las wrote:
>
> I guess the best way to put it is that the majority of people who use Napster
> aren't doing so solley for the purpose of getting totally free music. They
> would be will to pay a modest fee. Don't forget that these downloads are going
> to be of varied quality: CD quality since they are compresssed. So I don't
> think that they are worth paying an excessive amount for.
As an occasional Napster user whose friends are also Napster users, I
disagree.
We do it soley for the purpose of getting totally free music.
I would not be willing to pay a modest fee. My girlfriend has stated
that she wouldn't either. I can't vouch for my friends, but I doubt
they would be willing to pay a modest fee either.
I agree with Dan, Napster is primarily for "stealing" music. That's
what I and everyone I know uses it for. I know that's probably what
99.9% of all Napster users used it for as well.
I don't feel bad about it, because it doesn't really FEEL like
stealing. When I get an MP3, I DUPLICATED it. I didn't actually TAKE
it. The original is still there, right where I left it. Only now I
have a duplicate of it on my machine. I know in the official
definition, the duplication of an intellectual medium is equal to
stealing, but it's difficult for me to associate the words "stealing"
and "theft" with something as intangible like recordable sound. Another
reason I don't feel bad? Obviously I didn't like the rest of the band's
music well enough to buy the CD... perhaps they are a "one hit wonder",
or perhaps they only have one song that is a hit with ME. I'm not going
to waste my money on a $13-15 CD if I only like 4 minutes of it, so I
download it for free. How can I do this guilt-free? Because I was NOT
going to purchase the CD no matter what. I had no intention of ever
purchasing it. Even if MP3's didn't exist, I was not going to buy the
CD anyway. I would have either a) recorded it off the radio, b)
recorded it off a friend's CD, or c) lived without it. So my
downloading one of the band's MP3's doesn't mean they lost ANY potential
profit. Another reason - Digital Audio Tax. I record my MP3's to MD,
and with every blank MD I buy, I've paid a percentage to the Digital
Audio Tax. This tax supposedly goes to the recording industry, so in a
way, I feel like I've ALREADY paid for the right to fill my 74-minute MD
full of any tunes I choose, to the very last minute. Lastly, my number
one reason I can download MP3's guilt-free - most people are downloading
MP3's that are from popular bands (or once popular bands). At least
that's the case with my friends and myself. Most of the time, I'm
downloading Top 40 stuff. When these people can drive around in
$645,000 turbo Bentley's, live in multi-million dollar luxury mansions,
and blow money like it grows on trees, I really don't feel like I'm
taking food out of their mouths when I download the one or two hits that
I actually like. IMO, the entertainment industry is big and bloated as
it is. People who save lives don't make as much money in their lifetime
compared to some of the most popular "artists" and big shots in the
music industry. Take a look at some of the music bigshots today...
Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, N-sync... do you see any of them
starving because of Napster? Hell no! They're making more money than
ever. I'll bet they make more money individually than what goes into
heart disease and cancer research... and which would be more beneficial
to mankind? Hmmmm. Chances are, the music bigshots make more money in
a day than any one of the Napster users will make in his/her lifetime.
These popular groups are obviously doing well despite the fact that
millions of computer users have downloaded their songs and probably will
till Napster shuts down for good.
Actually, I hardly ever use Napster as I don't really care for a lot of
the Top 40 stuff out there. However, my friends use Napster religously,
and I have absolutely no problem with it.
Everyone is putting in their 2 cents, so this was just my honest
opinion. Feel free to flame away!
--
Shawn Lin
http://www2.cybercities.com/g/gmwbodycars/
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