparison goes, lets not forget a car costs at least 1000 times what a cd does so it would be understandable for the warranty situation to be different.

Reasonable use should be determined by those who put out the product according to laws of the land-reasonable use only under one condition- that rights are not being violated.

One's personal reasonable use for a car might be to block roads to cut down on air pollution. Doesn't fly legally.

"However music is meant to be heard and shared aloud!"

Sound waves in the air yes. Like radio.

We're not talking about making a cassette copy for a friend here. Sharing physical copies- especially on a huge network- is nothing but theft.

You're a fucking thief.


Negative. Scroll up e-tard.

"You're a fucking thief."

Well in that case, so are public libraries and their patrons, asshole.

Message to the RIAA - if you can charge the same money for the same music because your industry changes formats, YOU are the THIEF. Come and get me, ya bastards!

"What - aside from blood, semen, or eggs - have you ever produced..."

I have to take exception here Doc. What if I bought your magnum opus and liked it so much that I scanned it it, saved it, and keep it on my laptop so I could pluck a few words of wisdom during my weaker moments?

LOL - on the weaker moments, anyway.

What if I GAVE the book to my friend?

Or the Library?

What if I sold it or traded it to a used book store?

I'll tell what really jerks my chain. I rent a movie and I want to watch it on my computer. Before I can do so I have to download and install a program. In one case the software installed automatically. Same thing with Santana's albums, and who knows how many others. Refuse the software and it won't play. I don't copy, rip, or share anything, but they can inhibit my right to enjoy what I have purchased or rented?

I don't think anyone has the right to steal. But exaggerating the penalty for doing so only creates a second injustice. $9000 for an illegal copy? How about prosecution for misdemeanor theft, and maybe treble damages as restitution? That might gain some traction and curb the problem.

bah !!

"our there"= out there

&

"no really" = no one really

gonna go back to Guitar Hero now...

Welcome to 2008! Grow up RIAA and quit suing your best potential customers! That is no way to grow your business!

"Well, have fun in your 50's time wharp"

If you've listened to a quality recording on vinyl played on a decent system and compared it to the same recording on the typical CD today you'd be amazed at how much better the vinyl sounds. Unless you get into the SACD or DVD audio formats, the sampling rates are simply not high enough to put out as natural a sound as the analog signal from the vinyl record does. Add to that many studios now using highly compressed signals, with CDs you lose many of the subleties you can hear in a truer recording. Try it sometime, if you can get in front of the equipment with good recordings. Unfortunately you'll realize how harsh a lot of CDs sound and you won't enjoy them as much anymore.

It's not a time "wharp" thing at all, it's a matter of sound quality.

how about we just let the "free market" determine the value of the music? without the manipulation of the recording industry, and the hyping of shit, only the best musicians survive, because even in an environment rife with so called piracy, people will pay to see their favorite artist. with avenues like last.fm, and the public web, a group can release material with very little cost. if its great, they will make money. shite is flushed forthwith. record companies have suddenly found themselves irrelevant and unnecessary.

on a related note, there was a time when good musicians, good ballplayers and even politicians had day jobs.

Message to the RIAA - if you can charge the same money for the same music because your industry changes formats, YOU are the THIEF. Come and get me, ya bastards!

Posted by Jomama

If you have software that's more than a couple of versions below the current one you usually have to pay for the upgrade don't you? Why do you think copy protection via internet registration and registry keys is so meticulously done? To keep people from copying copyrighted software.

If they give you the software for free in the beginning it's their business. You can't copy Vista and install it on your computer (unless you're using an illegal copy) either can you

I don't understand what all the fuss is about- The last four artists that truly made an impact on the music scene of monumental importance are RHCP, Jane's Addiction, Stone Temple Pilots and Nirvana.

Anything after that is very easily forgettable.

I am SO glad I grew up with Stones, Zeppelin, Floyd, Rush that was quite an exciting time for music, an era that will never be topped or duplicated, and it was when the music really did matter.

No douche bag band that the RIAA is trying to protect will EVER make

Animals, Led Zeppelin II, 2112, Sticky Fingers.

