Woman fined $1.9 million for illegal downloads

[lady_space]

So has my wife. But it's not a permanent thing. The dealership knows who you are and can come after you should you try to steal the car. They have a copy of your driver's license, and usually keep the car that you drove to the dealership as collateral.

I didn't drive a car to the dealership. But that is really not here or there. The point is... for the *people on this forum* (who are the only ones reading this thread) downloading an album for free is not really a permanent thing either... generally speaking of course.

Plus, doesn't anyone else think it's incredibly rude to admit to an artist that you illegally obtained a copy of their music?

lol, the first time I met Urban I told him a friend had burned some Tad Morose for me...

They put their blood, sweat and tears into it, and you're flat out telling them that you're too lazy to appreciate that by giving them $10-$15?

Wow... more like $1... maybe.

It's their creation - they should have the right to control how a person can obtain it.

Wow again... not that I'm an expert, but you don't know how the industry generally works, do you? Most artists sign over complete and utter control in the hopes that they will "make it big" (of course they will still make no money probably ). If Band A won't take the crappy deal, Bands B-Z will.

Shaye

 

[General Zod]

To Shaye's point, the biggest impact (of illegal downloads) to the artist is the amount of promotion and tour support the labels are willing to put behind them. The better the sales, the more dollars a label will put into promoting a disc or financing a tour. Regardless, by and large, anything the artists see from the label, from album sales, is gravy. If you're under the impression the artists we listen to have significant residual checks rolling in, you're mistaken. In a perfect world, all the artists we listen to would be able to live a nice life financially, based solely on their music. Unfortunately, very, very few ever will.

Zod

 

[adaher]

If the record companies really want to put a damper on piracy, they should quit distributing promos. Those are the things that not only get posted on torrent sites, but also sold to ebayers even though they are not for resale.

Now of course once the album is out it will end up on a torrent site, but for the people that just must have it on day 1, they will buy it where before they might have downloaded the promo.

Since the practice of issuing promos continues, I can only assume that the record companies believe the publicity more than makes up for the piracy and illegal resales.

I can't tell you how many promo CDs I own that I actually paid for. I got ripped off and the artist got ripped off. Cuz even though I didn't get all that I paid for, I end up settling for what I have. And it really sucked on the Masterplan album, because that one has no seperation between tracks. I can't skip around.

 

[Dustin]

If the record companies really want to put a damper on piracy, they should quit distributing promos. Those are the things that not only get posted on torrent sites, but also sold to ebayers even though they are not for resale.

Now of course once the album is out it will end up on a torrent site, but for the people that just must have it on day 1, they will buy it where before they might have downloaded the promo.

Believe it or not... this is actually something that a few samller lables are starting to practice for the very reason you stated - the real fans will get it on day one. However, the larger labels still will issue advance promo's, but with oddities (albums play as one track, bleeps, narrations, ect.)

I have been told by some of the lables, that they still do promo's early because the major print mags dictate it, and these mags have bluntly told them that if they don't issue a promo of thier acts before the release, they will not cover them. I have no idea how true that is, but it wouldn't suprise me.

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Magazines are starting to fold now. So yeah, hopefully the practice of the promo dies too.

If the record companies really want to put a damper on piracy, they should quit distributing promos. Those are the things that not only get posted on torrent sites, but also sold to ebayers even though they are not for resale.

Now of course once the album is out it will end up on a torrent site, but for the people that just must have it on day 1, they will buy it where before they might have downloaded the promo.

Since the practice of issuing promos continues, I can only assume that the record companies believe the publicity more than makes up for the piracy and illegal resales.

I can't tell you how many promo CDs I own that I actually paid for. I got ripped off and the artist got ripped off. Cuz even though I didn't get all that I paid for, I end up settling for what I have. And it really sucked on the Masterplan album, because that one has no seperation between tracks. I can't skip around.

