In the past year, downloading music off of the Internet illegally has continued to be at the forefront of technology-related issues. It is not a bit surprising as songs and albums continue to abound online, and a lot of people will not stop downloading as long as there is something to get. It seems to me that the music execs and government watchdogs have been running around in circles trying to solve this problem.
Jamie Cullum, a jazz-pop sensation from the UK shares the same sentiments. In a recent interview, he admitted to downloading music illegally. He said that he would oftentimes use P2P sharing when he cannot immediately get his hands on an album. He added, though, that he would still buy the album when it came out, or when he found it.
While the idea of illegal downloading doesn’t sit well with me, I understand his point of view. There are times when you just want to listen to the music and release dates and other matters like that make it impossible to do so immediately. That’s when P2P comes in handy. And it’s not like you are taking revenue away from the musicians and the record labels – not if you buy the album anyway, right?
The problem is that not everyone will do this. Many people would probably stop at downloading illegally and not obtain the album legally afterwards. Jamie Cullum thinks that the solution is to come up with services “so sophisticated and so comprehensive that people don’t need to download stuff¬ for free.”
I agree. Now how do we do that?
Tags: illegal downloading, Jamie Cullum, P2P
Categories: Music, Random Thoughts
The non-profit group’s aim is to promote awareness of the real issue behind the music piracy scene. There are many similar organizations that do the same and their voice is the same, stop piracy and the trade of illegal music which is booming into a major problem. Their research shows that there are over 243 million files which were shared over illegal P2P sites impacting those who compose and sing them down to the people who earn their living selling music in the retail stores world-wide. The advent of digital TV and radio contributes to the problem due to the digital format which allows it to be saved onto other digital media for playback later and some end up shared over P2P sites as well.
Of the almost 250 million files that are illegally shared over the internet, a vast majority are music files which are shared without control. The demise of copy protection software which used to be included in audio CD’s themselves has amplified the problem causing more and more people using and sharing them without proper licenses. All works of intellectual bearing are protected by several copyright and intellectual rights management yet they seem to be quite inadequate due to increasing sharing of such. The talent and gifts embodied by songs are not only the livelihood of the millions of artists around the globe but also their way of sharing the beauty of music yet they seldom get their hard earned buck which compared to a street-side performer who gets a dime or so in his hat for every performance they do. They are affected the same way and aim to raise the cause that it is illegal and against the law to do such file sharing.
Not all people prefer to share illegally yet some fall victim to malware which opens their computers leaving them vulnerable to copying by people who take over control without them even knowing it.
Tags: Illegal File Sharing, Malware, P2P, Piracy
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music
The problem why the practice has become so chronic, even with the well advertised penalization of serving 5 years of jail time plus $250,000 in fines is not stopping millions upon millions of people from sharing them over the internet. The problem may be in the internet itself and it can be likened to a water hose that hast several branches what was suddenly punched holes into leading to leakage. The weakness of the internet being so large and with its global reach, enforcement is not an easy task. There are laws and there are convictions in piracy cases yet people just take the risk to get at their favorite music. China, the world’s biggest country with almost a tenth of its population is a very big problem for they have long history of infringing on copyrights and other product designs. The advent of cheap digital Music players didn’t help either for they have spurred many of the younger generation to grab anything they can to stuff their gizmo’s with and use as they go throught the day. Their insatiable need for more drives the P2P piracy trade and it’s getting worse by the minute.
Take the toys industry for example, in a news brief I heard a few months back, you can have a toy fair in China with one stall having a doll with full features one day and tomorrow have all the hundreds of stalls offering the same products. Another incident involved a reputable furniture maker who went there to get supplies only to end up with sub-standard products no one would buy back home.
The root of the problem may be the internet itself and the only way to do that is to totally control it which is almost next to impossible. Most of us don’t feel the urge but the younger generation seems to be inclined on getting what they want when they want it. The world of digital music may not be the same without piracy for to some extent it is driving some to go legal. It may be illegal yet the trade goes on and artists feel robbed of much needed royalties and other benefits they get from their work. So, buy legal and when you do try to download, do it legally. Help support the artists and their work for tomorrow.
Tags: P2P, Piracy, Piracy trade
Categories: Downloading Legally, Mobile Phones, Music, ipods