It just ain't gonna happen. Let the RIAA have and hold all of the shitty wannabe artists from here to eternity. Keep 'em all you stingy mother fuckers and stick them all where the sun don't shine. The only albums songs I need are the ones that are overplayed or the file is corrupted. We are not missing Jack Shit, folks. The joke is on the RIAA. All the music you ever need has been produced.

comprende? Now, someone hand me Are You Experienced!

"I don't understand what all the fuss is about- The last four artists that truly made an impact on the music scene of monumental importance are RHCP, Jane's Addiction, Stone Temple Pilots and Nirvana.

Anything after that is very easily forgettable.

I am SO glad I grew up with Stones, Zeppelin, Floyd, Rush that was quite an exciting time for music, an era that will never be topped or duplicated, and it was when the music really did matter."

After reading the first paragraph, I would have thought you were in your teens in the early 90's (like me). I think there are some equally good musicians out there now. They just aren't on MTV, American Idol or most radio stations.

I think most suburban kids go through a Zeppelin and/or Floyd phase, by the way. And the Stones are my favorite. But Rush? Not so much.

Now, someone hand me Are You Experienced!

Luffin' Auntie Social's postage at 2:05.

"Not neccessarily stoned but beautiful"

Luffed the "Sticky Fingers" album with the working zipper.

Spud prefers Hemisphere to 2112 but both are good stuff!

Floyd?

Say no more!

Nudge Nudge, wink wink, knowing glance!

Compare them to the lollipop headZ who pass for popstars these days (Spud can't and won't call 'em musicians) Especially anyone who graduated from the Walt Ditzy School of pre-formed popkateers ie Britney, Christina, Justin, and that lil Hannah Montana poptart et al.

Blech just Blech.

Zappa or Souljah Boy?

Not even a question.

Crank the Frank.

Be Well.

PS: Big man, pig man, ha ha charade you are.
You well heeled big wheel, ha ha charade you are.
And when your hand is on your heart,
You're nearly a good laugh,
Almost a joker,
With your head down in the pig bin,
Saying "Keep on digging."
Pig stain on your fat chin.
What do you hope to find.
When you're down in the pig mine.
You're nearly a laugh,
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry

Spud to the modern "star maker machinery"...

Ha Ha! Charade you are!

PPS: And on that musical note, the ever elusive and probably non-existent tater o' doom is leave the hallowed shores of the beluffed Drudge Retort, exiting as ya do,
stage left.

"You produced a product which I purchased. What gives you the right to say how I can use it?" Ward

You gave me the right, Ward. The product you purchased specifically prohibited you, by law, from copying it. When you made the purchase you agreed to the terms of the purchase. If you had no intention of honoring the terms then you entered into the agreement under false pretenses. What gives you the right to do that?
It's not rocket science, Ward. Even an igmo can figure it out. Why can't you?

"All the music you ever need has been produced."

WHat an incredibly arrogant attitude. Personally, I am SICK OF OLD MUSIC. I love new music and will continue to buy it. Yes I do sometimes download it to my computer and hey, maybe someday these assholes will catch me but I don't distribute copies to people too cheap to pay for it.
Is the profit distribution fair to artists...I don't know I'm not an artist and it isn't my problem. If they feel that they are being treated unfairly then that is their battle to fight. Not really my business. Downloading songs doesn't help their "cause" though.

Fewer people pirate software than pirate music. The reason? Music CD's don't need upgrades. Assholes!

Ward,
The artist or creator of the music has a right to do what he wants with his music. Just because someone buys a CD they do not have the same rights as the artist.
I'm glad to don't give away (or sell) ripped music. The problem is with the people who do. And I find it infuriating that these people refer to what they do as "sharing". It's a word game; the same word game people use when they refer to torture as "enhanced interogation".
It's not "enhanced interogation". It's torture. It's not "sharing". It's stealing.

"The last four artists that truly made an impact on the music scene of monumental importance are RHCP, Jane's Addiction, Stone Temple Pilots and Nirvana.

"I am SO glad I grew up with Stones, Zeppelin, Floyd, Rush that was quite an exciting time for music, an era that will never be topped or duplicated, and it was when the music really did matter."

Whew... Talk about incredibly narrow musical views. As if music never existed before the invention of the electric guitar.

One of my musical regrets is that the recording technology of the 1920s and 30s was still in its infancy.

