The more I read about copy-protection on music CDs the more upset I get. I’m completely sick of the RIAA hunting down children to slap fines on them for swapping music.
I know that stealing is stealing. Don’t get me wrong regarding theft. I get it. It is wrong and illegal. At the same time, the RIAA should find a new way to do business. Adapt or perish, you thugs. Treating all of your customers like a bunch of thieves will come back to haunt you.
The better-half and I have a pretty big collection of music. We have it in all formats except 8-tracks. I really think we still have some 78s hanging about. We are consumers of music. We support musicians by buying their music and going to concerts. I believe, however, after I purchase that recording it is mine. If I want to make a mix tape or put it on my computer at work then I better have the ability to do that.
Apparently, record companies that put copy protection on their CDs are actually creating an inferior product. And, they are charging the same amount and not telling consumers. Great. Let me buy something that falls apart or doesn’t work. That seems to be the American way these days. How often do you buy something and have to take it back because it doesn’t work out of the box? Or you buy something and 2 weeks later it is broken or flawed in some way. I don’t know about you, but it seems to happen a lot.
I hate to say this because I love listening to music but if the big brother mentality continues to get worse (anyone else hear about the biometric scheme of the RIAA’s), I’ll give up buying music. That should help the recording industry figure out another way…consumers who stop buying music.
i disagree that ripping songs and making CDs for your friends is stealing, only because i consider it fair use. everybody makes mix-tapes. nobody ever said it was stealing then, what’s different now? the technology is better, sure and you can make like mass produced CDs, sure. but if that is what you’re doing, that’s not “stealing”, that’s “piracy”. the RIAA should concentrate on acts of piracy, not prosecuting people who genuinely want to share their music with other people and thereby promoting it.
Please don’t misunderstand me…making copies for your actual friends (and not just random people who have a connection to the internet) to promote the music is a great idea and I’ve done that more times than I can count.