 

[Pellaz]

Believe it or not... this is actually something that a few samller lables are starting to practice for the very reason you stated - the real fans will get it on day one. However, the larger labels still will issue advance promo's, but with oddities (albums play as one track, bleeps, narrations, ect.)

Another common practice is to release the promo with the songs divided up into really short tracks. That's pretty effective, too, since the CD can still be played as a CD on the air, but is less apt to be successfully distributed via mp3.

I have been told by some of the lables, that they still do promo's early because the major print mags dictate it, and these mags have bluntly told them that if they don't issue a promo of thier acts before the release, they will not cover them. I have no idea how true that is, but it wouldn't suprise me.

Many labels are now resorting to providing high-quality digital downloads of promo tracks on their websites, accessible before the CD release via passcodes or just via the emailed links themselves. The emails are sent only to industry contacts, "Loud Radio" CMJ contacts, etc.

 

[adaher]

Sending promos out with voiceovers is the most common, but that's just a bad idea. Promos usually go out to reviewers and if they have voiceovers the reviewers will often give it a bad rating. I understand wanting to make the promo unattractive to downloaders, but it if it's also unattractive to the people you want to give your album a good review, then it defeats the whole purpose of a promo.

 

[Claus / Intromental]

Sending promos out with voiceovers is the most common, but that's just a bad idea. Promos usually go out to reviewers and if they have voiceovers the reviewers will often give it a bad rating. I understand wanting to make the promo unattractive to downloaders, but it if it's also unattractive to the people you want to give your album a good review, then it defeats the whole purpose of a promo.

If a "journalist" isn't capable of judging the music even with voice-overs, then he/she is not a real journalist!!! It's a crappy excuse saying "I can't judge it because there are voice-overs every second minute" ... Dude, the music is still there, concentrate on that, will ya?! I'm sick and tired of wanna-be-journalists trying to dictate the music business, only to see half of them sharing our hard-paid-for-by-blood-sweat-tears-money albums with everyone they know. It makes me sick!

c.

 

[Claus / Intromental]

Many labels are now resorting to providing high-quality digital downloads of promo tracks on their websites, accessible before the CD release via passcodes or just via the emailed links themselves. The emails are sent only to industry contacts, "Loud Radio" CMJ contacts, etc.

Correct! I believe this to be a good way of doing it. We do need the promotion to be timed with release date - we need the mags/zines to do their write-up on the album at the same time it's released, and we need the radios to play the songs at that specific time - thus, we're depending on the promos to be mailed out / or up for media-download prior to release date. First week sales are way more important than most people think - it determines the amount of promotion money the label will invest in the album after 1st initial promo campaign, it determines how many copies the distributors will order in the future, it determines if the label will invest in tour support, etc.

c.

 

[J-Man]

Believe it or not... this is actually something that a few samller lables are starting to practice for the very reason you stated - the real fans will get it on day one. However, the larger labels still will issue advance promo's, but with oddities (albums play as one track, bleeps, narrations, ect.)

I have been told by some of the lables, that they still do promo's early because the major print mags dictate it, and these mags have bluntly told them that if they don't issue a promo of thier acts before the release, they will not cover them. I have no idea how true that is, but it wouldn't suprise me.

I will find out soon enough if this is true or not.

If a "journalist" isn't capable of judging the music even with voice-overs, then he/she is not a real journalist!!! It's a crappy excuse saying "I can't judge it because there are voice-overs every second minute" ... Dude, the music is still there, concentrate on that, will ya?! I'm sick and tired of wanna-be-journalists trying to dictate the music business, only to see half of them sharing our hard-paid-for-by-blood-sweat-tears-money albums with everyone they know. It makes me sick!

c.

Hear! Hear!

Correct! I believe this to be a good way of doing it. We do need the promotion to be timed with release date - we need the mags/zines to do their write-up on the album at the same time it's released, and we need the radios to play the songs at that specific time - thus, we're depending on the promos to be mailed out / or up for media-download prior to release date. First week sales are way more important than most people think - it determines the amount of promotion money the label will invest in the album after 1st initial promo campaign, it determines how many copies the distributors will order in the future, it determines if the label will invest in tour support, etc.

c.

