An open letter to the MPAA, RIAA et. al

[GT40FIED]

Consider this an open letter. To whom, you might ask? The RIAA, MPAA, BayTSP (an internet tracking firm), and anyone else hindering the flow of information, protected or not, by way of threats and lawsuits. Here's to you, you money hungry cock-juggling thundercunts.

Let me start by saying one thing right out. Yes, I have, in the past, downloaded what was probably copyrighted material. Hell...I'd do it right now just out of spite. Why? Well...here's a few side notes for the above mentioned parties.

The RIAA - They pretend it's a big mystery that their sales have gone down. Blame Napster. Blame Limewire. How about blaming yourselves, dipshits? While you're busy suing 12 year old girls you're overlooking the key factor facing the music industry at this very moment: 99% of new music SUCKS. Maybe if the shit you were peddling were half way ingestible people would start buying again. Think I'm kidding? Only one way to find out. Also, your marketing schemes sure aren't winning you any brownie points with consumers. When I was a kid I thought paying $11-$13 for a CD was a lot (and those even came in those nifty longboxes that no one else remembers). Now, a little over 10 years later you expect me to pay $19 for a CD? That's not inflation, that's extortion. I happen to find it ironic that just a few years ago the music industry was found guilty of screwing it's customers via a price fixing scheme and now they're crying foul and claiming that those people are screwing them. Sounds like justice, not crime.

The MPAA - I could say a lot about the MPAA that would sound an aweful lot like the RIAA. Remember the last time you went to your friendly local Borders (haha...just kidding...there's no such thing) and you found that great movie that was regulalry priced for $12.99 and it didn't star Pauley Shore? Me neither. You can thank the MPAA for that. Consider this...one can fit roughly 7 hours of video onto one DVD-9 disc, were you so inclined. So...why is it then that I routinely see "special edition" 2 disc sets that contain one disc with a 2 hour movie and a second disc with roughly an hour (maybe) of "bonus" footage (usually worthless bullshit like director's commentary)? Why indeed. Maybe it's because they think I'll feel justified being charged $25 because if one DVD's worth $18, surely 2 are worth at least $36...so by that logic $25 is a bargain. I swear there are people walking around that think that. No...I'm in college...I'm not paying $25 for some "dodeca secret special edition" shit when all I want is the movie. I'm also not paying $7.50 to go sit in an uncomfortable chair with shitty overpriced snacks while my shoes stick to what I hope is spilled soda on the floor. Those folks at the MPAA have some balls, that's for sure.

BayTSP - Don't think I forgot about you guys. For those who don't know, BayTSP is a firm that helps the above listed entities track down and punish regular people like me and you. They're the worst kind of evil because their greed is only made possible by another source of greed. I have personally dealt with BayTSP on at least one occasion by way of a very polite letter informing I had downloaded something that didn't belong to me. It's hard to make yourself a menacing presence when your based on a whole lot of talk and literally NO follow through. Wow...you really taught me a lesson by politely asking me to delete that file and not do that anymore. So much of a lesson that I found firewall software that keeps you from checking up on me...ever. Suck on it. But I digress. It should be pointed out that BayTSP isn't the only firm out there doing this...they're just the highest profile. Their crutch is a 7 or 8 year old law known as the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act). Now...7 or 8 years doesn't sound like a whole pantload of time, but think of how much the internet has changed since '97 or '98. Hell...I was in high school until '98. All we had there was mIRC. Go to hell BayTSP.

I would encourage everyone that reads this to take up arms. Or not...whatever. I'd encourage you all to go out and download at least one thing that doesn't belong to you...but I figure there's more than enough people doing that already. Just remember that the next time you DO decide to use Kazaa or Bittorrent, you're not doing anything wrong. It's all just an eye for an eye.

[Accord Man]

That was a wonderful reflexion!

[ShEaNy]

Well put! *claps*

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Consider this an open letter. To whom, you might ask? The RIAA, MPAA, BayTSP (an internet tracking firm), and anyone else hindering the flow of information, protected or not, by way of threats and lawsuits. Here's to you, you money hungry cock-juggling thundercunts.

hmm... its called economics. and they are just trying to secure their rightfully owned proporty. im not perfect in the whole "not downloading music" but i completely understand why they do what they do. if they didnt have all the money(applies more to movies) then they couldnt progress in the industry bringing us a higher quality(not always better) product. its not the big lables im concerned about, its the little lables who then cant support themselves so they sell to a larger label, then the great no name bands are plasterized and commercialized and forced to write the music the lable wants them to.

i'll keep supporting the bands i like thankyou


edit> oh and for the prices, hate to say it but its because of people downloading shit. if they had the money for every movie/song thats been downloaded we'd still be paying $10 or $15 for a brand new movie.

