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The movie/music/tv industries need to learn from Steam. I used to steal games all the time. New game came out? Steal it. Open up BitTorrent or an FTP client an

by shocks 14y ago

The movie/music/tv industries need to learn from Steam. I used to steal games all the time. New game came out? Steal it. Open up BitTorrent or an FTP client and start downloading, immediately. But then Steam came along. Now I buy all my games. I don't just buy games I want, I buy games I have stolen in the past. I buy new games. I buy games on sale. But the most important part? A new game comes out, and I think about buying it on Steam before I think about stealing it. Stealing doesn't cross my mind, because being a legitimate customer (which is what I want to be...) is just so easy. Music is getting easier with products like Spotify, but what about quality freaks? Lots of people want FLAC, but don't buy CDs. When a real solution for this problem comes out, I'm sure people will flock too it. TV? How does someone in Lithuania legitimately pay for HD American TV shows? He or she can't, but they can certainly steal it without any problems. It's not even hard. My grandma could do it. It's a similar problem with movies. Ridiculous release times (US only for two months, etc), difficult to get a 1080p mkv legitimately - but that's what people want. Netflicks is certainly helping to solve this problem, but their catalogue is not extensive. It is not always up to date. The only way to compete with piracy is to offer a better alternative.

JonnieCache 14y ago
Independent music places like http://boomkat.com http://boomkat.com are good. I can have flacs downloading at high speed much quicker than I can find a torrent etc. these days. Once you've registered an account and they have your card details it's about 15 seconds from clicking buy to the zip downloading. It's still too many clicks, but it's good. Of course, they only cover niche music. itunes does lossess doesn't it? Is it not convenient enough for you? I've never used it, but I was under the impression it was a very smooth experience.
- shocks 14y ago
  I just searched for a few of my favourite Metal bands and didn't find them on iTunes! :( A quick Google is telling me iTunes doesn't support buying lossless codecs. One thing I have been trying to do recently is sending messages to bands I like asking to buy a CD from them that is signed. I get to show my support for a band I really like, and I also get something more than just the CD. As for TV, I have a TV license in England which allows me to stream TV and 4OD is pretty good. I tried NetFlicks but I was unimpressed by the selection available. The problem is that streaming real HD movies/TV is not particularly easy, and no service I have come across lets me download them. I could rent BluRay's from a place like LoveFilm, but I don't have a BluRay player... I would willingly pay £30-40 a month for a legitimate service that lets me download full movies/tv shows in 1080p .mkv format and keep them to watch again at another time. edit: I'd like to point out I want REAL HD. iTunes/Android/YouTube/etc offer horribly compressed 720p videos with lossy audio. <--- Quality freak here.
  - DanBC 14y ago
    > As for TV, I have a TV license in England which allows me to stream TV and 4OD is pretty good. The licence lets you watch tv as it's broadcast. You don't need a licence for catch-up style services.
    - shocks 14y ago
      I'm pretty sure you need a licence to watch BBC iPlayer. 4OD perhaps not, but 4OD is covered in adverts. edit: > http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/tvlicence http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/... I stand corrected! :)
      - pbhjpbhj 14y ago
        If you watch iPlayer "live" you do. Why they don't have an "enter your license number" facility that then drops all programmes that you're not allowed to see, or indeed a paywall, I don't know.
      - WickyNilliams 14y ago
        The GP is correct, you only need a licence for watching TV live. I have had the TV licence people round my house and I explained to them that I watch TV exclusively via the internet and never live. There was no problem with this, I've not heard from them since. Love, Someone who hasn't had a TV licence for years
