Illegally downloading films, games, Music - your views?

Just thinking about this, not saying I have done this image or maybe I have image 

Anyway.....I know it's supposedly ripping off all these mega rich and famous people. But how many times do you go to the cinema or buy an album and think its rubbish. Are they not ripping you off?? Just curious to where other people stand on this.

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Comments

  • I have never worked out how to do itimage

  • i prefer buying CDs and DVDs.

    don't go to the cinema much.

    i have obtained a few copies of things but never downloaded (legally or illegally)

     

  • If I didn't have a Cineworld unlimited card, I wouldn't go to the cinema because it's horrifically overpriced. So if I chose to illegally download, my argument would be that the studios aren't losing any money, because I wouldn't have seen the film at all otherwise.

    Lets not forget too, that many films and TV shows are financed by product placement sponsorship. So actually, pirating is a POSITIVE thing for these financiers, as their product/brand gets a much wider exposure than it would have done otherwise. (But try putting that in a convincing business case when trying to fund a film!)

    Same goes for music. I'd never buy it anyway and am happy with the radio. So if I chose to download illegally again, no money loss because they don't lose what they never had.

    Seren touches on the point that I think these studios miss the point on. Illegally downloading isn't for everyone - Not everyone knows how to do it. But EVERYONE knows someone that CAN and that can put it on a DVD for them.

    Services like netflix and Spotify have it right. Provide simple ways to deliver content at a low cost and everyone wins.

     - Those who would buy pirate DVDs wouldn't need to as its easier to stream with something like Netflix
    - The few people buying dodgy copies means those pirates wouldn't make as much money and would eventually stop doing it
     - The studio makes money from the subscriptions
     - The movie gets seen by more people, promoting the movie, the stars, the story, the brand for ancillary addon revenues

    This is also why iTunes works so well. Cheap, easy delivery. Instantly available on your devices. It's EASIER to buy a song for your iPod/iPhone than it is to download it illegally, import it to iTunes, and sync it to your phone. So people don't mind paying 70p for it.

    Unfortunately the whole industry is just too greedy when we, Joe Public, are living in a period of austerity. The less money we have, the more these places want it. And of course, rather than reduce prices to bring people back, they increase prices to make up for lost revenues!

  • I used to use napster but since they clamped down on that haven't downloaded stuff.   I only really used to download odd things to try them and then would buy the cd if i liked it.   Since I stopped downloading stuff I've hardly bought any music.

  • @mattywarr - arguning that downloading the film doesn't cause a loss to a studio because you wouldn't have gone to see the film is bollocks.  You benefited from downloading and watching it, thus the studio incurred a loss.  Even though yours is quite a long post there's an awful lot of stupid in it.

  • Too long a boring ramble to read all that but to say you are doing the film companies a favour by stealing their work? How delusional is that?

    I think there should be big fines and prison sentences for people who ilegally steal peoples work. People make a living out of these films. Ordinary people who have to buy food for their kids. Not just the Brad and Angelinas of this world.

  • No need for anyone to download music illegally due to the number of services available that offer good options for obtaining or listening to them legally (itunes/spotify etc).

    The television and film industry really need to move with the times. They are very slowly moving in that direction with Netflix etc, but they need to get any from exclusive deals and limited content in certain regions. A generation is coming through that don't do adverts. They watch when they want not to schedules and expect everything now, not when some executive decides their country will get it. See download rates for Game of Thrones/Breaking Bad etc.

    The gaming industry is a mixed bag. The indie scene certainly prospers from digital selling at a reasonable price. The AAA blockbuster market might have a tougher time with this method. The insane costs to develop those titles means they need to shift a few million copies just to break even. With the play and trade culture, digital distribution is less attractive. Although some titles such as GTA V, which hits the streets today will rake in millions and rightly so for a masterpiece of software engineering.

  • interesting points of view. Will it ever get to a point where so many people are downloading stuff illegally that certain films, games, music will not be made?? Good point about sponsorship etc though.

  • TheVicar wrote (see)

    Will it ever get to a point where so many people are downloading stuff illegally that certain films, games, music will not be made??

    it is already happening in my opinion.

     

  • TheVicar wrote (see)

    interesting points of view. Will it ever get to a point where so many people are downloading stuff illegally that certain films, games, music will not be made?? 

    If it stops 'Rocky 9' and 'Fast and the Furious 17' being made, and guff like One Direction being produced, then more's the better.

    Sadly though, that dross will still be piped out to the masses, and it's the decent music, films etc (with a smaller audience) that will suffer...

  • TheVicar wrote (see)

    interesting points of view. Will it ever get to a point where so many people are downloading stuff illegally that certain films, games, music will not be made?? Good point about sponsorship etc though.

    If things stop making a profit then they stop getting made. The gaming industry have a handful of heavy hitters, but many developers are almost in a constant state of waiting for the doors to be closed on them. It just takes one game to flop and the Publishers pull funding for future titles.

    The bigger issue is the funding for riskier titles in games/television/music get pulled and they only fund "safe" projects. To a degree this is already an issue for these industries.

    Music is less affected as digital distribution pretty much means anyone can easily and cheeply create and distribute content. If you have the talent you can create music cheaply. A great album or song is not restricted by cost. In contrast something like GTA V cost $153 million to develop and game development costs tend to increase as players want better graphics and more of everything. The indie gaming scene can do well selling cheaply and not targeting the AAA market, but for every Minecraft there are a thousand commercial  flops. Film can be done cheaply, but that really depends on what you are filming. It also excludes getting big name actors into your production.

