Illegal downloads - do you still do it?

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BoMac

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Recent "discussion", for lack of a better word, in the Arcade Fire thread has me thinking: I honestly can't remember the last time I illegally downloaded music.

I joined Interference in the summer of 2000, right around the time that the first beach clip of Beautiful Day surfaced. It was my first exposure to an online music community and this site remains the only message board I frequent. I posted briefly on UKK and Atease, but not with any regularity.

At the time my music tastes weren't very diverse - it was basically U2 and not much else. But after about 3-4 years on the site my interest and knowledge in music expanded greatly thanks to Bang & Clatter and I began seeking out many of the artists recommended here. So I signed up to music blogs and began downloading tons of new music, to the point where my library had more albums than I ever thought possible.

It wasn't that I couldn't afford it, but I guess I felt entitled to the music. They'll get my money when I buy concert tickets and merchandise, I often told myself. But my thoughts on illegal downloads slowly changed over time, thanks to discussion here, particularly from Mofo. My journalism career also helped in this regard, because I constantly felt the pressure from blogs and "free" sources of news, and we can now see the state that the industry is in.

Anyway, I think the last time I illegally downloaded a song or album was in 2010, or perhaps earlier.

So my question is: do people here still do it? And, if so, how can you justify it?

Also, I haven't signed up to any of the streaming services because I'm not convinced that artists are getting their fair share from that. So I just buy.
 
inb4 scumbo musket meme

very rarely, but only if it's an established artist that can spare the money (and i wouldn't buy the album anyway if illegally downloading weren't an option). if they're a newer band or someone i like that's not as popular, i definitely pony up the cash. i do use spotify too, but it's more of a supplemental thing of a way of listening to music i usually already legally own, because at work it's easier using spotify than my ipod. i just don't have time to scroll through the menu, but it's much faster and easier to type in an artist.
 
Great question and well-thought out response Bomac!

I too used to do it aaaaaall the time. Then more time spent here, (and yes, around Mofo mainly) has changed my tune. I moved slowly into using illegal downloads as a "try before I buy" mechanism, but that's now what I use Spotify for. So no, I don't anymore, and I'm really proud of that fact. I even deleted uTorrent.

Generally now I give something a go on Spotify and then if I like a couple of songs then I stop listening and go and buy the record.

We're definitely similar Bomac - this has also extended for me into other areas, so I've recently subscribed to a few magazines like Time, Meanjin (Aus) and The Monthly (Aus), and I'm a $$ supporter of The Guardian, as I love their work.
 
Spotify has rendered it redundant for me, almost. I torrented some U2 Pop b-sides recently because there was no other way to get them (could have sworn I'd dl'd them years ago though). Also the latest by Kanye and Beyoncé because they weren't streaming. For him, I don't like to buy digital files. For her it was a try before buy.

I download a shit load of TV shows though.
 
We're excused when it comes to TV here in Oz, monkeyskin. I don't download but illegal streaming sites like Watch Series are literally the only way we can watch them. Otherwise we have to wait six months. It's fucked.
 
Streaming services completely changed my downloading habit. I haven't illegally downloaded music in at least 4-5 years...unless you count the HBO rip of U2's Paris show or a very random rare recording or b-side that's not available for purchase.
 
I haven't in probably 3 or 4 years now. When I did it, it was when I didn't have a good job and couldn't afford to buy too much. Now that I have a better job, I am more free to buy when I want. With that said, 75% of my listening is Amazon Prime Music now.
 
We're excused when it comes to TV here in Oz, monkeyskin. I don't download but illegal streaming sites like Watch Series are literally the only way we can watch them. Otherwise we have to wait six months. It's fucked.



It's so stupid. It's great that a free to air is showing Atlanta, but I saw that six months ago. And the number of times we're still at least a season behind a US network TV series is preposterous in this day and age.
 
Yeah and then they think they're doing us a favour when they throw us bones "fast-tracked" for one or two shitty shows with episodes airing 48 hours after they have in the US.

I'm watching Suits at the moment and I literally have to use illegal streaming to watch it. There's no legal way for me to watch season six, which is already finished in the US, in Australia.
 
