Beepster


So what can you do?

Well here's what you do. You create legitimate online sales environments that offer the products people are illegally downloading for rates that they are willing to pay. You make it easy. You make it enjoyable. Then you will draw the people who are doing it because they feel the costs and hassle to acquire the end product are out of line. You will also snare in the folks who feel guilty about torrents but can't really afford the current rates. Most people are benevolent and want to pay but they look at a couple megs of data and the cost associated with them, the ease of online delivery, the lack of manufacturing, the high profits to the execs, the low percentage paid to the artist and the general arse-iness of the industry and say "Screw this! It's not worth it."

The industry needs to change its approach to fix this. By all means go after violators wherever possible but you can't stop this completely. More flies with honey, blah blah woof woof.  

Songs are legally available for 99 cents on iTunes (and other services). Albums usually retail for $9.99. All one click away. I don't know how much less expensive this could be.


If my songs aren't even worth 99 cents in my own eye, then there is no issue. I'll give them away.


If someone downloads our work for free, even the official "big label" releases, he's not hurting "the industry" - as convenient as it may seem an excuse. He's stealing from US, directly.

If the argument is that he wouldn't pay for it anyway, then, fine - but if it has no value to him, why the heck download it? 

It's like eating in a restaurant and refusing to pay the bill on the pretense that you have food at home and could have filled your stomach in the comfort of your own place.

This too shall Pass? Somebody somewhere thinks you owe them for knowing about music also. They think they can sue you by selling your work in music, because they know how. How do you live with that?

???

I've actually found my stuff being peddled by pirates. Sure it pisses me off but you know what? They aren't making nearly as much money off it as I did... and I really didn't make that much off of it to begin with. 

In the retail/loss prevention world it is referred to as "shrinkage". 

What? I just got out the pool!

;-)

deleted

Beepster


Yeah, much like everything these days everything has to be completely polarized. There is no nuanced answers to complex problems. You are either with us or against us. There will be gnashing of teeth, raised blood pressures and split lips. Debate and public policy must be a bloodsport. The starving masses will not be pleased without their bread and circus. If you are against piracy the perpetrators must be shot. If you are for piracy every copyright everywhere must be abolished and no one is allowed to make even the tiniest profit or even break even for their life's work.

It's saddening really.

I couldn't agree with you more.
 

@rain... Amazon is a spectacular example of how to do it right. That is why they are so profitable. That is the way the music industry needs to expand to secure their fate. They seem to be catching on but it is still a long way off.

I mentioned the embedded reg code info that Platinum Samples employs. That would be a good way to cut down on the uploaders to stop it dead in it's tracks. Maybe even some kind of beacon software so if something gets publicly uploaded the company can file their DMCA stuff almost immediately. 

We aren't going to be able to stop them all so there needs to be some creativity employed to curb it and a certain level of acceptance that you just won't be able to stop it all. Also there are far worse crimes in the world that need the attention of our strained justice system right now. You have to consider the larger picture of the detriment the current approach is having on society and tax revenues. They ain't court fees for this stuff and many of the cases brought forth are frivolous. That is the fault of the lawyers mostly though. They throw whatever they can at the wall and see what sticks. That costs everyone far more money in the long run.

I hope you guys don't take offense to my views on this. I just have far too much time alone to ponder such silliness and this particular subject hits close to home. I've been taken advantage of enough times by both sides of this coin (parasitic industry folks and parasitic fans). I've never seen anything close to a proper return on my art unless I've completely taken the initiative and controlled my own fate. I may never be rich because of the way I intend to operate but I'll also not have to deal with being disappointed by fast talkers who promise the world or go gray trying to chase down deadbeats who just want to listen to my tunes.

It is quite possible I'm an idiot... but hey, I'm too old and crusty to give a crap these days. I just wanna make as much music as I can before I die.

Peace.