[JDMFantasy2k]

^^ bullshit. They'd still keep it the same, if not raise it, because people would be buying CD's. Remember, they're going to try to make the biggest profit they can.

In fact the opposite is true. I think that if everyone downloaded eveyything, the there'd be a point where these companies (and artists) would make no money whatsoever and be forced to lower their prices, and then, people would buy in large quantities. Picture it as the wolf vs. the rabbit population from your biology class

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by JDMFantasy2k
^^ bullshit. They'd still keep it the same, if not raise it, because people would be buying CD's. Remember, they're going to try to make the biggest profit they can.

In fact the opposite is true. I think that if everyone downloaded eveyything, the there'd be a point where these companies (and artists) would make no money whatsoever and be forced to lower their prices, and then, people would buy in large quantities. Picture it as the wolf vs. the rabbit population from your biology class

or when everyone starts downloading then bands dont get paid, they get real jobs, stop making music and then we're stuck with what we are now. no good music, only what can be overmarketed to a numb group of people and we're stuck with 30-40 years of kickass music that never will be duplicated.

maybe you missed my point in supporting the bands you like, since you are the fan, you pay the bills. its one thing to not want to buy some cd just cause you want one song from that artist cause its the only thing by them you like. i can see that justified. but if you have nothing but burnt CDs of your favorate band then you are the reason they are going to have to sell out to a major label just to get herd by enough people so they can devote their lives to music instead of having to work 4 jobs to play music all night for the love of it. ive seen it in action so dont tell me its a lie.

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by JDMFantasy2k
Picture it as the wolf vs. the rabbit population from your biology class

those who are strong will eat the little ones, even though they can reproduce faster than you know what to do with? are you saying that big labels are gonna keep buying and killing every attemt at music making a living? i really stretched for that one.

[GT40FIED]

Originally posted by ChrisCantSkate
hmm... its called economics. and they are just trying to secure their rightfully owned proporty. im not perfect in the whole "not downloading music" but i completely understand why they do what they do. if they didnt have all the money(applies more to movies) then they couldnt progress in the industry bringing us a higher quality(not always better) product. its not the big lables im concerned about, its the little lables who then cant support themselves so they sell to a larger label, then the great no name bands are plasterized and commercialized and forced to write the music the lable wants them to.

i'll keep supporting the bands i like thankyou


edit> oh and for the prices, hate to say it but its because of people downloading shit. if they had the money for every movie/song thats been downloaded we'd still be paying $10 or $15 for a brand new movie.

Well...I'll agree with you as far as supporting the bands you like. I always have and will. Even if I've downloaded an entire album, if it's quality I'll go out and buy it out of principle. The funny thing is, it's not these small labels and bands that are making such a fuss. It's all of these assholes with more money than god who typically just want more (Dr. Dre, Metallica, etc.).

However, I do think JDM's onto something. I've worked in retail for...well...a long ass time. Prices have been increasing steadily since before file sharing really came into it's own. Sure, studios will probably tell you that they could offer stuff cheaper if people weren't downloading movies, but that's crap. Why would they reverse the trend that started with the advent of DVDs? Ironically, most of the bigger money making movies will cost the most to buy as a DVD, even though they recovered all of the costs of making the film at the box office (and then some). The bottom line: if you're willing to pay $20, do you really think they'd knock it down to $15? No.

[ChrisCantSkate]

well.. yes prices will never drop, at least not till the next new technology comes out.

i guess i have a semi-warped opinon on this since i dont download music i dont like. but i cant see how someone can complain about someone trying to stop them from downloading music from bands they like... do you(the plural you, not anyone directly) like hurting their sales(dont say it dosnt matter... its like voting, every one counts) and making them less likly to produce more albums of the same quality?

[GT40FIED]

Originally posted by ChrisCantSkate
well.. yes prices will never drop, at least not till the next new technology comes out.

i guess i have a semi-warped opinon on this since i dont download music i dont like. but i cant see how someone can complain about someone trying to stop them from downloading music from bands they like... do you(the plural you, not anyone directly) like hurting their sales(dont say it dosnt matter... its like voting, every one counts) and making them less likly to produce more albums of the same quality?

See....that's not how I operate. If there's a band that I know over the years has consistently made great music, I plan on buying a new album of theirs when it comes out. I'll download a couple of random songs just to make sure it's still the same great band I like making the same music. If it is, I'll say screw the rest of it and just buy the album. I usually, however, download stuff from bands I've never heard of with the hopes I'll like it. I'll download a few random songs and if I like what I hear then I'll probably go for the whole album. If I listen to the album and decide it's something I really want, I'm going to buy it. So, if anything, the RIAA (and likewise these bands and labels) are actually making money from me due to P2P apps since I'm listening to and buying stuff I wouldn't have heard otherwise. Now I know that's not the case with a lot of people...but that's why it pisses me off so much when they try and sue someone like me. I think the RIAA is just pissed because people aren't buying albums for one song anymore only to realize they suck.