I still illegally download music - but am selective. As an example I downloaded part of a six CD 'Hits Of The 80's' set. It had a few rarer tracks I hadn't seen on other sets and only downloaded those songs. There is no way I am buying a whole album for one track - and I recall Belinda Carlisle stating on stage at Twin Towns (lol) a couple of years back that the royalties she receives from compilation album (Now!/100% Hits etc - not her dedicated Greatest Hits) are so miniscule she doubts if she ever sees them.

This weekend I downloaded Take That's 'Wonderland' album. I have ordered the Deluxe Edition off Amazon.co.uk but that won't arrive until the end of next week. I can't buy the 15 track Deluxe version in Australia as the local label has only released the 11 track version on CD. I can get the Deluxe as a download but want the packaging etc as well. TT are still getting my $$ though from amazon and I'm seeing a few of their shows in the UK this summer.

I would download the Magnetic Field's '50 Song memoir' if I could find it. It's a 5CD set (but only 2 and a half hours of music) retailing for AU$69 (US$52). There is no reason it needs to be on 5 CDs and no need for it to cost so much for basically a double albums worth of material. I'll see them live if they tour here and they've gotten a shit ton of $$ out of me prior to this album - but I won't be ripped off with gimmicky shit like that. Note - the Aussie release is not the whizz bang US hardcover book version either.

And yeah - tons of TV - mainly reality stuff that doesn't appear to be in Netflix etc (old seasons/international versions of The Amazing race, Survivor etc) - but I do still buy a lot of Blurays etc.
 
I haven't in ages. Spotify does what I need, and if I want something, I'll buy it. My car is full of CDs - although the CD player is a bitch and the last time I was on a long distance drive I listened to The Joshua Tree three times because I didn't want to stop to change the CD. I still enjoy giving Pandora a go at times too, but I can get a similar effect closing my eyes and randomly picking a playlist from Spotify.

I've had my laptop for over a year now and I don't even know what the music player is - it isn't iTunes, I guess it's Windows Media Player? Never used it.

A couple of people I used to spend time with used to stream and/or download movies, but I always feel like if I want to watch something enough to hunt it down, I'll go buy the damn thing. Same goes for TV - and I'm well and truly capable of avoiding spoilers, but I don't watch too much TV - the effect of two years without one, now I have access again I'm slowly finding things I like again.
 
I thought I would hate Spotify or similar services, and that a lot of the stuff I'm interested in wouldn't be there. But I got six months of free premium a couple of years ago when I got a new mobile phone, so I gave it a spin and have never looked back. I'm now happily paying for premium and can't imagine not having it. I think I can't find something only about 10% of the time, and usually in that case it's streaming on Bandcamp. I used to download multiple albums a day, but Spotify is so much easier for sampling something. I think the last time I downloaded an album illegally was when my preorder was taking ages to show up and the full thing wasn't on Spotify.
 
The closest thing that I get to "illegal downloads" nowadays is YouTube to MP3 when a song I like doesn't show up on iTunes or Apple Music.

I also thought I would hate streaming services, mostly because I used to buy most of my music. I decided to switch to Apple Music once it fixed those horrible bugs, and now it works really great. For $10 a month, I don't regret making the switch at all.
 
I had this discussion with some friends lately. What I found most interesting (w/them and here), is that the primary reason most people stop torrenting is not because of a moral awakening, or concern for the rights of the artist, but rather that the ready availability of streaming services like Spotify (or Netflix) has made torrenting largely unnecessary, and not worth the hassle or risk.

Not passing judgement, and in fact this is how it should be and something a lot of people were saying a long time ago...that they wouldn't torrent if there were a convenient, legal and cheap way of accessing the music or movies. I think to a large extent w'ere almost there with music (unless your taste runs to the very obscure) but have a ways to go on movies I think.
 
I had this discussion with some friends lately. What I found most interesting (w/them and here), is that the primary reason most people stop torrenting is not because of a moral awakening, or concern for the rights of the artist, but rather that the ready availability of streaming services like Spotify (or Netflix) has made torrenting largely unnecessary, and not worth the hassle or risk.

Not passing judgement, and in fact this is how it should be and something a lot of people were saying a long time ago...that they wouldn't torrent if there were a convenient, legal and cheap way of accessing the music or movies. I think to a large extent w'ere almost there with music (unless your taste runs to the very obscure) but have a ways to go on movies I think.