Another of my musical regrets is there was no possible method of recording music before the 20th century.

Broaden your scope, kids. There far more to music than what is schlocked on the MTV music awards.

name one album made after Jane's Addictions Strays that will be remembered in 30 years.........

I'M WAITING, DOUCHE BAG!

Not sure I agree with that

"I'M WAITING, DOUCHE BAG!"

What a compete asshole. There will be plenty of albums and music that stand the test of time, just like every other generation and just as in every other generation there will be those who think that they music they listened to when they were young was the best music ever. Those who pretend that all that old stuff is the "best" remind me of my parent's generation who couldn't stand rock and roll. They were wrong you are too.
BTW, probably most of the best music of today would turn you off because your tastes are stuck in the seventies. New rythms, beats, etc. are coming out all the time for those not stuck in the past.

The issue is "Fair Use" and not piracy.

The music was purchased, and the copy is intended to transfer the product, at least in my case, to my mp3 player/ipod. Not to distribute to my friends.

it's been quoted many times over the provisions for fair use in the copyright laws...so I don't see how anyone can defend the "artists rights", as distributing the product isn't the point of this discussion.

what kills me about the RIAA with this one is they are basically saying that if I want to listen to the music on a player other than a cd player then I need to purchase it in that format....pushing me to download mp3's, a move that will most likely find me, and I will suppose others, to only download a song or two from an album.

cost of a cd $15-$20 perhaps, costs of two songs on itunes or rhapsody....$1.98???

in addition, one reason I prefer to buy the whole cd in a counter to there being only 1 or 2 songs that are any good, I usually find that after playing a cd all the way through a few times, that I will find a few more songs that the artist was able to sneak past the "has to be a top 40 hit" filter the recording companies employee, and those gems become my favorites, and it's those songs that hook me into being a fan of the band. Which usually leads me to further purchases of more cd's

so good move RIAA, you've just turned me into a an itunes store purchaser, I'll only get the songs I already know only, not find the other gems and not be a repeat buyer of that artists future or past works

so you've got my $1.98, and I've only got two mp3. Instead of me having a library of cd's backed up onto a hard drive and converted to mp3 for my own personal use, and you don't have my say at least (If I bought 1 current artists cd, found a gem or two more, and bought there next cd, and one previous) $60 bucks.

so net loss to RIAA about $58.02, and thats for only one 'life cycle of discovering a new artist'

masterstroke RIAA, I'd love to play chess against you guys sometime.

"name one album made after Jane's Addictions Strays that will be remembered in 30 years........."

By who? You? What the hell do I care what you'll be listening to in 30 years? You listen to Rush.

Yes, you do.

But you do not pay for reproduction rights. Certainly not beyond personal use.

Posted by Doc_Sarvis

bullshit.. its called fair use.

"unlike the shit you probably produce, food, clothing and shelter aren't optional." Legio

Maybe I do produce shit but one thing is certain. You're a fucking thief.

You are a douchebag internet tough guy.
I pay for my media. Hopefully someone can give you an axel rose like experience sometime when you perform.. now that would be You-tube material.

If you work for a living, do you expect to be paid?

Posted by igmoramus

sorry I dont consider it work.. get a real job.

now run along junior and go listen to your linkin park, 50 cent, soulja boy, and panic at the disco...

run along junior!

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

You listen to Rush.

Posted by Sully

which speaks volumes about you sully.

What's wrong with Rush? Nobody plays drums like Neil Pert. Few play as well as Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee on guitar and bass. They are one of the greatest bands ever to be put together in terms of technical ability.

Listen to La Villa Strangiatto. It's pretty damn amazing.

the talent in Alex Lifeson's pinky is greater than the entire careers of 99% of the artists today. 50 cent doesn't sing melodies, he TALKS! SO FUCKING TALENTED! you know nothing about actual music. let's see all of these new artists play even a few parts of La Villa Strangiatto. without screwing it up, of course. ha ha ha. these new age folks have no clue.