On a side note, why isn't there anyone out there nabbing you for downloading porn? I mean really...this shows what a bunch of whiney little pussies the MPAA and RIAA are. Think of the amount of music and non-porn movies downloaded and compare it to porn downloaded. I bet that's like a 1:1000 ratio. And it's not like the bigger porn studios don't have the money to go after you. They're loosing money hand over fist (insert masturbation joke here), yet they're still not whining like a bunch of nancy boys because people share their stuff.

[JDMFantasy2k]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
See....that's not how I operate. If there's a band that I know over the years has consistently made great music, I plan on buying a new album of theirs when it comes out. I'll download a couple of random songs just to make sure it's still the same great band I like making the same music. If it is, I'll say screw the rest of it and just buy the album. I usually, however, download stuff from bands I've never heard of with the hopes I'll like it. I'll download a few random songs and if I like what I hear then I'll probably go for the whole album. If I listen to the album and decide it's something I really want, I'm going to buy it. So, if anything, the RIAA (and likewise these bands and labels) are actually making money from me due to P2P apps since I'm listening to and buying stuff I wouldn't have heard otherwise. Now I know that's not the case with a lot of people...but that's why it pisses me off so much when they try and sue someone like me. I think the RIAA is just pissed because people aren't buying albums for one song anymore only to realize they suck.

On a side note, why isn't there anyone out there nabbing you for downloading porn? I mean really...this shows what a bunch of whiney little pussies the MPAA and RIAA are. Think of the amount of music and non-porn movies downloaded and compare it to porn downloaded. I bet that's like a 1:1000 ratio. And it's not like the bigger porn studios don't have the money to go after you. They're loosing money hand over fist (insert masturbation joke here), yet they're still not whining like a bunch of nancy boys because people share their stuff.

yep, you hit it on the head with that one steve. I think most people use your method. I know if i hear a few good songs, then i go buy an album to support the artist. And good thinking with the porn comment, i hadn't even realized that. There's a multi billion dollar porn industry, and P2P is a premier way to get it all for free, essentially screwing them (pun intended) the same way the labels claim they're getting screwed.

well screw it i'm gonna go download 50 cent's new album and watch some porn.

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
See....that's not how I operate. If there's a band that I know over the years has consistently made great music, I plan on buying a new album of theirs when it comes out. I'll download a couple of random songs just to make sure it's still the same great band I like making the same music. If it is, I'll say screw the rest of it and just buy the album. I usually, however, download stuff from bands I've never heard of with the hopes I'll like it. I'll download a few random songs and if I like what I hear then I'll probably go for the whole album. If I listen to the album and decide it's something I really want, I'm going to buy it. So, if anything, the RIAA (and likewise these bands and labels) are actually making money from me due to P2P apps since I'm listening to and buying stuff I wouldn't have heard otherwise. Now I know that's not the case with a lot of people...but that's why it pisses me off so much when they try and sue someone like me. I think the RIAA is just pissed because people aren't buying albums for one song anymore only to realize they suck.

On a side note, why isn't there anyone out there nabbing you for downloading porn? I mean really...this shows what a bunch of whiney little pussies the MPAA and RIAA are. Think of the amount of music and non-porn movies downloaded and compare it to porn downloaded. I bet that's like a 1:1000 ratio. And it's not like the bigger porn studios don't have the money to go after you. They're loosing money hand over fist (insert masturbation joke here), yet they're still not whining like a bunch of nancy boys because people share their stuff.

ahh, as long as your supporting the bands still. it just really pisses me off when people bitch that they have to pay for music from bands that they really like. it almost makes you not a fan

[pdiggitydogg]

Ok first - Where do you go to see cd's for $19? I get mine for $12 all the time and think anything higher isnt worth it.

Second - Yes, the MPAA can kiss my ass too. I only buy the regular version of movies (thats IF I buy a movie). People always ask why and its for the same exact reason that you stated, steve.

Third - I'd like to DL something right now...but cant think of anything that I really want. There are no new Initial D's to DL over torrent, and no songs that I care about that I don't already have. Guess I cant follow through...damn...

[GT40FIED]

Originally posted by pdiggitydogg
Ok first - Where do you go to see cd's for $19? I get mine for $12 all the time and think anything higher isnt worth it.