What's also interesting personally is that as someone that used to download illegally all the time, in rare instances where Apple Music doesn't have a certain album, I'll actually just buy it and then upload it to my icloud account so it's available on my phone. I find it easier to buy than torrent.

Other factors in play is that I'm much more stable financially in my mid 30's than I was 10-15 years ago when I would just torrent everything.
 
I torrent all TV shows. I haven't had cable in many years and don't even have a television in the house any longer.

As for movies, I don't have Netflix but see everything I'm interested in at a theatre, or I will buy a used copy of the DVD/Blu-ray. Occasionally I'll rent something via Apple TV. I watch everything through my projector.

Music, less than when I used to, and as someone stated above, if it's a smaller band I will pay for the download if I like it.
 
I had this discussion with some friends lately. What I found most interesting (w/them and here), is that the primary reason most people stop torrenting is not because of a moral awakening, or concern for the rights of the artist, but rather that the ready availability of streaming services like Spotify (or Netflix) has made torrenting largely unnecessary, and not worth the hassle or risk.

Other factors in play is that I'm much more stable financially in my mid 30's than I was 10-15 years ago when I would just torrent everything.

About eight years ago, I finally made the jump to downloading music from stores full-time (mostly through iTunes), even though I steadily bought CDs up to that point anyway. Part of it was the reasons above... making sure the artist and label saw something in return, being in a position to afford $1 a song or whatever once it adds up over time. Then there were other things like not wanting to go through all the effort of finding something somewhere, having the album artwork right away for the portable device, etc.

My CD buying has slowed considerably, but that's just a part of the convenience issue (even though I've picked that up a bit more recently anyway). It's easier to have a file on the computer instead of the physical product mostly sitting there. I've even been slowly getting rid of the files I did get on torrent sites way back when if the song is available for download legally. The only real time I venture out for something elsewhere is when the song is impossible to find or a bootleg/live recording. Other than that, I'll usually download it off iTunes once it's available or pick up the CD.

Streaming-wise, I'm still warming up to. I don't use either Pandora or Spotify full-time, although I've used both for finding new music to listen to in the past. I also have a massive "Songs I Don't Own" list on Spotify, which is songs I've Shazamed or otherwise heard somewhere and have yet to buy. Then I add and delete from that list as appropriate.
 
I'm not big on Spotify, but when I lived in the US I loved Pandora...their curating was excellent. And just finding a curated channel/station that suits my mood is more in line with my listening habits these days than seeking out a particular album or artist. I haven't found anything that's quite as good (and I've tried most of them).

Most of the people I know who torrent really don't torrent music at all...it's other expats downloading American TV shows.
 
As soon as streaming was available, I ditched torrenting, or downloading, this mainly has to do with the lack of really fast internet. I'd rather stream a slightly lower quality vid, and watch it when I want it, without too much waiting, while as downloading ,one movie could take days or several hourse for the same or slightly higher quality.


I have a paid subscribtion on spotify and before that I had Itunes... But I hated it. So many flaws, and the interface was too crappy for me too.
I enjoy spotify very much, its affordable for students and starters like myself. So in music, I can officially say : I don't do t anymore. No regrets.


The cinematic industry needs to catch up on this, as Netflix etc, in Europe is far too limited. It annoys most poeple I know and thus encourages illegal downloading
 
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I either buy or stream (on Apple Music) new albums that I'm interested in, and a lot of used CDs are $4-6, so I will usually go that route if I'm looking for an older album.

The only things I would download these days are the odd regional or store-exclusive bonus track for an album I've already bought.
 
I torrent all TV shows. I haven't had cable in many years and don't even have a television in the house any longer.

As for movies, I don't have Netflix but see everything I'm interested in at a theatre, or I will buy a used copy of the DVD/Blu-ray. Occasionally I'll rent something via Apple TV. I watch everything through my projector.

You're not allowed to say you don't have a TV if you have and use a projector.. :tsk:
 
Echoing the "no, because Spotify" comments. I would download to "try before buying," and now I don't need to. I get a free premium Spotify account through work, which is pretty awesome.

