Are You A Pirate?

[Contra Fates]

I placed this topic in here because I want some discussion on the topic. Are you a Pirate, in that you download music, movies, software, or games online for free?

Conversely, do you think that this should be a punishable offense, or do you think you're actually stealing when you download? Considering that I'm sure 95% of you guys are going to be fellow pirates, I'm curious to think how you all feel about being labeled as 'thieves' in the criminal justice world.

What do you think the future of the entertainment industry may become because of the high amount of pirating that goes on?

Read, vote, and discuss!

[Inu]

YAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!

*ahem* I mean... yeah. I do it. Still trying to find QOTSA's Songs For The Deaf album that's not a torrent, though.

[BlackJack]

Um....hopefully you guys will realize the inherent dangers of openly admitting to internet piracy.

That said, I'm not against it.

[Contra Fates]

Um....hopefully you guys will be smarter than to openly sign somewhere that you are an active pirate.

That said, I'm not against it.

It's anonymous.
And trust me, the RIAA is hunting down people via torrent sites and P2P networks, not little anime forums. XD

[Sephiroth]

lol ive downloaded over 5000$ worth of stuff xD. Ranging from products that cost 800$+ such as photoshop sony vegas ect xD

+ all the games and movies I got. As well as 7gb of Bucket heas music 27 albums 20.99$ each xD.

god the RIAA would love to get me :P.

[Fuyumine]

It's YAR! and NAY! for me, for a number of reasons.

When it comes to music I have always been funny about pirating. If I download someone's album it's usually because it's out of print, or I want to preview it before giving it a purchase. I have trusted an artist's single since 2001. Speaking of singles, no one should feel bad for having a song or two (or three) from an artist's album, especially since a lot of artists "leak" it onto the net themselves for us to enjoy.

As far as movies, I only download them illegally if I can't find a DVD version of it. Sure, I could grab the VHS, but I don't own a VHS anymore. I refuse to download films that are in theaters. The quality is usually fucking terrible and can greatly take away from the film, in my opinion. In the end, though, if I like a film I'll go out and buy it.

With video games, it's kind of the same principle as film and music. Discontinued? I'll download the ROM. If it's discontinued AND too pricey on EBay? I'll download the ROM.

In all honesty, pirating doesn't bother me in the least. With music, if people like your stuff enough they will support you. Whether it's shelling $10 for that album or attending one of your shows. And if the album is old, the artist isn't going to see a dime of the money you spent to purchase it. Same thing with old films and games.

Hell, with NEW films and games. The rental industry is pretty counter-productive to the entertainment industry, as well as establishments that allow you to sell or purchase used products. The companies don't see a dime of that money, so... yeah. Unless you're going to Target to get the Batman DVD instead of renting it on Netflix, you ain't really doing anything to "help."

[dippindotty]

I'm not going to discuss my poll results, but seeing as it is currently 7 YAR! and 0 NAY! I'm sure everyone get the general idea.

JKJK

As for me, I'll admit that I do download. But in my defense, I also purchase music too. If I like (obsess over) a certain artist, I feel a NEED to support him/her.

[Emiko]

I admit that I am when it comes to music. I will download a lot of music from artists, but that's only until I can get money to actually go out and buy the cds myself. In the case of the Japanese artists I listen to, it's very pricey to ship them over here and to buy multiple cds at a time would cause me to rack up a pretty big bill and I don't have money to pay for it. Any artist whose music I download, I have all the intention to go out and buy the cd and support them, just I need money. Once I get money, I go out and buy the cd I had downloaded.

[Casanova]

I try not to download music any more unless I absolutely have to. If the music has gone out of print or I'm sure that I'll buy it regardless, I'll download it for sure. When I really like something, I'll buy it. I own all of the Nirvana albums, most of the Foo Fighters albums, and other odd albums that I really wanted. I like the feeling of collecting music. To me it's more than just buying it, like I'm amassing a treasure trove of some kind. xD

One thing that's really keeping me from downloading music at the moment is Spotify. It's contributing tonnes to the digital pirate epidemic because it pays royalties to the record labels, and you don't have to pay a penny if you don't want to. You just sit through less than a minute or so of ads every now and again.

