I used to always follow the rules, but that all changed when all my belongings and net worth were stolen by greedy financial institutions.  Now I no longer care and will download whatever sounds interesting.  Just last week I downloaded Cuba, but the only parts of value were their cigars and some booze.  Since I haven't really been drinking lately and I've never smoked, I decided not to keep it.

sharke

Serious_Noize!

sharke

Serious_Noize!
I don't download videos or music unless I purchase them.
 
And I think You Tube violates copyrights every day with the shares of music files, no different than the old Napster in my opinion. 
 
Sharing does not equal "Giving away" sometimes, sometimes it means "Listening to or watching only". 
 
Just making a point : "Just because it's on there : It does not mean it isn't copyrighted or it is free and LEGALLY to download or take content from it".......

YouTube has pretty good algorithms for detecting copyrighted material. 

WOW! Are you kidding me? So what someone programs in favor of the company means it's okay, even though it is a complete failure considering all the copyright infringements already on that site? 
 
Sorry but compromising values by breaking the law doesn't make it okay in my world. 
 

You need to take a step back and think of the bigger picture. The ease with which digital files can be duplicated and distributed under the noses of the authorities means that trying to stop people sharing files is basically a lost cause, a bit like the War On Drugs. I doubt whether anyone in the music publishing business is even that worried about it any more. There's barely any market left for physical copies or even digital copies of music. Streaming is where it's at now, and people want access to content across multiple devices. They want to listen at home on their laptop, they want to listen on the train via their phones. Even MP3 downloads are on their way out as a monetary source. People are beginning to realize that maintaining and curating a large collection of audio files is a thing of the past. Companies like Spotify and YouTube have found a way to monetize music again after the digital/online revolution destroyed the market for it. They're doing it through subscription fees and free access with advertising. I very much doubt whether many people are building themselves a vast music collection from downloading YouTube videos. It's just not convenient. They may be downloading the odd video because they like the visuals, or because it's a rare recording or bootleg performance which isn't available anywhere else, but I very much doubt that it's cutting into anyone's profits. Record companies are starting to make quite a chunk of change from YouTube, either from Red subscribers or ads on videos.

No, I don't need to take a step at all. If you are telling people how to download COPYRIGHTED material then it's wrong. Thing is, that's the problem with today's society, everyone wants to make excuses for doing wrong and trying to build a utopia society over the internet. COPYRIGHTS should be respected, people pay money for those such as myself and someone posting my stuff online and allowing it to be downloaded without my permission stealing opportunity from me, along with other is NOT OKAY or should not be ACCEPTABLE. It's stealing regardless of how you want to define it. IF IT IS NOT YOURS THEN YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO ANYTHING WITH IT......
 
When a person compromises their values and take what is not theirs from others , they become a criminal, plain and simple. 
 
Either way, that is NOT JUST MY OPINION - IT IS A FACT........ 
 

sharke
 
I very much doubt whether many people are building themselves a vast music collection from downloading YouTube videos. It's just not convenient. They may be downloading the odd video because they like the visuals, or because it's a rare recording or bootleg performance which isn't available anywhere else, but I very much doubt that it's cutting into anyone's profits. Record companies are starting to make quite a chunk of change from YouTube, either from Red subscribers or ads on videos.

Exactly.
 
From personal experience, I'd even take it a step further James. Call me old school, but I like having my music on 'physical' media - CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays - and I've ended up buying a hell of a lot of music in these formats simply because I've listened to tracks on sites like Grooveshark or (the free version of) Spotify, or watched music videos on YouTube.
 
To me, I see these websites as the modern day equivalent of the old-style listening booths in record shops where you could preview part of an LP before deciding to buy it or not.
 
I'm sure record companies know exactly what they're doing in this respect by appearing to 'look the other way' to copyright infringements.

I've done exactly the same - back in the day I was a Soulseek user and I would find and download a ton of new and interesting stuff on there from browsing other users' folders. Those tracks would go into my listening rotation and I would either decide I didn't like them or if I liked them I would order the CD online. I have loads of CD's that I would never have otherwise bought if I hadn't happened across the artist on Soulseek. I thought of it as "trialing" the tracks.

As for YouTube, well, if you're unhappy with your copyrighted material being up there then you can make a request to YouTube and they will find and detect any uploads of it, including future uploads. If anyone tries to upload the track in future they are informed that it's a copyright infringement and the audio of your video will be muted. If you have material you would like to protect the copyright of then the onus is on you to inform YouTube. I have no problem with that whatsoever, Noize! you need to calm down.