I will download the occasional TV show, but the only time I get a "we see you, cut that shit out" email from Comcast was for torrenting a Showtime show. So I stopped that, because totally not worth the risk.

Last show I downloaded was some random UK show that's not available anywhere else. That was probably almost a year ago and I still haven't watched it. :lol:
 
You're not allowed to say you don't have a TV if you have and use a projector.. :tsk:

My point being that I haven't watched broadcast or cable television for a long time. I use the projector to watch movies exclusively.

I wasn't pretending that I don't watch any TV shows, I just don't browse or casually watch.
 
I had this discussion with some friends lately. What I found most interesting (w/them and here), is that the primary reason most people stop torrenting is not because of a moral awakening, or concern for the rights of the artist, but rather that the ready availability of streaming services like Spotify (or Netflix) has made torrenting largely unnecessary, and not worth the hassle or risk.

Not passing judgement, and in fact this is how it should be and something a lot of people were saying a long time ago...that they wouldn't torrent if there were a convenient, legal and cheap way of accessing the music or movies. I think to a large extent w'ere almost there with music (unless your taste runs to the very obscure) but have a ways to go on movies I think.

Yep. The simple reality is people want the most convenient avenue to acquire something, and if that avenue has a reasonable price tag they will stump up the cash. In the 2000s, torrents, blogs, and P2P were much more convenient than buying a physical copy. Now Spotify et al. are much easier. I remember back in 2007 when Oink, the excellent private torrent tracker, was shut down, I said I would happily pay $10/month or even more to access its wealth of music. Funnily enough, look what I'm doing now.
 
i used to torrent pretty much everything, or use napster/limewire/kazaa before that, and that wasn't much because of the hassle of torrenting and trying to find legit files and loading them into itunes. i got six months free of google music when i bought a new phone about a year and a half ago and it's been well worth the $10 a month since the trial expired. i've listened to so much stuff i never would have otherwise, or would have downloaded illegally to hear one song off an album, etc. like most others i feel much better about paying something for my music, but as a broke student (and adult) i was always loath to spend $15 on a single album that i might enjoy for one listen and then never hear again.

but the real value for the money showed up about six months ago when my computer crashed and i had to reformat and reinstall everything from scratch. i had uploaded my library to google so i didn't lose a thing, didn't have to re-download a single file, itunes, or anything like that. i had to do that manually once about 5 years ago when my old laptop was stolen and it took months to get my music library back to what it once was, and still there were lots of songs i listened to occasionally that i completely forgot about re-downloading or just didn't bother.

so the monthly cost of $10 to have my music always backed up, plus the ability to legally access and explore thousands upon thousands of songs i never would have heard if i had to pay for albums or download manually is more than worth it for me. much better value than (canadian) netflix for the same price.
 
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Thinking about this further, I'm not even excited by the thought of leaks anymore. When a highly anticipated album would leak I'd happily download it right away without thinking twice.

If the new Arcade Fire album would leak tonight, for example, I'd just shrug and wait for it to be available legally, even if that would be weeks or months away. And that's probably my most anticipated record of the year.
 
Thinking about this further, I'm not even excited by the thought of leaks anymore. When a highly anticipated album would leak I'd happily download it right away without thinking twice.

If the new Arcade Fire album would leak tonight, for example, I'd just shrug and wait for it to be available legally, even if that would be weeks or months away. And that's probably my most anticipated record of the year.



Yep. Plus, leaks are much more under control now. I rarely hear of albums leaking two months early like they used to. Also, in the event that they do leaks, bands are pretty good at letting iTunes stream it early.
 
Thinking about this further, I'm not even excited by the thought of leaks anymore. When a highly anticipated album would leak I'd happily download it right away without thinking twice.

If the new Arcade Fire album would leak tonight, for example, I'd just shrug and wait for it to be available legally, even if that would be weeks or months away. And that's probably my most anticipated record of the year.

This is a good point. I've ignored leaks of so many albums I've anticipated greatly in the last year or so. Now I'd only download a leak if I'm seeing the band really close to the release date and want to be familiar with the album before the show. For example I'm seeing Les Discrets in a month and their new album comes out two days beforehand - and I'll be travelling for those two days so I may not even get a chance to hear it if there isn't a leak.
 
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