[Groop] (File Sharing)

[Groopunk at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/29/2004 4:25:01 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
grooless at yahoo.com writes:

> Go into a music store - you can ask the attendant to put a CD on to listen 
> to before buying.
> ? - Is this illegal and is the store violating copyright
> ? - Only difference between that and Seth's "sampling" from the internet is 
> when you leave the store you don't take the CD with you.
>    - Seth's hard drive will still contain the song until he deletes it.
>   
> Now if bands/artists/labels had sample websites where you could stream and 
> hear songs without downloading them  . . . . . ?
> 
(1)You're suggesting the music store has every cd ready and available for 
customer requests?  (just a question)
(2)According to other posts here, yes, it is because that store is allowing 
everyone in the store to hear a song and they aren't  licensed to be a 
mini-radio station.
(3)No you don't take it with you, but the store has now broadcast a song to 
the store's customers - which would fall under that DVD copyright agreement 
discussed in an earlier email
(4) true my harddrive will still contain the song after I delete it, but I'm 
no longer accessing it or allowing it to be accessed my the www.
(5) Yes, it IS a great thing when artists stream some of their songs.  It's 
very helpful and that too has assisted me in purchasing new work.  
Unfortunately filesharing took off before many bands were doing this.
(6) Lastly, I don't want it to come across as though I'm some massive 
copyright infringer.  I'm really not.  And it's kinda scaring me that my name is 
being attached and used such as "Seth's 'sampling' from the internet" and "Seth's 
hard drive will still contain the song until he deletes it."  I'm simply 
trying to hold up another end of this issue.  I think filesharing is ok when used 
properly/sparingly.  I DO NOT support blatently ripping off artists and their 
ideas -at all.  Not every downloader is doing it with malicious intent, that's 
all I'm trying to say.  And the arguments against filesharing are kind of 
scattershot.  I understand many of them, but at the same time, I don't think they 
hold up on a broad-based scale.  For example the argument that filesharing has 
killed the music industry.  Yes, I'm positive there's been some effect, but 
no one seems to ask, "Well, what about the conglomeration of companies?"  "What 
about the unreasonably high prices of CDs?"  "What about the albums that 
contain 85% filler and 2 singles?"
If it's the erradication of wrong-doing we're after then we should fight just 
as vigorously those that have illegal cable, those that make mix tapes, those 
that TiVo shows and edit commercials, those that have let a piece of paper 
fall to the ground without picking it up.
All of that stuff hurts somebody somehow, but everyone has done a bit of it.  
It's the rampant abuse that seriously damages everything.

But really, please, I don't want to be the bad guy.  I'm not sitting at my 
computer all day long sucking art off the internet and then distributing it at 
jacked-up prices.

I have a LARGE music collection and aside from the stuff that was given to me 
I've purchased it.  I like tangeable art.  I buy music, I buy comics, I buy 
books, and I buy fine art.

sweating nervously as the Groop hunts me down,
-seth-


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