What are your views on downloading music illegally?

I already knew what you stated and it doesn't change my mind. If a band wants to offer their music for free download that's great, but I have an issue when a CD gets released in Europe and/or Japan a month before it gets released in the States and someone posts it for free download. By your example above if 1 million copies of a CD were downloaded and the artist was not a top artist that sold out shows, then the artist would lose $300,000. I know that this is extreme, but they are still entitled to their lousy $.50 per recording. Also, a lot of bands never make it to towns where their fans are to play live, so how are those fans going to support them....by buying the disc.

I wish the bands did get more, but the truth is that they don't so give them their due and help your favorite band in any way that you can.

Just my opinion.

DG

OK so you are saying that here are no bands that can reach high record sales and not be a sell out artist. I say that there are plenty of them, they happen over in Japan. where the RIAA does not monitor, let me be clear, I said that I do not have an issue with downloading music that a band provides and approves, my issue is the band that does not get US airplay, yet has a cult following and a bunch of people downloading their stuff because US record stores will not stock it and the US radio will not promote it. Also, when a band records an album, they get an loan to record, they do not make one cent until the record company is paid back the whole amount.so if people are downloading a bands music that is not "top act" and the sales do not compensat the amount loaned, then the band has to pay it. Bands also do not get to chose where they play, there are hundreds of bands with large followings that would love to play the US, but because they are not talentless enough, they have a hard time finding a promoter to get them signed to a tour. Ex. .... Richie Kotzen, releases an album in Japan and it is instantly #1 on the charts at debut, also his first single is almost gauranteeed to be number one. He doesn't get played in the states, so (made up number here) 100,000 people download his songs illegally, that means that he loses $50,000. Thats wrong. no matter what the RIAA and the record companies make, the artist still deserves their crappy little amount UNLESS they want to give their profit away.

As far as supporting terroism, I think that is Bullshi..T. But there was a case in the UK where someone set up a site similar to Napster, except the downloads went through routers in 5 countries and the final destination triggered a popup advert that earned the site owner $.01 per download. It was estimated that the guy made $100,000+ US in 3 months, the artist saw none of that.....if anyone thinks that this is a good thing than your nuts and too damn cheap to buy a recording. If you think that a CD costs too much, when CD's first came out around 1986, they were $15.99 a piece, that was nuts. CD's are one of the only that have actually increased value in the last 20 years, buy lowering their prices as inflation continued to grow.

i believe that really good artist and any artist would bank more from doing shows

i think if the music industry is going to push the same music across the radio and tv

and the stores are just going to carry that same group of crap

it becomes more difficult to find some of the music you really want

but if there is an artist which i feel makes great music

and the entire album is great

i will make the effort to buy the album

they made stereos many years ago designed to tape music off the radio

you would have had to wait for your song and cassettes suck

but same thing

and you could tape your friends music and they could tape yours

this is just similar but with way more friends and much easier/faster results

i like the thom yorke philosophy of it

It shouldn't be illegal, I don't think. Well it should atleast be up to the band.

They SERIOUSLY lay it on thick though.

All those adverts that are like "If you download music, you are funding terrorism."

"Pirating is THEFT. Don't let the pirates get you, they're EVIL!"

"Illegal music downloading kills little kittens and orphans."

Ohhh give me a break.

I download a song I like, which means I'm sending money off to be spent on material for bombs to blow up the world?

Spare me.

Yes, fair enough, downloading music takes money away from fat record company men who need it to buy that 16th stretch limo they've had their eye on.

Let's do them a favour and give them a little bit towards it eh?

I wonder how many thumbs down I'll get for this. Hahha.

its illegal and one day it will haunt you

so you shouldn't do it