The thing these days is people just don't want to do anything unless they absolutely have to. The fact is a large majority of people would rather download a movie for free than go out and buy it new for £15 or w/e.

[Fuyumine]

The thing these days is people just don't want to do anything unless they absolutely have to. The fact is a large majority of people would rather download a movie for free than go out and buy it new for £15 or w/e.

Pretty much! Or endure the shitty quality of a bootleg theater film. I noticed a while ago that pirating became less of a matter of saving money, and more of a matter of simple convenience.

[Aleister Black]

Yar. I do download films and programs. I do not, on the whole, download music. I can listen tot he music I want to hear either on Youtube, or I can find it and order it online or in a shop.

I do download films, but when I really like them I usually end up buying them anyway. I do not tend to save money on that kind of thing.

I also download some games. For example, I downloaded Prototype, played it for a bit until I got bored, and discarded it. But whenever there's a game I know I'll play often, especially when it's got multiplayer, I'll buy it. Of all the games I've played, I think only 1% (if that) was illegally acquired.

One thing I have no qualms with is downloading things like photoshop. They charge such extraordinary amounts for their products that you can simply NOT expect ANYONE but companies and professional artists to actually pay for it.

[Contra Fates]

One thing I have no qualms with is downloading things like photoshop. They charge such extraordinary amounts for their products that you can simply NOT expect ANYONE but companies and professional artists to actually pay for it.

Agreed with that! I'll admit that I pirate all of my software. It's just ridiculously expensive if I were to obtain it be legal means. A student doesn't have $900 laying around to be spent on a single program.

I don't pirate movies or Animes, but that's because I have Netflix. If I didn't have Netflix, or if Netflix wasn't as awesome as it is...I'd probably download that, too. Downloading music and software is just very easy, but downloading high-quality copies of movies and Anime, with good subtitles, that's just too annoying. xD

I would purchase CDs from my favorite musicians, but the problem is...they're either impossible to find, or they've long since broken up. =/

[BlackJack]

I NEVER download ANYTHING. NOT movies, NOT music, NOT software, NOT ROMs for old systems (such as SNES or GBA) and NOT indie PC games. Or old-as-hell PC games (like the circa-2000 Spider-Man PC game).

[Inu]

I NEVER download ANYTHING. NOT movies, NOT music, NOT software, NOT ROMs for old systems (such as SNES or GBA) and NOT indie PC games. Or old-as-hell PC games (like the circa-2000 Spider-Man PC game).

you keep telling yourself that.

[BlackJack]

you keep telling yourself that.

[Darkside]

lol ive downloaded over 5000$ worth of stuff xD. Ranging from products that cost 800$+ such as photoshop sony vegas ect xD

Thats it lol.I think thats I have already downloaded about $30000+ worth of stuff since I usually get any random products that are released.Even though i know its illegal i would rather try a game out before I buy it I usually buy the game if its good and if its required to play it online.The same thing goes for programs and sometimes movies.The good thing is that i don't use torrents anymore i get my stuff via usenet.

Its still kind of weird how downloading stuff illegally much of a bigger crime than domestic violence or rape.I guess the only way someone is gonna learn is by getting caught.But i guess if you buy something still its still supporting the software company's and the video game industry.So make everything thing short IMMA PIRATE. D:<

[Shiduri]

I only download music and movies. Really, the only program I downloaded was photoshop but it's not like I'm using it professionally so fuck them. I'm not paying adobe $600 for that. Then 1-2 years afterward new version comes out.

As for music, it can be rather beneficial to some bands especially international bands. Almost all (probably all) Japanese bands wouldn't have toured America if the internet wasn't around. Jrock bands tour American and Europe thanks to the internet and the anime fans who discovered their music.

Also, quite a lot of artists such have put their music on their official website for free. Let me remind you guys, it's not the artist that's loosing money, it's the record companies.

[Happy Sumo]

Interesting topic.

For me, the only thing I download is pictures (desktop wallpapers, artworks, etc.), and musics. Other than that I don't really download anything at all.

For some reason I can't stand watching animes/movies/shows on the computer, it's like.... *shivers* for me...yea...I'm weird.

I like to support the industry, so therefor I buy all the movies/animes that I like.

I have to admit, it does get priiiiceeeeyy.