How true, thanks for that insight Claus

 

[General Zod]

If a "journalist" isn't capable of judging the music even with voice-overs, then he/she is not a real journalist!!! It's a crappy excuse saying "I can't judge it because there are voice-overs every second minute" ... Dude, the music is still there, concentrate on that, will ya?! I'm sick and tired of wanna-be-journalists trying to dictate the music business, only to see half of them sharing our hard-paid-for-by-blood-sweat-tears-money albums with everyone they know. It makes me sick!

Agreed. A voice over does not impact your ability to judge the music, it impacts your ability to sell the promo. If I owned a label and a reviewer complained, it would be the last promo they ever received.

Zod

 

[adaher]

I'm sick and tired of wanna-be-journalists trying to dictate the music business, only to see half of them sharing our hard-paid-for-by-blood-sweat-tears-money albums with everyone they know. It makes me sick!

I understand where you're coming from, but I can see it being jarring to a reviewer when they are into a song and then it fades and a voiceover comes in, especially if the voice is a grating one. Couldn't you guys hire Patrick Stewart or Sean Connery?

But once the spell is broken on a kick-ass song, I can just see the reviewers taking 10 points off the score right there.

 

[General Zod]

Cool Article on This Topic

The comments below the article are also good.

Zod

 

[nailz]

I understand where you're coming from, but I can see it being jarring to a reviewer when they are into a song and then it fades and a voiceover comes in, especially if the voice is a grating one. Couldn't you guys hire Patrick Stewart or Sean Connery?

I would buy a CD of Patrick Stewart reading childrens books, just to listen to his sexy voice. It makes me wet.

 

[ICEDEARTHFAN]

I would buy a CD of Patrick Stewart reading childrens books, just to listen to his sexy voice. It makes me wet.

I bet he could make Green Eggs & Ham sound like a porno

 

[nailz]

one I would certainly fap to.

 

[Pellaz]

Agreed. A voice over does not impact your ability to judge the music, it impacts your ability to sell the promo. If I owned a label and a reviewer complained, it would be the last promo they ever received.

Fair enough, but labels -better- expect radio stations and their music directors to complain. Voiceover = not playable.

I would buy a CD of Patrick Stewart reading childrens books, just to listen to his sexy voice. It makes me wet.

Ahem. He's coming to Dragon*Con this year....a mere week before ProgPowerrrr......

I bet he could make Green Eggs & Ham sound like a porno

What, it isn't already?
--Oh, wait, nevermind.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

i agree!
Voice overs=not playable.
Napalm Records sends out a full length cd, but i can only play 3 songs--due to the damn voice overs.
i told the guy at Napalm to basically screw himself if he wanted his music played. now we have to go to a third party download service to get the full.
Bollocks i say!

 

[dcowboys311]

i agree!
Voice overs=not playable.
Napalm Records sends out a full length cd, but i can only play 3 songs--due to the damn voice overs.
i told the guy at Napalm to basically screw himself if he wanted his music played. now we have to go to a third party download service to get the full.
Bollocks i say!

Yeah, but most labels are switching over to the download service now. It's not just Napalm.

Also the dude at Napalm was ridiculously nice! I don't know if he still works there but I doubt it was his doing that the promos had voiceovers. Whenever I do get promos with voiceovers of bands that I like and want to play...I usually d/l them through torrents. Makes it easier for me to promote good bands.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

Yeah, but most labels are switching over to the download service now. It's not just Napalm.

Also the dude at Napalm was ridiculously nice! I don't know if he still works there but I doubt it was his doing that the promos had voiceovers. Whenever I do get promos with voiceovers of bands that I like and want to play...I usually d/l them through torrents. Makes it easier for me to promote good bands.

Wolf isnt there anymore but i agree, he was very nice. i mostly get my downloads from DMDS, i steer clear of torrents