Poll: Downloading, the destruction of what we love or the next step?

[MaraN88]

First of, downloading copyrighted material is not illegal but uploading it is (at least were I live). I just want to discuss downloading here and it's effects on the film, music and game industries and not the illegal side of it.

Downloading have been a big topic in my country for a while now but I've had nowhere to acctually discuss it because media gives it's one speech about it over and over again without checking their facts and without me, a not convinced overrun small person, to be able awnser them back except in angry e-mails which i assume never get read. So I thought i'd bring up the subject here.

My view on the subject has alwayse been that I don't think hollywood is loosing as much money on downloading as they say they are. Hollywood have been "loosing" money ever since televisions started appering in the private citizens home and i'm sure downloading adds to this but not on the scale i've heard from hollywood. The number i'v heard from them are 3.6 billion dollars a year (i'm sure there are lots of numbers floating around but this is what I heard from their "do not download" video a few years back). I'm pretty sure that they came to this number by counitng all downloads as sales. I don't know how many of you are familliar with downloading but i've downloaded a lot of things that i would never have bought(and wise versa). For example I downloaded Alien vs Predator when it came. I still went to the theater and the total amount of money I spent on movies that year was average for me. I would proboably not have seen Alien vs Preadator if I hadn't downloaded it and i'm sure some one els made a different call and went to se Alien vs Predator while downloading the godfather or whatever. In this hypothetical case hollywood didn't loose any money and I do belive this happens alot.

I believe artists get can get a lot of good PR from putting their cd's on their webbpages and still make obscene amounts of money on their concerts and I do believe that downloading is "the next step" and that hollywood have to start adapting. What do you think?

 

[Duckslayer]

I personally don't download games (except those 7+ years old, hard to find), cause I think the gaming industry needs to go in a certain direction (mainly away from movie-based games, who sell for ridiculous amounts of money anyway). I do however, watch shows and movies online. I don't think it hurts the industry much though, I still go to the movies and I pay for my cable. As for music, I think they make enough on live shows. Just my opinion.

 

[Suiseiseki]

Summary of my thoughts on copyright:
Do what you want because a pirate is free, you are a pirate!

 

[fastforward]

I download almost all my music, except in the rare occasions when I really respect/like the artist, then I actually go out and buy the CD. I think the industry is definitely changing because of all the pirating going on, a prime example being the recent radiohead album. The name your own price for download was brilliant, and they actually made about 8$ per a download, which is respectable and something even I would be able to pay(read poor college student). Already you can access most prime time shows on their networks website. The industry is adjusting to us, and its exciting to watch.
I dont think we're hurting them at all, just forcing them to catch up with the consumer.

 

[Katana314]

Topic should be renamed to "PIRATING". "Downloading", itself, is completely legal and doesn't pertain to stealing material in any way.

Yeah, the complaints of Infinity Ward recently might have been a wake-up call to how much pirating is killing the PC gaming area. I just hope pirates start to become lenient. I've always heard that excuse "If I like the game, I'll buy it." Bullshit. Play the demo. If you like the demo, BUY IT. If you don't like the game enough that you would never pay for it, then DON'T PIRATE IT EITHER. Simple as that.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Do what you want! Internet Anarchy! (Regarding Video, Game and Audio content)
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=iAQZ_uui1SY [[Do What You Want]]

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

...Umm, why resurrect a thread when you don't even contribute to it?

OT: I think there are times where downloading can be good. Matt Stone and Trey Parker (Creators of South Park) have noted that the more an episode gets torrented, the more people buy it on iTunes or become long-term fans. And in the case of games, it can be good for demoing purposes or to test the hardware, which can lead to sales provided that the downloader is honest.

 

[Cinnonym]

This is a pretty hot topic, I'm surprised there aren't more opinions in this thread.

 

[BonsaiK]

First of, downloading copyrighted material is not illegal but uploading it is (at least were I live). I just want to discuss downloading here and it's effects on the film, music and game industries and not the illegal side of it.

Downloading have been a big topic in my country for a while now but I've had nowhere to acctually discuss it because media gives it's one speech about it over and over again without checking their facts and without me, a not convinced overrun small person, to be able awnser them back except in angry e-mails which i assume never get read. So I thought i'd bring up the subject here.

My view on the subject has alwayse been that I don't think hollywood is loosing as much money on downloading as they say they are. Hollywood have been "loosing" money ever since televisions started appering in the private citizens home and i'm sure downloading adds to this but not on the scale i've heard from hollywood. The number i'v heard from them are 3.6 billion dollars a year (i'm sure there are lots of numbers floating around but this is what I heard from their "do not download" video a few years back). I'm pretty sure that they came to this number by counitng all downloads as sales. I don't know how many of you are familliar with downloading but i've downloaded a lot of things that i would never have bought(and wise versa). For example I downloaded Alien vs Predator when it came. I still went to the theater and the total amount of money I spent on movies that year was average for me. I would proboably not have seen Alien vs Preadator if I hadn't downloaded it and i'm sure some one els made a different call and went to se Alien vs Predator while downloading the godfather or whatever. In this hypothetical case hollywood didn't loose any money and I do belive this happens alot.

I believe artists get can get a lot of good PR from putting their cd's on their webbpages and still make obscene amounts of money on their concerts and I do believe that downloading is "the next step" and that hollywood have to start adapting. What do you think?

For someone like me in the music industry, downloading is a pain in the ass. It's almost impossible for me to rip off gullible artists now when there are all these other rip-off merchants stealing their... I mean my money before I can get my hands on it.

Seriously though, in my experience, people will pay for what they really want almost as a moral duty. In a capitalist society, purchasing replaces voting. It's the biggest power in society that you actually have. If you like something you put your money down and tell your friends to do the same and that then enables more of that stuff to be made. If you don't like something, you don't buy it and you spread the word that it sucks, and then eventually they can't sell it anymore.

 

[Thamous]

I don't understand why people think they have some kind of strange right to just take whatever they please. If somebody made a product your not "entitled" to having it so you should have to pay for it unless its given to you. So, yes, I think pirating is very wrong.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Depends on why people download. The most common use is just to get it for free these days, which really does suck.

Then again, torrenting does put companies like EA in their place. Well, for the most part...

 

[Doitpow]

Old school corporations will cling to their copyrights until the illogical logic of piracy smothers them...then they will choke and die. And nothing of value was lost.

 

[Doitpow]

My opinion on this is rather set in stone, you download illegally uploaded material, your scum.

can i ask why?

 

[Doitpow]

My opinion on this is rather set in stone, you download illegally uploaded material, your scum.

can i ask why?

They are criminals and leachs on society. They provide nothing, take things for nothing. If you think they are not leaches demand your work not pay you next time you get a paycheck, or when someone robs you just say "they didnt want to pay for it, its cool"

But they remove nothing...By watching an illegal show they harm precisely no-one. It's like taking a photo of your car and you saying i stole it. I have an imperfect copy and you have lost nothing.

 

[Quad08]

I only download when I miss a tv show, then i download that episode, watch it and delete it