To download instead of buying?

[muggglewump]

OK so I'm not really looking for an answer, I just thought it would get more replies in here than in chat.
I'm genuinely interested in why people buy Games/DVD's/CD's/pay for Sky when they have them all online for free?

Is it a moral thing or do you like to have whatever it is boxed and new?

Lorem put my point across majorly better than I managed to!

Part of the answer to your question is, it's illegal. (ds1 did actually buy an R4, then afterwards we agonised as we realised it was illegal. Since then he has lost it, and it won't be replaced.)

But for those things that are available legally, for me often it is about convenience. We buy quite a lot of DVDs, and we and the boys enjoy watching them. Now, when the new Dr Who series comes on I could get my act together and record each programme on to my HD, then when it's all sorted, burn it onto a DVD. Buy a DVD box to put it in and label it. If I was particularly anal I might print off a picture to go on the box to make an attractive label. Quite frankly I can't be bothered to do this stuff, and have other things I would rather spend my life doing! So we watch it when it's on, or record it if we're out; then buy the DVD when it comes out.

"If everyone moved to free downloads, who would keep producing new stuff?"

Perhaps, if a sufficient number of people moved to these downloads, industry executives would be moved to scrap this archaic system of movie theaters >> cable tv >> tv >> dvd (a year later) and hopefully wake up to the digital age where packaging & selling DVDs is obsolete and movies/tv series etc are available online literally hours after their first screening.

Like what happened with music & iTunes.

By the way, iTunes already sells quite a few TV series (past seasons) for downloads, so the technology is there.

We run a sales, marketing and distribution function for record labels.

A lot of our digital only labels are small and barely tend to break even when you compare the cost of studio time and mastering tracks with the income generated from it.

Before you go illegally downloading tracks please remember the time and money producers put into making new tracks for YOU to listen to and enjoy. It only costs a couple of quid to download it.

I wasn't surprised to find out that the majority of those who downloaded Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' did it for free. Ok they made more money from it than they did from when they were with EMI but still, it wouldn't have hurt for everyone to part with 50p of their hard-earned to listen to the new album their fave band took 3 years to make.

Makes me

Re: physical product - people still like buying CDs because they might have collectable artwork, might like reading inlay etc. The sound quality tends to be better on CDs than downloads too.

lotuseener - Illegally downloading IS really bad.

It is just the same as walking into HMV, picking up a bunch of CDs and walking out again. Would you consider doing this?

It's so sad that people don't consider illegal downloading a crime.

It shows at best, ignorance, and at worst, contempt, for the artists,producers and technicians who work, often over years, to create a show,image, album etc

I don't think it's morally ok to download something i wouldn't have bought anyway, as i would still be consuming the work.

Why do people place so little importance on the arts and media and continue to devalue the very thing that makes life bearable for many?

Rant over

If you download material illegally you are a bit of a tit really.
Most if not all broadband providers have a clause in your contract which states that if you are found to be downloading illegal material your contract will be terminated, other providers will probably bar you from having a service and you will be prosectuted.If you are prosecuted you will likely end up with a large fine.

Just because it hasn't hapened to you yet doesn't mean that it won't.

Agree with what eggnoggins said as well.

I downloads lots of movies and music. Have done so for years, as have most of my friends in family. I've never met anyone who has ben caught. I have never had any "crap" appear on my desktop, its not that hard to be careful, use reputable sites etc.

On the moral side, I live below minimum wage as a single parent, I would never have bought the dvd/cd, they would never have made money from me, for the forseeable future they will not be making any money out of me.
So regardkess of whether I download or not, their profits are not going to change.

As for the argument "but if everyone did it"...well thats just not going to happen. as seen by this thread, most people dont agree with it, (or are afraid of getting caught, or dont know how to use a torrent site).

oh god, how do I edit that post typed too fast...please ignore all spelling and grammer

Squodgit, yeah it is really bad. I suppose it's right up there with armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape and murder.
No, I wouldn't go into HMV and shoplift and I don't illegally download because I wouldn't have the first clue how to do it.I've got a substantial music library on ITunes all paid for at .79 p a song.
I just think it is shocking that someone's citizenship can be revoked for downloading a few songs.

KnickKnack - so the fact you cannot afford it means it is ok to steal then?

If you cannot afford it then YOU SHOULD SAVE UP FOR IT! It isn't there for you to use and abuse as and when you need it. Go to the library or something and rent them for free if you can't afford to buy them outright.

Many of our artists and our own business are in shit street after our distributor went into administration last week due to a downturn in physical sales/increase in digital sales/no control over illegal downloading. We were owed several thousand pounds, our labels were too and some may fold.

