Hi. I keep hearing about folks downloading movies from the web, anybody have any tips on where I can go look for a good movie download site? THX
Isn’t that stealing?
I mean swapping files is stealing as well. If everyone downloads movies and mp3’s there will be no more music or movies. Just pay the $220 and go see a movie in a theatre…
come on Grasshopper! Do you really think that downloading will kill the entertainment industry? That’s what you are implying!
Record companies have been hurting alot. I mean fewer and fewer new bands are getting signed. Now I know going indie is a great option but the distribution channels are not there. Stealing in this century should be called “sharing”
Thanks Stevieboy for the url, I’ll see what they have. Thanks Grasshopper for the comments to which I agree in principle. I spend an average of NT$ 1500 - 2000 per month on music & movies, but as we’re not native English speakers (nor Chinese for that matter!) and our kids should also hear some of their native tongue once in a while we’ve been having our monthly amazon-parcel, which, frankly, is becoming a bit too expensive. So I’m looking for alternative sources while at the same time knowing that I will have to continue to spend money on CDs & DVDs.
Am I forgiven?
If illegal copying were the cd/movie industry’s only problem, I think we’d all rejoice. Unfortunately, it’s not.
Many of the problems are the result of consolidation, culling of lists of artists/albums/etc. and a bunch of other problems that ‘sharing’ only makes worse.
Example: Sony cuts 50 artists that they don’t want to spend bucks promoting anymore. Let’s say these 50 artists maybe sold 10000 copies each. Does cutting the list make it any more likely that the purchasers of those cd are now going to buy the latest release from Celine Dion or whatever? I don’t think so. QED sales march out the door each time you cut an artist. Selling CDs is different to selling gasoline. There’s no subsitute for gasoline, you just need it. A CD is a luxury item; if people don’t see one they want, they just won’t buy it.
The CD’s industry’s problems are their own making. That’s for sure. I’m not weeping for the music industry right now. NYtimes has had some great articles on these issues.
Like I said, I wish it were as simple as people stealing songs. But sales are off from a few years ago for a NUMBER of significant reasons.
- too many big name bands/groups
- not enough NEW talent recruited by the big boys
- lacklustre albums 1 or 2 good songs out of 12
- don’t know about the US, but CD in UK now cost GBP12-15 each. thats NT$720-900 full price.
- how many copies of CELINE Dion can you own?
- out of date distribution system
- customers’ tastes are diverging more and more
- customers’ options are now diverging: (not including illegal options) multiple MTV type channels, digital radio, cable radio, internet radio, multi-channel regular radio, dvd’s, computer games, movies, etc
- extensive industry consolidation (bigger keep getting bigger)
- dwindling selections of cd as back catalogues are cut.
- increasingly sophisticated and technologically aware customers who now use a variety of devices
- large record companies that are hamstrung by their grudging acceptance of the new industry models around them.
Now let’s assume that each of these points subtracts 1% of sales by itself, that would be a whopping 12% of total sales. Just there.
As you can see, this issue bugs me. I think it’s appalling that an industry rips off its customers for a decade or more, then turns around and badmouths/sues/harrasses its very own customers. This is not a reciipe for a growth industry, I assure you.
Kenneth
oh and BTW, I don’t download music or use any filesharing service.
The big five record companies, aka the RIAA, have been convicted of monopolistic practices vis-a-vis pricing, distribution and creating articificial market barriers. They are being forced to reduce prices. Raids on distributors of independent music have stopped.
What’s that about, huh?
Also, these are the people that HAVE persecuted old women and minors for things they never did. They have advocated hacking and damaging the computers of people who have been NOT convicted of any crime, let alone charged.
Pull your head out of your arse and realize just how egregiously ill-informed and ignorant you are.
Poor, poor record and movie companies… they’re almost as pitiable as pharmacutical companies. Or, maybe you prefer Microsoft and their 95-percent margins?
Ever wonder why CD and movie prices are lower here than in the States, hmmm? Piracy is a very effective form of competition.
And, what’s all that region one, two, three crap about? Hmmm? What do you think they’re up to there? All with the cooperation of the hardware vendors and legal sanction to back it up?
Xpet, grasshopper… They do it all for you. They strive daily to improve the user experience, promote quality and protect artists’ rights. Take a deep, righteous breath – you’ve earned it.
So that makes it ok then. Two wrongs do make a right after all.
Good job everyone everyone you steal from is a Bill Gates or Steven Spielberg and they can all afford it, and there’s noone just trying to scrape though making a normal living.
The supermarket industry hasn’t been closed down by shoplifting, so that’s ok too.
I’m sorry my seemingly harmless question has stirred such a harsh discussion, just for the record: I have never used Napster, Kazaa or whatever other file-sharing site might exist to download music files, for the exact reasons that have been listed above with regard to the musician’s role in the industry. I was an aspiring (though ultimately unsuccessful) semi-professional musician myself for some years, my brother is right now trying to get a foot in the door back in Europe and I’m very much aware how painful & frustrating, both emotionally and economically, it can be to try and make a living with your own music. This is why I will continue to spend money on the music I like to listen to at home as long as I can aford it.
Movies to me seem a bit different though, I don’t see the “moral” issue there so much unless sb can enlighten me …? THX
GRASSHOPPER okay… basically if you can get something for free, im a take it, if you could get free tickets to the movies every week would you take them? or continue to pay the 220? come on…Can you honestly say sorry man i need to support these people in hollywood, so let me take these tix and throw em in the garbage bin(if you can actually find one)
I’lll pirate everything software music movies…
Why do movies cost so much to make? I hope movie piracy increases ten fold… lets say a movie costs 100 million to make… look how much is on catering and paying people insane amounts of money for things that are not needed… thats hollywood for ya… and come on 200-500 NT for a music CD? you gotta be crazy… It takes me what 15 mins to download the CD off the internet for free… quicker then I goto the store and basically purchase it… CD’s are very inconvienent… a hard drive is about the size of 3 music cd’s in their cases… and I have what 1000 albums on it… way more convienent…
plus look at how music sales mess up artist lives… if micheal jackson hadnt made insane amounts off his music i bet hed have way fewer problems