Minnesota Mom Hit With $1.5 Million Fine for Downloading 24 Songs

[VaporTrail]

Found a fun article. Not a big fan of Kid Rock, but much respect to him for this...

 

The digital music revolution has been compromised, according to Kid Rock, because digital music stores and record labels still manage to hoard the lion’s share of music revenue.

 

He advises fans to download his music for free from P2P services, although he himself doesn’t have to. "I don’t steal things," he told the BBC. "I’m rich." As for everyone else, he says, "Download it illegally, I don’t care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live."

Rock’s tirade was apparently precipitated by a request from his record label, Warner Music Group’s Atlantic Records, that he publicly denounce file sharing. His response: "Wait a second, you’ve been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?" Ouch.

 

It seems there’s no one way that artists are responding to the opportunities and challenges presented by the internet. It’s official now: They’re all over the map when it comes to downloads, DRM, file sharing and the rest of it, no longer offering the same rationales for completely different conclusions.

 

"ITunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don’t give it to the artists," added the country rock rapper.

Instead, he says, the internet offers a "great opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money."

[Bodogjoe]

I download Torrents ALL the time. Beats paying 14 dollars at the theatre. Theres a good doc about the whole torrent and file sharing thing called "Steal this film" - Just google it and there should be a link for it to youtube.

[ballpeen]

Well yes the penalties do seem outrageous.

And the crime doesn't shock us.

But it is stealing as much as if you stole a TV or a car.

WSS

 

 

 

 

I agree....and how many did she share with???

 

 

 

She could have paid $24 for the songs....

 

[Speedyd900rr]

This reminds me of an episode of South Park called Christian Hard Rock. Because the kids downloaded music over the internet the drummer from Metallica couldn't afford his gold plated bar and Master P couldnt buy his son an island. Even Britney Spears had to sell her golf stream 4 airplane and go back to a golf stream 3 and it doesnt even have a remote for the surround sound tv.

 

Life must be hard for them.

 

 

Good thing they're are real artist's such as Pennywise who decided to let everyone download there new album over the internet for free before it went to the stores.

 

You would think any real artist would be more worried about everyone seeing they're work before anything but we have alot of paper chasers out there this day and age. I can understand why they would do it but to already be filthy rich and complain about people who make $30,000 a year that download your art work for free is pretty lame.

[ballpeen]

This reminds me of an episode of South Park called Christian Hard Rock. Because the kids downloaded music over the internet the drummer from Metallica couldn't afford his gold plated bar and Master P couldnt buy his son an island. Even Britney Spears had to sell her golf stream 4 airplane and go back to a golf stream 3 and it doesnt even have a remote for the surround sound tv.

 

Life must be hard for them.

 

 

Good thing they're are real artist's such as Pennywise who decided to let everyone download there new album over the internet for free before it went to the stores.

 

You would think any real artist would be more worried about everyone seeing they're work before anything but we have alot of paper chasers out there this day and age. I can understand why they would do it but to already be filthy rich and complain about people who make $30,000 a year that download your art work for free is pretty lame.

 

 

 

How is it lame??

 

Is it OK to go in to a store a lift a couple of candy bars??

 

[Speedyd900rr]

How is it lame??

 

Is it OK to go in to a store a lift a couple of candy bars??

 

I could see where you would be going with that IF people were stealing the cd's that the artist paid for from stores but they're not so it doesn't make sense.

 

That's like saying we should fine kids for trick or treating because someone else bought the bag of candy but gave it to the kids who didn't pay for it.

 

Lets say that you walk by some guy that makes money from giving away candy bars and he gives you some for free then snickers decideds to sue you rather then the guy who made money from giving it to you. That is what I call lame, is it not?

 

These artist shouldn't be going after the people who download they're music. They should go after the companies that make money by letting people download they're music for free.

 

Maybe rather then sue people they should actually be creative like a real artist and offer stuff to people who buy they're cd's. You know, reward the people who are willing to pay $19.99 for that cd that costs 20 cents to make. They could put anything from stickers, posters, or even copied autograph pictures in the cd case to encourage people to buy them but they dont.

