Downloading MP3s for free. Do you or don't you?

i don't get mp3s... but i learned about bit torrent from this bbs... and WOW!

 

I download music, but I usually don't get stuff that's licensed by the RIAA so it doesn't matter. For music I usually use Kazaa lite(no spyware or adware like regular kazaa), Winmx(good for rare songs but hard as hell to use), and bit torrent.

 

what? i thought bit torrent was free. well it's gotta be free because i don't pay for my downloads.

somebody on here suggested shareaza in a previous thread. and it's... how do you say... the bomb. when you search for stuff there's regular p2p AND bit torrent stuff.

i still don't get how bit torrent works... but it just does. and it seems to be much faster than regular p2p.

 

I use mIRC to download all I want. It has everything and if you know how to use it right, you can get 200k+ downloads on complete albums, movies, ANYTHING

http://www.ircspy.com

great site

 

I just got this new program called blubster and I'm liking it.... do they prosecute non Kazaa users?

 

Ok so the RIAA has been hitting Kazaa file sharers, but what about BitTorrent?

Does this mean BitTorrent users are in the RIAA's crosshairs?

 

I don't worry about the RIAA for two reasons.

1) It is not illegal to download copyrighted material. It is illegal to DISTRIBUTE copyrighted material. You can only get in trouble if people are downloading from you. This is debatable too because if somebody is taking a file off of your computer, are you really distributing it?

2) I download mainly jazz mp3's. The RIAA couldn't care less about stuff from teh 40's, 50's, and 60's. They're not really scared about losing money from 50 year old jazz CD's. They care about people not buying new and recent CD's that people might not buy.

 

Nah, used to. Wish I could say I quit because of the moral issues, but in reality there were just WAY too many viruses/spy/adware slipping through when I used programs like Kazaa, etc.

 

download Kazaa Lite. There is no spyware or adds. Its the same exact program without all the added crap.

 

I have only just started.

There was about 30 old Rock songs I wanted and it would have cost me heaps to collect all the CD's I needed to get them.

Once I get my small collection of old songs, I'll bet getting rid of the program I use.

 

In the past I was a heavy downloader but have eased up over the years mainly because I already got a lot of the older stuff I wanted. I dont do it much anymore but when I do I use Limewire. As mentioned above, I download, but dont distribute. I dont let anyone file share from my computer so I am not distributing the songs to anyone else.

As for a pay service I have used the Apple iTunes store. It is very nice. I dont mind paying 99 cents for a song I like. I am not trying to rip people off. I dont mind paying for stuff I like. I just have a problem playing $18 for an ENTIRE CD when I only want one or two songs. I will pay, I just dont want to overpay. I think that's fair. In fact, if they had the iTunes store 5 years ago I would have used that as well. They didn't so I used whatever service offered the material.

 

I'm a SoulSeek pirate, though my conscience bothers me a little.
I only download and quickly move files away from my shared folder. No sense in being stupid about it. If someone looks at my folder, sees I don't share and bans me, so what, there are another 500,000 people out there.

I routinely see people sharing 5,000 or 10,000 files. I assume they live in Vanatu or somewhere outside the reach of the RIAA, or maybe they just don't have any attachable assets. Even so you still have 'school of fish' defense; the lawyers/sharks may get to some of the school but the individual's chances of being eaten are statistically slim.

I'm not saying "do as I do". I wouldn't tell you to drive 85 MPH, cheat on your taxes or use recreational drugs either but a lot of human beings do.

 

I do, and I use something that starts with an SoulSeek. someone mentioned it on the BBS, and I tried it because my apartments firewall blocked most p2ps.

I still download, because as it seems. They are targeting the sharers, because as they see it, if they get rid of the sharers there will be no downloaders.

I feel safe, because the people who have been getting busted have been uploading and downloading ungodly amounts of songs. I am one of those ass's who only downloads, and doesn't share.

 

My ISP actually has a serivie that similar. You can download songs for about $1 and it gets put on your internet bill.

The problem is....like I said, I was looking for old rock songs and my ISP obviously only has newer songs.

 

btw anywhere know where or with what i can d/l series 5 of the west wing..... damn channel 9 here keeps putting off showing it

 

I try to make it a habit and not steal.

Do you people pay for food at the store, or do you simply walk out the front door with it?

 

Your first point is not quite true. The RIAA is currently only going after folks that distribute the music. It is still illegal to steal copyrighted material via downloading.

On point 2, a lot of the older material is no longer covered by the existing copyrights so it is O.K. to distribute/download it.