"Limelight"

Living on a lighted stage
Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel
In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage

Cast in this unlikely role
Ill-equipped to act
With insufficient tact
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact

[Chorus:]
Living in the limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme

Living in a fish eye lens
Caught in the camera eye
I have no heart to lie
I can't pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend

All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage

YET ANYONE CAN LEGALLY COPY AN LP ONTO A CASSETTE, CONGRESS SAW TO THAT. THE INDUSTRIES INTERPRETATION IS JUST PART OF BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM. THE BIGGER YOU ARE THE GREATER YOUR RIGHT TO POUND ON LESSER BEINGS. THIS PROVIDES PRACTICAL VICTORIES WHERE LEGAL VICTORY IS NOT POSSIBLE.

Now now people, I have been silently lurking on this thread wondering about my take on the subject.

I bought an mp3 player at a fund raiser and spent almost 10 hours putting cd's i own onto my computer so i could download to it.

Got it home, plugged it into my Sony home system and was instantly turn off.

The sound quality was horrible. I am not even able to listen to it. People who download music or turn cd's into mp3's have no idea as to what fidelity is?

I am amazed at what passes for 'good music' these days.



Hey Sully, just cuz you don't like Rush doesnt mean they are not a good band.

Ever listen to Xanadu? Hell, try the first side of Moving Pictures. You may not like the style but you have to admit they are talented as hell.

Am I the only one here hanging today? I swear, I still feel like I'm drunk from New Years.

Interesting about MP3s. I got one of those MP3 players for Christmas a couple years ago from my kids. They keep asking if I want to download more music. I always tell them I never use the thing, it just doesn't entertain me. The sound quality is poor and now I understand a little more about why.

Format Attributes MB per Hour Application
DSP Truespeech 8.0kHz,1 bit, mono 4 Dictation.
L&H SBC 16kbit/s 8.0kHz,16 bit, mono 9 High Quality dictation or phone calls.
MS ADPCM 8.0kHz,4 bit, mono 14 Talk Radio and meetings.
MP3 11.5kHz, 16kBit/s mono 4.5 Low quality Internet music.
PCM 44.1kHz,16 bit, stereo 600 High quality recordings.

So my question is.

Can I download a CD onto my computer using the PCM format or am I destined to use the vastly shitty MP3's???

Never could really get into the bare naked ladies.

The just seem too cartoony for my tastes.

They seem like a band that Ned Flanders would listen to.

If I like a band, I buy thier CD. If I hear a song on the radio, I download it, and maybe some other songs from the same band. If the other songs stink, I won't buy thier album. If i'm buying a car, love the handling but hate the acceleration, the stereo, the seats, and the AC, guess what, i won't buy it. If most bands today didn't put out shitty music, or weren't one hit wonders, then yeah, you have a point....but today so much music is utter crap, that I don't give a shit regardless.

Spud totally ignores MP3s and ipods.

Deth is old fashioned Spud.

Spud makes mixed tapes from vinyl or cd with sound bytes from film and other pop culture sources in between.

Spud's been doing this fer a while now.

That sed the riaa can kiss my spuddish ass.

There are short sighted folk in the music biz who imagine that Spud is ripping them off somehow by doing this when, in fact, Spud is acting as an unpaid promoter.

Back in the day when Deejees actually gave a shit about music and played the stuff that theyu thought was hot things were cool. Even with the payola scandals deejays were, by and large, like newsmen. Everybody wanted to outscoop the other on wot was the latest and hottest new sounds.

Music used to mean so muh more. From folk acts in the fifties and sixties, to socially concious bands in the sixties and seventies tying to make the world a better place through music or at least a more aware one. How we got from rap groups like Public Enemy in the ninetis telling us to "fight the Power" to ass-wipes like 50 Cent making songs that are all essentially odes to crass materialism and commercials for high end products is a sad and depressing tale.

Spud luffs the fact that so many of the latest bands in the last decade or so act like they are "dangerous" and "edgier" than their predessecors.

Clue to Fifty, Fergie, Soulja Boy, et al.

You are about as dangerous as a mouseketeer and about as edgy as a bowling ball.

That is all.

Shout out to Auntie Social fer "Limelight" Spud loves that one. First concert Spud ever attended was Rush's Hemispheres. Blew me fuckin' mind, did that.

A boy alone, so far from home,
Endless rooftops from my window.
I felt the gloom of empty rooms
On rainy afternoons.

Sometimes, in confusion,
I felt so lost and disillusioned,
Innocence gave me confidence
To go up against reality.