We cannot afford much of a Christmas now. Doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to go and steal all my Christmas presents does it!!!

I'm sorry but my mum was a single mum with 3 kids and she never stole anything.

Your argument is a load of shit. PAY UP!

lotuseener - the attitude that it is 'just a few songs' that expat could casually download means that you think it isn't THAT bad. It is. A citizenship is given to those that are seen to be good citizens. Good citizens do not steal.

I spend a lot of time trawling sites where our artists work is available to download for free and it could be someone's full time job. I have to threaten the sites that host it with legal action so they take it down.

Recently one of our artists found out that he had sold 4000 copies of something...3000 of those were illegally downloaded so he only got paid his percentage of the 1000 downloads that were paid for.

Something needs to be done to stop the thieves.

You can find out how many have been illegally downloaded as some blogs/sites have counters on them.

CoteDAzur, I'm all for buying downloads. Resisting the change to digital formats was a mistake for the music industry, and taking so long to get it right is an issue in film and tv.

I'm just opposed to 'free' downloads. If someone makes their work available for no cost, then it's a genuinely free download. If you search for a pirate copy of a copyrighted work to download without paying then it's not free, it's ripped off.

We buy because stealing is immoral.

this is why you shouldn't do it! You wouldn't shoot a policeman, go to the toilet in his hat etc etc

What I was trying to say that it is the film industry's fault that so many otherwise honest people are downloading their products for free.

If they sold these movies & tv series online, vast majority of downloaders would buy them. Which is what happened to music downloading after iTunes and similar services.

muggglewump I use to download movies where can I download games?

I don't know if I download illegally as I pay a membership fee but can get all the new films at the cinema

i dont think all stealing is immoral, i certainly think there is a difference between stealing from doris the lady who drops £20

and downloading big bucks films.

i canb't feel guilty about that.

i think that coted'azure was right when she said - make it available and we will download it.

we download and watch series.

so we rather like dexter, chuck, medium ( come back) and i assume that by downloading we are somehow eluding advertizers that would have paid the studios for out custom?

so make it available for download.

i watch itv catch up - x factor - nothing else -a nd i have to watch the adverts to watch the programme.

i watch 4OD where you can download films - that have been out for feckin ages for feckin 3.99 cheeky fecks. they can kiss my arse.

however if we like something we buy it - if we become big fans of something - like dh is a big fan of stargate he wants the dvds

music - is easily downloaded, but if music is important to you as something more than back ground - then a rip - off cd that dh can burn is pants.

i went to buy a cd only 2 weeks ago - now erm, considering an HMV opened in out town at last.

A friend of mine is in a group whose latest album came out on a large independent label in the summer. He hoped it was going to be the one that took him from living in a grotty flat with three other people to having his own place with his girlfriend. It got rave reviews from the music press and newspapers both here and in the US. The album leaked a couple of weeks before its release.
The consequences of this were:
a) Estimated decline in sales of 30,000-40,000 worldwide. That's around £400,000 in lost revenue (for retailers; label; publishers; and band)
b) Label had to scrap its first pressing of CDs, and repress with extra tracks (which weren't on the leak) to provide some incentive for buyers who had downloaded. This cost the label money.
c) Because the extra tracks went on the album, there are now no new tracks for single B-sides, meaning the sales of the singles are now down, too.
My friend being an awful lot less flush than he had hoped to be six months later.
If you think llegally downloading music has no effect and is a victimless crime, then come and talk to my friend and his bandmates. They feel they got mugged this summer.

I suppose I find it hard to see it as stealing in the same way as shoplifting. Isn't it a bit like when I was young and we'd all borrow one copy of a record/tape and tape it instead of buying, or taping the charts instead of buying the single?
Similarly when my brother hooked our videos together and made copies of stuff (never to sell btw)
I don't suppose it matters to some of you but everything I've ever downloaded has been a huge thing, not a small independent band/film and we're talking maybe three hours worth a week for my own use.

I'm also still not sure who I'm stealing from when I get a TV show from the US when it will be shown here a couple of weeks later?
I'm sure I read somewhere that if you owned it legally you were then free to download as many copies as you liked or is that rubbish?

Is everyone here aware that Radiohead "leaked" their latest album "In Rainbows" on their website? Download for free and donate what you want.

Some people gave $15, others gave nothing. About 40% paid an average of $6 per downloaded album. Including freeloaders, it averaged out to slightly over $1 per downloaded album, which apparently is higher than what the group gets from the sale of a CD

Full story here in Wired magazine.

wow thats fab cote