 

 

[ballpeen]

Bottom line is the .99 cents you don't pay for the song is money that doesn't go to the artist.

 

Any way you want to try to justify it, it is stealing.

 

 

Yeah, I know, .99 cents. No big deal until you start talking about a few hundred, or few hundred thousand downloads.

[calfoxwc]

So, if I share a great big box of chocolates at a party, instead of making them all buy their own,

 

that's stealing?

 

Or, if I play music at a party, or lend/give/sell my album to a friend, that's stealing?

 

As in, that deprived the album producer/etc. of continued sales?

 

Well?

[Westside Steve]

So, if I share a great big box of chocolates at a party, instead of making them all buy their own,

 

that's stealing?

 

Or, if I play music at a party, or lend/give/sell my album to a friend, that's stealing?

 

As in, that deprived the album producer/etc. of continued sales?

 

Well?

 

 

Cal an artist sells copies of his songs.

That's how he earns a living.

 

It's really just that simple.

I understand many don't think it's a big deal to steal it and want to justify their stealing but it is what it is.

 

And it's technically against the law to play that music or show that movie at a party or in a bar if you're charging people to see it.

But that's a different matter.

You feel the same way about pirated software?

Photoshop is an expensive program that took years to write.

Is it ok to make copies for your business?

WSS

[calfoxwc]

Ah, the profit to the stealer is illegal, and I'm not defending that.

 

If a person provides copies of music for sale, they are involved in criminal activity, Steve.

 

but sharing music? It is a bit of a problem - playing music at a party, and charging

 

people to attend to hear it.

 

Kinda like ? using a cut and pasted exerpt from a non-copyrighted web page, with

 

references to the author intact, to explain a point, without just providing a link.

 

But, use that same material, and put it in a book, is probably illegal. I think...

 

Anyways, I didn't really think it was -okay-, but I thought it was ludicrous

 

to fine the person that MUCH. Why not just fine somebody twenty billion dollars for jaywalking

 

while charging a little old lady a dollar to carry her heavy packages across the street?

 

The music is copyrighted, which, like a book, cannot be reproduced without permission.

 

And while a book can be sold, given away... it involves that one book.

 

Now, I can see where the electronic copying is just like reprinting the book.

 

But the fine is completely without merit here, imho...

[calfoxwc]

Well, btw, pirated software at a business, is stealing.

 

Making a copy for your own use to protect the original CD is not.

 

But fining a little company a million bucks for using a CD of

 

Windows on one other computer doesn't fit the crime.

[Westside Steve]

Well, btw, pirated software at a business, is stealing.

 

Making a copy for your own use to protect the original CD is not.

 

But fining a little company a million bucks for using a CD of

 

Windows on one other computer doesn't fit the crime.

 

 

And that's the only valid point.

If I shoplift say 15 CDs or a 200$ iPod from a store what would my sentence be?

 

 

And it isn't sharing to give someone a copy.

It's sharing to let your buddy borrow your copy or listen with you.

And noi one gets arrested for making backup copies.

Matter of fact iTunes lets you make up to 6.

 

 

 

Personally I don't give copies to friends.

If I like a CD well enough to make it a gift I buy one.

Hey why wouldn't I want that artist to be a success? Then he'll get to make more records.

WSS

[calfoxwc]

I do that with Brad Paisley, you know. I buy all his albums, and I buy em to give as presents.

 

I'd give you one of my BP cd's if you ever take time off from being a rock/folk star long enough to come

 

visit the farm. GGG

 

I got yer point a good while ago, Steve. I'm just freakin ornery.

[Speedyd900rr]

 

 

And it's technically against the law to play that music or show that movie at a party or in a bar if you're charging people to see it.

WSS

 

 

So if I walk into a bar and put a dollar in the juke box then it's illegal? The bars charging me to hear the song I want and im pretty sure they're not giving that dollar to the artist.

[Westside Steve]

So if I walk into a bar and put a dollar in the juke box then it's illegal? The bars charging me to hear the song I want and im pretty sure they're not giving that dollar to the artist.

Dumkopf, jukebox companies pay the publishing royalties.

And the venues pay ASCAP or BMI.

WSS