  - JonnieCache 14y ago
    There's your startup idea then. A high quality independent retailer for underground rock music. Boomkat for guitars. Two problems: 1) Rock music is much more controlled by the big four labels. I checked the latest album from Lamb of God, the most fucked up metal band I could remember off the top of my head: they're on sony. On the other hand, Sunn O))) are on an independent label and they're pretty well known. Maybe lamb of god are more mainstream than I remember. 2) Rock music lacks electronic music's mainly nerd-based audience. While there are undoubtedly a lot of nerds in the metal scene, they lack the raver's inherent kinship with machines. Also, there isn't the same DJ culture, which is perhaps the most common reason why buyers of electronic music demand quality.
benev 14y ago
To be fair, I think the industries have got a lot better in recent years. I stopped pirating music when it became easier to buy it on my smart phone than torrent it and copy it across to an MP3 player. I haven't pirated any TV shows since iplayer / 4OD came out in the UK, and I think movies have gotten a lot better, but I don't watch them much. Yes, it's pretty slow change, but given the size of the companies involved, and the risks of moving to a new business model, I think we have to give them some credit for coming as far as they have, and they show no signs of stopping.
lince 14y ago
Agree with you, except on the use of "steal". You steal when the owner lose the original. What happens in BitTorrent/FTP is copy. More about in copy is not theft video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4
- bobsy 14y ago
  There are really 2 types of piracy. Non-destructive and destructive. I believe the majority is non-destructive. People download things which they either do not have access to or do not value enough to pay for. If the option wasn't there to download it they wouldn't pay for it anyway. Downloading content which you would otherwise pay for is destructive. It is like what the OP describes above. He was downloading things he would otherwise have paid for. Money wasn't going to game makers. He was effectively stealing and its damaging to people making the games. Film / Music industry people think the majority of piracy is destructive. I think they are wrong. I have spent thousands of pounds on things I discovered through piracy. However, if you are downloading things you know you would otherwise buy then really it is difficult to deny you are not stealing or at least conning content owners out of money they are owed.
  - _mulder_ 14y ago
    >People download things which they either do not have access to or do not value enough to pay for Yes, THIS! I think this is the crux of the entire argument that is completely ignored by nearly every content producer. People value things differently for a huge number of reasons. With things with a personal appeal like music, or maybe TV/Film but I imagine less so, some people will pay more for their favourite band, others won't. That means the band is undervaluing their product to their greatest fans (good for the fans) and over valuing for their lesser fans. Normally, when I download things, it's because I don't value the product at the price it's being sold, but I do still value it! Film is a great example of this. I'll happily pay $5 to rent a great film like Django unchained, or Avatar, etc. But am I going to pay the same amount for the (boringly bad) Bourne Legacy? No. But I would still pay something to see it.. perhaps $1, maybe $2. But I can't because there is no option to do this. So instead, I would consider downloading it. So what have the film company lost when I chose to pirate instead of purchase? Not $5 because I wouldn't have paid this in the first place. So they've lost $2. And what have I lost? I've had to spend some of my time hunting down and waiting for the film to download (A minor inconvenience) but that's it. So seems like the only loser is the film company. For evidence, look at the most highly downloaded film of 2012 'Project X'. IMDB gives it a 6.6 rating and it sounds a bit lame but fun. Exactly the sort of film that isn't worth full price rental. Or perhaps that's just how I see things..