All the same, we take our chances,
Laughed at by Time,
Tricked by Circumstances.
Plus a change,
Plus c'est la meme chose,
The more that things change,
The more they stay the same.

Now I've gained some understanding
Of the only world that we see.
Things that I once dreamed of
Have become reality.

These walls that still surround me
Still contain the same old me,
Just one more who's searching for
The world that ought to be.

Spud is still searching for the "the world that ought to be"

Can ya tell?

Be Well.

"Hey Sully, just cuz you don't like Rush doesnt mean they are not a good band."

Certainly true. There are many bands that I would concede are very talented but who use their talents to play music I don't like.

In my experience, Rush fans take alot of shit and are therefore overly sensitive when someone is harsh on Rush. That's the only reason I threw the Rush thing back at Auntie when he himself was being a music snob.

And by the way, music snobs typically don't hold up STP as one of the last "great bands", Auntie. You'd be laughed right out of the coffee shop on that one.

Never could really get into the bare naked ladies

Then ya prolly never seen 'em live.

First time they played Vancouver Spud had only heard of them because of some ignorant councilwoman in Toronto who tried to prevent them from playing at some gig because she was offended by their name. In a sense the dumb bint actually launched their careers. Ta fer that thinks Spud and gawd bless the law on unintended consequence.

When Spud did see them it was a ittle hole in the wall club with maybe 150 people in attendance. They blew the fucking room away with their tight musical talents and their wicked senses of humour.

They were selling little yellow demo tapes that included four songs destined to make it onto their first album (and still best to date) which had three of their own tunes including "You Can Be My Yoko Ono" and "If I had a Million Dollars" and a cover of Public Enemies "Fight the Power".

Spud bought one, of course.

"Elvis was a hero to most but he
Elvis was a hero to most but he
Elvis was a hero to most
but he never meant shit to me

That sucka was simple and plain
Muther FUCK him and John Wayne!

Lemme hear ya say FIGHT THE POWER!"

Be Well.

PS: To Sully.

Stone Temple Pilots is one of the few new bands that Spud has the time of day for (despite the fact that they no longer exist)

"I know you want wots on my mind"

"I'm gonna teach you my philosophy"

You wanna learn about atrocity?"

PPS: Actually that's "learn you my philosophy" and "know about atrocity"

Be Well.

"Can I download a CD onto my computer using the PCM format or am I destined to use the vastly shitty MP3's???"

Posted by _2112_

Much depends on what app you are using to rip the CD. Probably somewhere in the options in your app, there will be a option to set the bit rate. 128 kbps is fairly standard and produces decent sound quality. A lower kbps setting creates much smaller files sizes but poorer sound quality, while a higher kbps setting results in much larger file sizes, but much higher sound quality. Best is to use a variable bit-rate setting, letting the software determine the amount of data (as the "music" really is only data) that is being throughput and adjust the bit-rate accordingly. A full orchestra will create far more data than a violin solo.

HTH

"PS: To Sully.

Stone Temple Pilots is one of the few new bands that Spud has the time of day for (despite the fact that they no longer exist)"

I own a couple of their albums myself - although I haven't listened to them in a while.

I just remember that the critics and guys like Jack Black's character in High Fidelity said the same kind of things about STP that Auntie says about every band that has come since. I used to find it funny that they were called a total Pearl Jam ripoff. How could I like STP but not so much the band they were supposedly ripping off?

By the way Spud, STP is not a "new" band. "Core" came out over 15 years ago. I know what you mean though, anything that came out after you left school is a "new band". I say that myself.

I was watching live music on network TV on New Year's Eve and I had no idea who the hell any of these acts were. Not a big loss since they all blew but I did feel old.

If you work for a living, do you expect to be paid?

Posted by igmoramus

sorry I dont consider it work.. get a real job.

Posted by Legio

12 years of piano lessions (1-4 hours a day), 5 summers of music camp, 6 years of college, $250.000 invested in equipment over the years, untold hours learning new technology, sometimes 20 hour days to finish material on deadline. songwriter seminars (at hundreds of $ apiece), out of pocket expenses in the hundreds of $ per song, pitch meetings,

Not work? Obviously spoken from a highly uninformed position.

And yet I don't make a nickel until someone BUYS the product I make.