09-05-2003, 07:36 PM
the RIAA offering amnesty is bullshit - it's yet another scare tactic to make people scared to download that Britney Spears song. If the RIAA was so powerful, why are they enlisting the aid of artisits and actors to do PSA's asking the public to "please don't take food out of our mouths!" ? It's horseshit. They've been reaping the benefits of charging people anywhere between $15 - $20 for a fucking CD for over 10 years now. Artists don't make all that much off the CD, they get paid via a contract and by touring. The Studio execs lay out the cash to the artists, I know, but then they recoup that PLUS get a huge profit by marking up the CD prices. This is old news, everyone's known about it - it was just a matter of time before people figured a way around paying $20 for a 12 track CD when they really only wanna hear 2 tracks because the rest suck.
As for Universal (and I guess the others eventually) droppinf CD prices - too little too late. Had they done this way back things might be a little different, but now they just look defeated. People who are used to getting something for free - whether it be morally or ethically wrong to do - will have a hard time paying for the same product, especially if they're disenchanted to begin with.
I dont see P2P or file swapping as all that dangerous, peoppe just need to be aware of the potential dangers and take steps to protect themselves. I've been file sharing for years and I might've gotten 2 or 3 nasty viruses. As Keyser said, don't open or run attachments you're not sure about, run your antivirus weekly, scan for spyware and if you're on a broadband connection run a software firewall along with using a router with a hardware firewall. It might sound like a lot, but scanning and updating all of these things can be scheduled weekely or whatever so you don't have to remember to do it.
If people download music and then turn around and sell it, then I feel they should be prosecuted - but if you download it and keep it for personal use, I don't see the problem. The whole issue has been blown out of proportion and it seems for the most part people are laughing it off.
As for Universal (and I guess the others eventually) droppinf CD prices - too little too late. Had they done this way back things might be a little different, but now they just look defeated. People who are used to getting something for free - whether it be morally or ethically wrong to do - will have a hard time paying for the same product, especially if they're disenchanted to begin with.
I dont see P2P or file swapping as all that dangerous, peoppe just need to be aware of the potential dangers and take steps to protect themselves. I've been file sharing for years and I might've gotten 2 or 3 nasty viruses. As Keyser said, don't open or run attachments you're not sure about, run your antivirus weekly, scan for spyware and if you're on a broadband connection run a software firewall along with using a router with a hardware firewall. It might sound like a lot, but scanning and updating all of these things can be scheduled weekely or whatever so you don't have to remember to do it.
If people download music and then turn around and sell it, then I feel they should be prosecuted - but if you download it and keep it for personal use, I don't see the problem. The whole issue has been blown out of proportion and it seems for the most part people are laughing it off.
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