222,000 dollars for "illegal sharing of music"?

Question

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003926501_downloader05.html here is an article to read before you respond. So here we have an industry that is blatently fighting to keep its oligopoly intact and has been in trouble before for price fixing is suing a woman with little resources and 2 children for a ton of money and succeeding. The FCC is joke, the same few companies own the record companies, the television companies, the internet providers and the radio stations. So there it is- When is enough enough? How can we take back music? how can we split up these giant companies so that they dont have conflicts of interest in doing things like playing independent music or speaking negatively about their own companies or providing our internet data to people trying to prosecute us? just in general- do you think its broke- and how do we fix it?

I am really more interested in what people think about these giant media oligopolies than i am about the "did the woman commit a crime" debate. she obviously is guilty of a small, very common crime and is being punished rather severly for it. That is not in question- what is in question is what these companies are doing to her and their own shady business practices and what we can do about it.

Answer 1

There are several website that have independent artists and allow their music to be downloaded for free. There are forums and other places also. Sometimes new artists have websites that you can download their music for free. And there are many many labels, not just a few.

Answer 2

The recording industry is dying. Look at the numbers of sales in this and you'll easily see that this is true. This article and the many lawsuits that it mentions along with the largest one is jsut an attempt from a dying style of music to keep a foothold.

Since the government has said that they have not actual reasons to shut down the internet sites that are giving the people the music (They are made for filesharing and the "illegal' music is just what some people put on there), they have to attack the actual people downloading the music.

The internet has ruined the business model for the recording industry. It will take time for a new model to be found and set up and, until then, they will continue their attacks of the people that have found a way around them.

Some will argue that these people got what they deserved, but sorry if I do not feel compassion for people using lawyers paid in the millions to bring a lawsuit to a woman of low economic means who probably had to use a court appointed attorney

Answer 3

The recording industry has always overpaid their "artists". Look at how financially well off singers like Britney, Madonna, and all the other popular stars are. These people make 10, 20, 1000 times more money than the average fan does. Now the recording industry is not selling as much but their "artists" still have their hands out for the big paydays. I refuse to buy one CD or download any song as long as it supports the overpayment the "artists" --- who seem to use the money for drugs, liquor, and multiple rehabs.

Answer 4

The music industry has created this problem themselves
by inflating the prices of the cds they are trying to pedal.
Consumers were tired of paying high prices for cds with only one or two good songs and all the rest inferior junk songs.
The corps.have been ripping off artists and customers for years.

Answer 5

maybe she should be fined

a couple hundred, maybe even a thousand dollars

$220,000 is outrageous! It leads me to believe the recording industry is heartless and greedy and rotten.

Answer 6

the web content themselves are no longer unlawful, as long because of the fact the content textile you obtain from the positioning isn't copyrighted and loose to apply and distribute. in case you acquire copyrighted textile (maximum video clips, albums, etc), then you definately've committed piracy.

Answer 7

Copyright infringement is a crime, no less than any other theft of intellectual property. If you commit a crime, you pay the penalty. It's a simple concept.

Answer 8

Downloading music for free is ILLEGAL. It is against copyright laws. She knew the laws and willfully broke them. I fully support the music industry. It is a secret to no one that downloading music is illegal and should be punished accordingly.

Answer 9

she down-loaded 24 songs and made how many copies for sale? must have been more than a few, for that big of a fine..........

Answer 10

You should let all of the people in your area come over to your house and take your all of your possessions and pay you nothing. Then you might understand.