[Stuart]

Originally Posted by PC_Arcade

Downloading music isn't theft (much as the BPI, RIAA etc would have you believe it is), it's copyright infringement.

Stealing a CD from HMV though is Theft as you are taking a physical item.

Semantics..

If you download music and don't buy the CD, you are still denying the various people involved in the creation and manufacture of the album their money much the same as you would be if you stole the CD.

Regarding NTL supporting Illegal P2P, they probably aren't. I suspect they bought some advertising space from whoever provides advertising for eDonkey (or whatever network), and NTL have no idea of where their adverts are going.

Originally Posted by themelon

I dont actually use P2P for whatever illegal purposes but can sympathise with those who do.

As for stealing.........Fat executives are taking something (£10000 0 salaries) without working for it the artists do and only get £4 for every CD, so what goes around comes around.

As Ianauth says, there is a lot more expense to creating and distributing CDs than what goes to the executives. There are the studio fees (including production crew), advertising, manufacture, video making, session musicians, transport, warehousing, transport, wholesalers, retailers. All of these companies and people need to be paid.

They need to take a good hard look at the industry as a whole....and tackle the cause of problems.

True, and as I have stated earlier, I believe that piracy is not even the main problem for the record industry (although they are focusing on it). I believe that the main problem for the record industry is that most companies are following a similar formula for new bands: Audition for 5 members (any combination of guys and girls), commission a song for them. Create a video with a lot of computer graphics. Record an album with them, then finally send them out on tour.

Now, I have nothing against manufactured bands, as long as they are talented, and their music is good (for instance, one of my favourite bands, All Saints was created when the record company merged two groups - One with Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and the other with the Appleton sisters), but there are too many now, and they all sound/look/act very similar to one another. I think it's causing people to get bored with music.

The other problem (mainly with the singles market) is that people are not going to buy one or two singles at £3.99 each when they can get both of those, and 38 others for £15.99 on a compilation.

I would actually say mp3 downloads actually boost the music industry more than damage it, I actually know people who have downloaded a few mp3s, enjoyed them and then gone out and brought the album, as at the end of the day you cant beat the real thing (CD Insert etc). It allows for a try before you buy, as opposed to buying a crap CD and being stuck with it.

Maybe they should look at reducing their prices, making it more competative, I have no doubt the majority would rather the real thing but they will not pay a premium to keep various fat executives in the latest armarni atire.

I think that mp3 downloads do help the companies. I used to use AudioGalaxy, and actually discovered several groups on there, whose music I would never have thought of buying, so in that way, the music industry has gained slightly from file sharing.

However, I do accept that there ARE people (and a lot of them) who don't give a fig about the quality of what they listen to, and just download stuff with no intention of purchasing a CD of it.

One thing I would like to see, however, is the likes of Apple, Napster, OD2 (provide music services for various people including Microsoft, Wanadoo & HMV) reducing prices.

While I can believe the prices paid are fair if you have a CD (with all it's associated costs), they should be reduced for downloaded tracks. Download companies don't have transport, warehousing and retail costs.

The same as everything really...........poorly managed making a CD say £5.99 would make sales go through the roof, piracy would become unsustainable and die but while they continue to rip people off piracy will always remain and be sucessful.

Not necessarily. At work, we operate a scheme where our students can download legitimate copies of Microsoft development software and operating systems for free as long as we (and Microsoft) log who downloads what.

We still have problems with students pirating their development software and OSes.

So, if students are happy to pirate something (and risk legal action from Microsoft) for something they get for free anyway...