Goverment takes on Pirates by seizing domain names and forcing sites to shut down

To Err is human, to Arr is Pirate!

+^d ! Amen.

lol

Yes it should to those who create it. if you didn't create it, THEN PAY THE CREATOR, and
stop stealing.

How about just walking inside of a store and walking out with a pack of Oreo cookies. It's no different trying to walk out of Best Buy with a pack off CD's, you'd just rather steal it off of the internet.

Let's see how far you get Mr. Freebie

Seriously man, just because it's art does NOT mean you're just entitled to it. Who defines art in your world?? Maybe you're an architect and you design a really awesome house, does that give me the right to go "hey man, that's so artistic....I'm just gonna live here now! I'm gonna live in your art...because art is free!"? Think about the implications of what you're saying before you say it.

In all fairness, architecture is completely different. When someone signs off on drawings, its taking responsibility for the design. You can't really 'steal' that. Design documents should be open source, i could agree with that, and I'm an arch-student. The client pays the Architect for time spent on the design, not really the design itself. No one really owns a design either, so many people work on it, its not even funny. Imitation would be hilarious and quite an honor, every design 'steals' ideas from others, to be so good to be stolen is one of my dreams. And PLUS even if they stole your design, they're paying HUGE amounts of money to get it built, let em do it. I wouldn't give 2 shits.

CD's [construction documents] are different story and there's a lot more legal implications on stealing those, or even altering them.

Now, if someone stole music, then played it to make money, that'd be a problem. But for personal enjoyment? Who fucking cares? More people listen to free stuff, get inspired, do good things, and if the music is awesome enough, they pay astronomical prices for a live show. I know i do.

Spot on. +^d

Actually it's a lot different. The actual definition of stealing is to "deprive someone else of their property". In this case, only copies are made so it's more like "sharing".

The whole "commodity culture" that we've created is fucking dangerous. Too many people gripping tightly to their cash wad is what put us in financial crisis. Greed never helped anyone, ever. Period. There are many other ways to profit from your art... and artists that give their art to others without needing payment are truly inspired... and they want others to be, too. That's freedom. Money is the drug that is killing us slowly... not piracy.

If you could copy the house for free and the owner still got to keep his, I would think that the owner truly wouldn't give a shit. It doesn't cost him a thing... and everyone gets to see his awesome architecture in more places... Possibly inspiring even more people. THAT would mimic the actual circumstance of what is happening. Try another metaphor, that one doesn't work.

As an artist, I find it offensive that money and art go hand in hand... and that we are supposed to charge for every "gift of inspiration" we're trying to give. I think the culture and mentality we create with the ideas of possession in this case have damaged our society and our world in more ways than I can count. All we think about is money and cost, and we apply this value to people and animals and the environment because we truly have no choice. Example: the Gulf oil spill. They have options, but they don't want to exercise them because of money. Example: Clear cutting rainforests that provide valuable medicines and food. It all comes down to money at any cost. To me, the breeding of that mindset is much more dangerous than "stealing"... and piracy is not stealing. If an artist didn't want others to appreciate their art, then maybe they should just keep it in a garage? People don't feel entitled to download music... some of them are just plain poor. I used to buy all of my music on itunes but the format was unusable across my systems. So I deleted all of my payed music and downloaded it all again for free. You're welcome, artists.

The entire digital market is run by marketing idiots, is in disillusion and needs to be revamped. Big bands make most of their money touring and selling shit. And more people come to their shows as a result of downloading the album for free. Ever think about that? ESPECIALLY bands that have contracts with major labels. They get PENNIES per CD sale because it all goes to marketing assholes, cover designers, printers, cd case makers, cd printers, CEOs, etc. You think THAT'S fair to the artist?! The entire notion of piracy isn't a fuck you to artists... it's a "fuck you!" to the broken industry that is the recording industry.

Also. Fuck 50 cent. Put out some decent music and people will be more apt to pay for it or see your show. Remember buying CDs and then being pissed that you only liked one track after all? Those days are gone. No more convoluted bullshit. Just art.

Man here's the problem though (with music i mean, architecture was admittedly a bad example):
You're saying that major label bands make all their money touring and selling merch and such, and that's partly true, but do you realize how much harder it is now to become a "major label artist"? It's next to impossible and it's INFINITELY harder than it was several years ago. The fact is that major labels won't put up the money to sign a band and get them outfitted with touring equipment and give them an advance to record an album because the labels know that there's about a 90% chance now that they won't even make their money back because people won't buy music. What does that do? It means that bands can't make albums, can't do tours, can't get financial backing, and in the long run can't make the music they want to make (at least not where anyone can hear it).
Seriously you all have to believe that this is an issue. I run a recording studio and I used to do major label work on a consistent basis but now when I call up A&R reps at interscope or epic or other labels and go "hey why aren't you sending me a little business" they invariably say "we want to! But we can't because we're not in a financial position to sign anyone because we know we're not going to make any money from it"
Does that not make sense to you all? I'm a LIVING example of the outcome of this!

It most certainly *is* different, and obviously so.

What is so great about being a "major label artist"? Most bands I know manage to pay for their own equipment and recording is cheaper than it ever was in the past due to technological advances. The business model the big labels are trying to save is obsolete. They either need to change or become obsolete themselves.

you certainly can't charge people for looking at it...

that's why people should be releasing their own works - put it up on Tunecore and see how many people are listening. THEN the major labels can look at that data and sign acts accordingly.

