Bill would prevent sharing of digital music, video

USA Today ^ | March 22, 2002 | Reuters

[Bubba_Leroy]

WASHINGTON (Reuters)

[vikzilla]

Kazaa, Imesh, Limewire, etc. Kazaa is my favorite.

[Keeper of the Turf]

WinMX is by far the best sharing program for music. Speed Tip: Only download from Cable, T1, or T3 users.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Ditto on Kazaa. But if you install it, don't install any of the spyware "extras." Also, be sure to install and run a firewall such as ZoneAlarm. Whenever I am running Kazaa I get literally hundreds of pings from hackers trying to get into my computer.

Of course, I NEVER use Kazaa to download copyrighted materials. That would be wrong.

[Semper Paratus]

Someone needs to rent the movie this weekend and watch it again:

"Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

[Diverdogz]

Thanks. It has been a while, but I may give WinMx another try. I miss Napster!

[Prov1322]

Sen. Ernest Hollings introduced a bill that would require Silicon Valley and Hollywood to agree on a standard to stop digital piracy.

There's just something priceless about Senator Foghorn Leghorn introducing a bill on stopping digital piracy. Does he even know what that term means? But, more to the point, how much is he receiving from either Silicon Valley or Hollywood to front this?

[bloodmeridian]

Um, I don't suppose the disappointing sales could have anything to do with bad music?

Didya ever put down the CD cover and listen to a Britney Spears tune? I can tell ya it definitely ain't the mp3s causing the downturn in the music industry.

[Dimensio]

Internet piracy has been blamed by the music industry for disappointing 2001 sales

Specifically they named Napster as being responsible. What they didn't say was that before 2001 music sales were on the rise -- at least CD albums. CD single sales dropped, and the music industry used that number to support the notion that CD sales were being affected (even though their profits overall increased with the increased CD album sales). What they also neglect to mention is that 2001 is the year that Napster pretty much died.

The music industry blatantly distorts facts and even lies outright to gain sympathy, and pushes to impose a tax on recordable media (CD-Rs in the US have a special "tax" applied that goes directly to the RIAA -- and a similar but far grater and more costly tax will be introduced in Canada in 2003) and they still lobby for bills like this. I daresay that the mafia is a group of more reputable, honest and fair businessmen than the RIAA or MPAA.

[B Knotts]

I hope everyone on this thread will take a few minutes to write a letter (preferably by hand) opposing this bill and send it to their Senators.

I plan on writing one representing my company's position against this absolutely awful legislation.

The problem of unauthorized copying and distribution of copyrighted materials needs to be addressed, but this is not the way to do it.

[proud to be breathing]

Agreed, WinMx is the best, though Grokster, rising off the ashes of Morpheus, is pretty doggone good. I use both. I do miss the feeling of global community that napster had. Try Zeropaid.com for those of you wanting a good reference site.

[js1138]

I'm still waiting for someone to explain why CDs are the only technology that hasn't come down in price over the years.

Prices are determined by the marketplace. Things that are new and hot will always command a higher price. Failed albums quickly quickly get to the remainder bin. Collections of older music have lower prices. Used CDs sell for a few bucks at garage sales.

Here's the really scary thing for record companies: CDs are far better in quality than kids' sound systems. Heck, even the lowest quality MP3s are better than the systems they are played on.

There is absolutely no force in the marketplace for the six channel 24 bit audio DVDs that are possible. CDs cannot be copy protected. You might be able to prevent fast ripping on a computer but you will never stop copying at a quality level acceptable to kids.

Artists are not backing the record companies because the companies treat them like the old Hollywood studios treated actors -- basically slaves always indebted to the company store.

Now everyone says the music sucks. I can't comment because I'm too old to follow the new groups. And when I did followed music I leaned towards alternate alternative -- the Fuggs and Zappa. My kids are into jazz and swing, mostly old stuff, although they follow some current live bands.

It's just possible that we are entering one of thse pendulum swings where live bands will have more following than recorded music. And those bands that are good can publish without a record company.

[steve-b]

Nothing worse than being stupid. Except being old and stupid.

Ah say, Ah say, son; Ah'm not old....

[Diverdogz]

I've always had a respect for the Grateful Dead, who allowed fans to make recordings of shows and trade them with friends so long it is strictly free/non-commercial.
People continued to pay to see shows and buy albums despite the thousands of hours of music available for FREE!

[jpsb]

This is a racket, if you own a small business and play a freakin radio, that's right a radio, you have to pay ASCAB thousands of dollars a year for "Royalities". Unfreakin believable!

We need to throw this government away and start all over again. All it serves is the interests of the weathly elites.

[steve-b]

And those bands that are good can publish without a record company.

This is what the xxAA is attempting to prevent. It is impossible to do what this bill would mandate except by building hardware that would play only those files that bear a special "seal of approval" that could only be added to a file by a small circle of publishers. If standard-format files can be played, or if just anybody could add copy-protection codes to files, then the system simply won't work. Bootlegged files with the protection stripped off are indistinguishable from files recorded on Joe Sixpack's pre-ban camcorder. Bootlegged files with the old protection stripped off and new (looser) protection codes added by Joe Sixpack are indistinguishable from files recorded on Joe Sixpack's new Leghorn-compliant camcorder. Ergo, the only solution is to compel Joe Sixpack to go, hat in hand, to a Hollyweird-licensed place to have his files recoded (for a modest fee... or a not-so-modest fee if the files are to be coded for publication rather than only for one person's use).

[Leto]

ZThey will also put these codes on the CD which will make the quality of the recorded music WORSE.

The music industry grew in 2000 when Napster was in full swing and a lot of music was being downloaded. Napster was shut down (esentially) and the music business went in the tank. HELLO ANYBODY HOME...

When this doesn't revive sales for the media producers, thenext step will be a 'tax' on blank media and cd/dev burners ect. These Socialist corp want goverment welfare, redistribution of wealth from computer users to the media corps.

I don't have any MP3's cause the quality stinks and I pay for the music I own. The music business is a victim of their own business models, greed and are looking for a goverment handout.

[steve-b]

I've always had a respect for the Grateful Dead, who allowed fans to make recordings of shows and trade them with friends so long it is strictly free/non-commercial. People continued to pay to see shows and buy albums despite the thousands of hours of music available for FREE!

That worked because the Grateful Dead had more talent in their little fingers than Britney Spears has in all her flesh, bone, and additional manmade ingredients.

[nina0113]

And when I did followed music I leaned towards alternate alternative -- the Fuggs and Zappa

Somebody else but me remembers the Fuggs???!!!

I used an album of theirs to win a neighbor war once. Nothing drives off a prospective homebuyer like "lesbian dwarfs having a tomato orgy" being blasted through the neighborhood. N.B.: I didn't start it, I just finished it.

[Timesink]

Bill would prevent nobody from sharing anything

Get it through your thick skull, Senator Leghorn (D-Disney). The technology has won. The genie cannot be put back in the bottle. You are making yourself into a laughingstock in the eyes of everyone under the age of 50.