by shocks 14y ago

JonnieCache 14y ago

Independent music places like http://boomkat.com http://boomkat.com are good. I can have flacs downloading at high speed much quicker than I can find a torrent etc. these days. Once you've registered an account and they have your card details it's about 15 seconds from clicking buy to the zip downloading. It's still too many clicks, but it's good. Of course, they only cover niche music. itunes does lossess doesn't it? Is it not convenient enough for you? I've never used it, but I was under the impression it was a very smooth experience.

shocks 14y ago
I just searched for a few of my favourite Metal bands and didn't find them on iTunes! :( A quick Google is telling me iTunes doesn't support buying lossless codecs. One thing I have been trying to do recently is sending messages to bands I like asking to buy a CD from them that is signed. I get to show my support for a band I really like, and I also get something more than just the CD. As for TV, I have a TV license in England which allows me to stream TV and 4OD is pretty good. I tried NetFlicks but I was unimpressed by the selection available. The problem is that streaming real HD movies/TV is not particularly easy, and no service I have come across lets me download them. I could rent BluRay's from a place like LoveFilm, but I don't have a BluRay player... I would willingly pay £30-40 a month for a legitimate service that lets me download full movies/tv shows in 1080p .mkv format and keep them to watch again at another time. edit: I'd like to point out I want REAL HD. iTunes/Android/YouTube/etc offer horribly compressed 720p videos with lossy audio. <--- Quality freak here.
- DanBC 14y ago
  > As for TV, I have a TV license in England which allows me to stream TV and 4OD is pretty good. The licence lets you watch tv as it's broadcast. You don't need a licence for catch-up style services.
  - shocks 14y ago
    I'm pretty sure you need a licence to watch BBC iPlayer. 4OD perhaps not, but 4OD is covered in adverts. edit: > http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/tvlicence http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/... I stand corrected! :)
    - pbhjpbhj 14y ago
      If you watch iPlayer "live" you do. Why they don't have an "enter your license number" facility that then drops all programmes that you're not allowed to see, or indeed a paywall, I don't know.
    - WickyNilliams 14y ago
      The GP is correct, you only need a licence for watching TV live. I have had the TV licence people round my house and I explained to them that I watch TV exclusively via the internet and never live. There was no problem with this, I've not heard from them since. Love, Someone who hasn't had a TV licence for years
- JonnieCache 14y ago
  There's your startup idea then. A high quality independent retailer for underground rock music. Boomkat for guitars. Two problems: 1) Rock music is much more controlled by the big four labels. I checked the latest album from Lamb of God, the most fucked up metal band I could remember off the top of my head: they're on sony. On the other hand, Sunn O))) are on an independent label and they're pretty well known. Maybe lamb of god are more mainstream than I remember. 2) Rock music lacks electronic music's mainly nerd-based audience. While there are undoubtedly a lot of nerds in the metal scene, they lack the raver's inherent kinship with machines. Also, there isn't the same DJ culture, which is perhaps the most common reason why buyers of electronic music demand quality.

benev 14y ago

To be fair, I think the industries have got a lot better in recent years. I stopped pirating music when it became easier to buy it on my smart phone than torrent it and copy it across to an MP3 player. I haven't pirated any TV shows since iplayer / 4OD came out in the UK, and I think movies have gotten a lot better, but I don't watch them much. Yes, it's pretty slow change, but given the size of the companies involved, and the risks of moving to a new business model, I think we have to give them some credit for coming as far as they have, and they show no signs of stopping.

lince 14y ago

Agree with you, except on the use of "steal". You steal when the owner lose the original. What happens in BitTorrent/FTP is copy. More about in copy is not theft video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTybKL1pM4

bobsy 14y ago
There are really 2 types of piracy. Non-destructive and destructive. I believe the majority is non-destructive. People download things which they either do not have access to or do not value enough to pay for. If the option wasn't there to download it they wouldn't pay for it anyway. Downloading content which you would otherwise pay for is destructive. It is like what the OP describes above. He was downloading things he would otherwise have paid for. Money wasn't going to game makers. He was effectively stealing and its damaging to people making the games. Film / Music industry people think the majority of piracy is destructive. I think they are wrong. I have spent thousands of pounds on things I discovered through piracy. However, if you are downloading things you know you would otherwise buy then really it is difficult to deny you are not stealing or at least conning content owners out of money they are owed.
- _mulder_ 14y ago
  >People download things which they either do not have access to or do not value enough to pay for Yes, THIS! I think this is the crux of the entire argument that is completely ignored by nearly every content producer. People value things differently for a huge number of reasons. With things with a personal appeal like music, or maybe TV/Film but I imagine less so, some people will pay more for their favourite band, others won't. That means the band is undervaluing their product to their greatest fans (good for the fans) and over valuing for their lesser fans. Normally, when I download things, it's because I don't value the product at the price it's being sold, but I do still value it! Film is a great example of this. I'll happily pay $5 to rent a great film like Django unchained, or Avatar, etc. But am I going to pay the same amount for the (boringly bad) Bourne Legacy? No. But I would still pay something to see it.. perhaps $1, maybe $2. But I can't because there is no option to do this. So instead, I would consider downloading it. So what have the film company lost when I chose to pirate instead of purchase? Not $5 because I wouldn't have paid this in the first place. So they've lost $2. And what have I lost? I've had to spend some of my time hunting down and waiting for the film to download (A minor inconvenience) but that's it. So seems like the only loser is the film company. For evidence, look at the most highly downloaded film of 2012 'Project X'. IMDB gives it a 6.6 rating and it sounds a bit lame but fun. Exactly the sort of film that isn't worth full price rental. Or perhaps that's just how I see things..