If they were to go back to actually listening to artists and choosing those that people like, instead of trying to manufacture them in f-ing test tubes like Hannah Montana and Ke$ha.

That's a symptom of the corporate world that demands money for everything, including life itself. You should be angry at the cage that traps you, not the people who want to be free.

Also, I apologize for commenting and then not participating in the resulting discussion. If I had realized what a storm of comments I was setting off I would have checked back sooner...

Nope..I think it's more about people who create media that's enjoyed by all and who put their time and effort and their own money in to it, deserving to NOT HAVE IT STOLEN!
How can you not agree with that? What if you made a painting and I just came and took it cause I thought it'd look good on my wall? What if you wrote a song and i came and took your master recordings and preempted you from being able to market it effectively and made you loose money on it? Seriously, you throw "capitalism" around like it's a dirty work. It's not: it's people getting compensated for hard work and creativity. What's your problem with that exactly?

I can certainly respect your position but take a look at the revenue shares of the music and movie industry. If you care so much about the artist being paid stick your $20 in an envelope and mail it off to your favorite artist. I have no issue with paying an artist his due. I take exception to paying $20 for a CD or DVD and knowing that maybe 10% of that purchase makes it to the artist. Screw the labels and movie studios. maybe if actors and artists were paid solely on the quality of their work we would see less shity movies and music.

It is more like "what if you made a painting and I just came and took a high resolution picture of it and reproduced it because I thought it'd look good on my wall?" Musicians can still make money by touring. Die Antwoord is making money, and they give out all their music for free. They have embraced the evolutionary change in the music industry.

http://www.findmysoft.com/news/20th-Century-Fox-Not-Worried-about-Losing-Money-t...

Amazing how that movie set records for the most downloaded movie ever, and still "recoup(ed) the money invested in making it", isn't it?

Propaganda.

I agree that in some cases it is possible for bands/artist to make good money in the "download scene" but at the same time I know so many bands (my own being one of them) who have literally hundreds of thousands of downloads over various file sharing websites and mere hundreds of actual album sales...let me tell you from personal experience: it sucks. If my band had been able to sell even a quarter of the albums that were illegally downloaded from us, we would have had enough money to fund a regional tour AND another album....as it is, we're not making music because of the reality of illegal downloading right now.

Then you're not good enough for people to feel they'd pay for it. LOL

You gotta get yourself out there, someone will pick you up and carry you onto shows, IF you're good enough. I've had friends that go from zero to hero just by getting noticed. FREE downloads gets you out there FOR FREE, its amazing advertising. Support it, and watch more money flow in from people that respect you.

Sounds to me like you're just bad though :P

your assuming those who illegally downloaded your album would have paid and in the climate of free you might get attention that you otherwise wouldn't have . The music is a commercial to see the live show , that's the model that's become "the deal ." never pay for your own tour it's monopolized by live nation . Try to get booked on a tour ( easy to say) and if not release more songs to gain an audience that would pay and that will be what sells your work to the people that value it .

That is a good point I overlooked. Trying to be sympathetic to the movie folks but.....F*CK EM!

Actually, most feature films are still shot on film and then digitized in the editing process. And as for the price of admission and snacks...they're worth what the market will pay. If you don't like that, well then sneak in your own food like I do, or maybe go an hour and 45 minutes without eating anything....who says we have to eat to enjoy a movie anyway?

or if you don't like that, watch the shit outta any movie you want, then pay for the ones that are WORTH paying for. If you're digital or musical creation is good enough, you will get paid for it! (see: RADIOHEAD)
you may not think this is how it should be done, but too fucking bad, it's happening, adapt or become obsolete, BIATCH!

If you can see the real issues so clearly and you care so very deeply about them, are you going to go get into politics yourself and try and do something about it?

I've been trying to since the age of 12. I've done everything I can to promote the well being of this country, trust me, back lashing against things I don't like on Internet is me just merely voicing my opinion. I'm not one of those Hypocrites that sits on his ass in front of the computer bitching about issues all day, however being unwilling to go out and do something about it personally. I do my best to participate in my local government and city, but the problem is I'm only one person. I dedicate my time to things I see worthy, but I am only one person. No doubt there are others like me out there, but we are too far apart and too small to make a large difference in this day and age. Why? Because people are lazy. People are too concerned about themselves and their own lives, that they could bitch about something they don't like, but won't do anything to change it. In the 60's, if the people didn't like something, they took to the streets EN MASSE, without stupid ass permits and protection. Protesting with a Permit is an Oxymoron. Instead of the cops protecting the protesters like they do nowadays, they used to go against them, using actual force, protesters against cops. That is why things got done back then, yet they will never get done now, and if they do, it takes years of bullshit lobbying and going through our slow ass and inefficient Congress.

"Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Country"

hehehe, thanks for PWNING the shit out of Ozone. Glad to know there are other crazy mo-fos out there and not just me and few friends.

"Who the hell uses those sites? "- everybody i know.

They shut down the sugar cookie factory?
Those... those heartless monsters!

we gotta make sure no one tells them either *shhhhhh* be very very quite... there reading the things you write.

dont frett. do some searching. you'll find new friends.

private trackers are better in many ways including quality.