Second - Yes, the MPAA can kiss my ass too. I only buy the regular version of movies (thats IF I buy a movie). People always ask why and its for the same exact reason that you stated, steve.

Third - I'd like to DL something right now...but cant think of anything that I really want. There are no new Initial D's to DL over torrent, and no songs that I care about that I don't already have. Guess I cant follow through...damn...

Go check out the Pirate Bay...tons of stuff you'd probably like Pat. Arnel's already hooked.

As for $19 CDs...I see them at work all the time. $18.99 regular price. This used to be a relatively rare thing (a couple of years agom anyway)...but it's happening more and more often. Sure, they start off on sale for less, but then the sales end and it's back to $18.99. Personally, I've never bought a CD that cost that much. It's usually shitty new rap bullshit or crappy pop albums. But they're there...and they're becoming a lot more common.

[CD5Passion]

I agree very much with chris. I download music..of course i do..BUT whena band I like and appreciate comes up with a cd I will buy it without thinking twice due to the fact i respect them

[GT40FIED]

Well on a real level (one the RIAA seems to miss), it's all about trust. If I were selling the music I made, I would actually encourage P2P sharing. That builds a ton of word of mouth advertising. Much like the internet gave success to shitty movies like "The Blair Witch Project", I think it can give good bands a moment in the spotlight. It's the single easiest way to provide word of mouth advertising, which is almost always the most effective. Sure, if bands I like are making new albums, chances are I'm aware of it. But what about all of those bands I've never heard of that might be doing something I'd like? P2P apps might actually give them life. So...in light of that...right here RIAA ....right here.

[CD5Passion]

heh lately I've been downloading alot of music just because no good cds have come out lately
especially all these rock fucks on the radio now a days....they can all stop playing music and it wouldn't bother me the least

[KwikR6]

I download music..yes...but you should also see my CD collection...Here is an example. I have 16 KoRn Cd's 2 DVD's, Family Values...etc etc etc....and I can't download their music to listen to on my computer while I work on homework. Bullshit. I have Metallica's disks...Dr. Dre's albums...what I'm getting at is..If I like the album. I will buy it. I like to sample it first. I have a need to have the CD case and the booklet. I like having that. It's a great collection item for me. Downloading music rocks, becuase anything I don't like. I delete and don't buy the album.

[JDMFantasy2k]

i download all my rap because all those guys have so much money anyway its rediculous and they sure as hell dont need my support. Some songs are decent, but you can just tell that so many of them are untalented.

seems cd's are expensive as shit around here too. Everything in FYE is like 18.99, and some 2 disc trance sets can run up to 21.99. But if it's good, then i'll support it, although it is a little excessive.

[KwikR6]

Originally posted by JDMFantasy2k
i download all my rap because all those guys have so much money anyway its rediculous and they sure as hell dont need my support. Some songs are decent, but you can just tell that so many of them are untalented.

seems cd's are expensive as shit around here too. Everything in FYE is like 18.99, and some 2 disc trance sets can run up to 21.99. But if it's good, then i'll support it, although it is a little excessive.

DIsks here are usually between !4.99 and like 24.99

[MissJDM]

Originally posted by pdiggitydogg
Ok first - Where do you go to see cd's for $19? I get mine for $12 all the time and think anything higher isnt worth it.

Second - Yes, the MPAA can kiss my ass too. I only buy the regular version of movies (thats IF I buy a movie). People always ask why and its for the same exact reason that you stated, steve.

Third - I'd like to DL something right now...but cant think of anything that I really want. There are no new Initial D's to DL over torrent, and no songs that I care about that I don't already have. Guess I cant follow through...damn...

Which was the last Initial D you downloaded?

Oh, and download the movie.."The Notebook." It's cute and when you DO find it..send it to Steve.

[Mischief]

don't download the notebook, your brain will fall out :( and how much of intial d is there? I have up to act 4

[MissJDM]

I'm up to fourth stage, episode 11.

[ShEaNy]

I have just as many burnt (mixee) CDs as bought ones...but the last CD i bought was about 4 years ago.... christ im a college student..i cant afford shit(literally)...GO D/ling!!!....if i was making the dough id buy every damn cd a certain group/artist i like has to offer..otherwise..forget it...and yea cd's up here are like...11.99 to 17.99 not 19+

[MissJDM]

Rap CDs here are like $21+
Other shit like Jessica Simpson is like $18
Then you have the older shit like Nsync that's still like $13

[GT40FIED]

I've got tons of CDs...well over 500. Most of which were bought during the time that the industry was doing it's price fixing bullshit. Even though I got most of them with a 33% discount...I still feel justified downloading stuff.

[Mischief]

Alot of the stuff I listen to I wouldn't know where to find in a music store or if they even carry it