Are you for or against anti-pirating laws?

[coldbrightsunlight]

Stealing isn't anti capitalism

[jrfox92]

Yeah, stealing is the most capitalist thing you can do.

Well, as long as you steal from everyone.

[Jwar]

I was just saying they are both. Ya dicks.

[Invisible Man]

Any other product that isn't protected, the prices go down when the market is saturated with options. Not movies though, it's still $30 for a BluRay of my little pony or some shit.

This is one thing that I hate about movies in general.

It used to cost (and I mean in my lifetime, shut up IMan ) less than $5.00 to see a blockbuster movie at the theater.

I can't even get in the door for less than $15.00, now.
This is one the reasons my dad and I agreed that, from now on, any time we want to go to the movies to watch something new, we'd just buy a movie on Amazon because, even though we'd rather not spend that money, at least we can consistently access that movie from then on rather than feel like we wasted a bunch of money on a fairly mediocre movie and cheap popcorn.

If you have internalized my commentary then my work here is done.

[MSUsousaphone]

It'll be interesting to see if Disney ***** the steaming industry. Used to be, all I needed was Hulu and Netflix and I was good. Now Prime....and some direcTV apps from a friend have me golden....but when Disney launches it's app and all these moms that would rather plop their kids in front of the Mickey Mouse Club while they play on their phones than spend time with the kids add their streaming service......the dominos will fall. Other channels will start doing it, too. Instead of just being able to pay for one service or three you'll have to start getting six or seven to catch all your shows.

Mark my words, the Disney app is the where Netflix and Hulu end. It'll be when the major corporations turn the tide back to their monopoly.

We need to resist. Say **** you to all these individual companies trying to pull all of their material and launch their own apps for fees. I just don't think people will resist Disney.

[BetterOffShred]

Disney is an unstoppable Juggernaut now that they have Acquired Marvel Studios.. AND LucasFilms.. word? Who let that happen? Jesus Christ bananas, I'm going to be paying $75 a month so my kid can watch Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers reruns. I'm hoping that most people will be like "Nah fuck that, we already pay for Netflix" .. But .. they wont. You're totally correct MSU.

[codetocontra]

$75 a month for Disney?

[$harkToootth]

Actually, my buddy is in online distribution and lots of companies are buying up tons of media libraries (and have been) so in theory, provided the scales stay the same, this should be no different than when Diznies released a movie. I would argue there 'should' still be a fair amount of competition...and if not...that is usually the genesis of healthy underground filmmaking scene. It's all disposable.

[goroth]

I'm more concerned about geoblocking than piracy.
Artists will get screwed over regardless of whatever system you have, but geoblocking in this day and age, with the distribution methods that currently exist, is fucking stupid and just forces people to go around legal methods for getting content.

Jwar's point about unenforcability is also relevant.

[$harkToootth]

Agreed. Seeing as history repeats itself there will be alternative methods that while "illegal" are "accepted". Walk down 8th Ave between 32nd and 40th and count the number of shops selling bootleg Asian Cinema. I can assure you not one NYPD officer or Councilman gives a fuck. But I see your point, in the end the artist suffers much more than the consumer (there will always be a way to get content).

I know I sounded pretty anti-pirating early in thread but I must confess...I pirate crust punk all the time. some of the band actually encourage it and the ones that don't are usually the ones criticizing consumerism the most so...

[goroth]

You wouldn't be a crust dog if you didn't pirate that shit.

[$harkToootth]

Corporate Crust Dog at your service...

[coldbrightsunlight]

Crust punks own and know how to operate computers?

[$harkToootth]

I'm not really one. The only train hopping I do is to get to work
But on that note there are some bands I listen to and think, "No way these guys have a bank account..No way..."

[OldGeorge]

I have mixed feelings... Like many here I don't enjoy spending money in something without knowing what I'm getting into. I always want to hear an album before I'm willing to spend money on it. It's rare that I will buy an album/ep before hearing it. I don't buy movies anymore because I just don't enjoy them enough to want to OWN it.

Bands like Metallica or the Rolling Stones don't need the dough so I don't feel bad if I pirate it. You made your cash over the years and more than is required to live a comfortable life and I don't feel like I have to give you any more. However I'm a massive supporter of local and underground music and art. I buy from the out of town band at almost ever show I go to and pay asking dollar for art from artists at art shows and festivals without arguing about price. I've done many art shows and am shocked at how people treat artists. They believe I should just give my paintings away because I've never been in a book or "gallery" or museum or fancy collection. I see much of the same in music and I hate that.

When I love the music people make I buy the shirt or vinyl or CD at the show. I feel like all the piracy over the years has devalued music/art/film because people don't understand or respect what it takes to make it and in part people manufacturing music/film (90's boy bands and a large swath of pop music done by formula or remake after remake with "better cgi"). Record companies are to blame for a lot of it with their small opinions of the public, screwing artists in contract deals, and buying out all the radio time controlling what people have easily available.

I guess what it comes down to is I have and will probably continue to pirate things that I feel have diminished in value to me or have earned enough to live behind the comfort of normal living. I will continue to buy the t-shirt or record from the guys on tour in a van that smells like BO and farts. I think it's been proven that stopping piracy is impossible because most people are going to just find a new way to send and receive media.

tl/dr I don't love piracy, I do it and feel like a hipocrate, still try to support to little guy