    Film and tv should target digital downloads (buy or rent) from day one. I guess cinema chains would complain, but you need to move with the times. The games industry is already trying to push towards digital, but their challenge is stabilising development costs.

  • Pudge wrote (see)
    TheVicar wrote (see)

    interesting points of view. Will it ever get to a point where so many people are downloading stuff illegally that certain films, games, music will not be made?? 

    If it stops 'Rocky 9' and 'Fast and the Furious 17' being made, and guff like One Direction being produced, then more's the better.

    Sadly though, that dross will still be piped out to the masses, and it's the decent music, films etc (with a smaller audience) that will suffer...

    Actually theres less commercail risk in a sequal than new IP, so illegal downloading would only help create the never ending line of sequals and reduce risk taking.

  • If there wasn't money to be made they wouldn't do it

  • Runnin man wrote (see)

    If there wasn't money to be made they wouldn't do it

    download?

  • skotty wrote (see)

    i prefer buying CDs and DVDs.

    don't go to the cinema much.

     

    Same here.  

    I'm still listening to music I bought years ago.  I haven't bought any thing produced more recently than about 2005.  

    I buy dvds of films sometimes, mostly for my OH.  I find most films seem to go on way longer than they should.  The last one I saw at the cinema (The Lone Ranger), was OK, but it was waaay too long.

     

  • Sussex Runner NLR wrote (see)

    Too long a boring ramble to read all that but to say you are doing the film companies a favour by stealing their work? How delusional is that?

    Actually, your interpretation is the delusional part. I wasn't condoning or justifying anything, merely using the case as an example.

    Is it worth spending the best part of a tenner to watch a film? No, in my opinion. 

    Is it worth spending a tenner a month (OK, its 15 with Cineworld) to see as many films as you want? Absolutely.

    The point was, if studios made it easier and cheaper to consume their media then there would be no need to illegally download. Hence the citation of the iTunes and Netflix models as successful examples of how the industry should be responding to the change in consumer habits and expectations.

  • The creators of both Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, two of the most commercially and critically successful shows of the past 3 years both state that piracy is a "Double edged sword" which has helped the shows gather a bigger audience through word of mouth.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24108673

    Take this as a film example. Someone downloads a film, watches a film and likes it. They post about it on facebook, tell their friends, tweet it. Good PR. Their circle of friends are more likely to go and watch it through whatever means they can.

    If the studios made it easier and more cost effective to stream that legally, they are more likely to gain more revenue.

    Some films are designed to watch in the cinma. The cinematic experience is amazing, and I'll always go and see the big blockbusters, though I enjoy the experience more than anything.

    Would I want to spend £30+ to take the kids to watch "Diary of a wimpy kid"? Not on your life!

  • I can understand why people download stuff. I'm having to wait until Feb next year for Season 3 of Game Of Thrones to come out on BluRay, I could easily download that for free right now.

    Mostly I watch films for free on Freeview. There's a whole load of good stuff on, mostly 5+ years old. ITV had most of the Harry Potter films on recently (in HD), so I'm working my way through those.

    I'm reluctant to sign up for Netflix or similar. If I'm paying for stuff I want to own it rather than rent it.

  • Snap!Snap! ✭✭✭

    I'm too technically challenged to work out how to do it. But generally I expect to pay for things that I buy or use. I think that not to do so is ethically wrong. You're paying for art at the end of the day and your personal taste will decide whether you enjoy it or not.

    Your decision to go and see something will be influenced by marketing, hype, reviews and the track record of producers, directors, actors and so on. You know roughly what you're getting into. If you don't like it, that's probably not the film-makers fault. 

    I think Grease is shit. Plenty of people love it. My problem, no one else's, and it doesn't give me the right to rip it off.

     

  • i went to stay at a hotel the other night and it was £300 a night, a bit pricey so instead of paying for it i stole a key card in and used the room.  Its ok though as i was never going to pay £300 and they werent at full capacity.   If they want to stop me they should reduce the prices. Thats ok right?

  • Snap! wrote (see)
    it doesn't give me the right to rip it off.

     

    And I agree with that.

    I know what I am posting makes me sound like Captain Jack Sparrow of digital downloading - but I'm not. I'm just arguin one facet of the argument. I pay for Netflix and NowTV and they are great, easy to use subscription services offering great value.

    On the ther hand, as a software developer I also understand the need to prevent our goods being used by those who haven't paid for them. However what is clear is that our model needs to change to accommodate a change in consumer behaviour.

    And it's inevitable. In the coming years, people just won't own this sort of content, it will be licensed and all stored online. CDs, DVD and Blu Ray will become niche, much like vinyl, and everything will be stored in the cloud.

    So in my view, the industry is taking the wrong approach. Rather than spending so much trying to prevent piracy, take that money and invest in future technologies which will satisfy the studio and the consumer.

  •  

    DeanR7 wrote (see)

    i went to stay at a hotel the other night and it was £300 a night, a bit pricey so instead of paying for it i stole a key card in and used the room.  Its ok though as i was never going to pay £300 and they werent at full capacity.   If they want to stop me they should reduce the prices. Thats ok right?

    Of course... thats exactly the same thing... image

  • why is it different, because its physical not digital?

    Your example is that you dont value the product at price they set , neither do i.    so ultimately whats different?

     

  • In 1973 I bought an LP record of Hunky Dory, later on I bought a tape for the car and now it's out on CDs I just downloaded it myself, having bought the music twice technically I suppose I broke copyright but I have no problem with it.

  • DeanR7: As long as you change the sheets and push the hoover around.

  • In your example, I would exercise my right to choose a cheaper alternative and book in at a travelodge or premier inn, because they are a) Usually accessible to transport links, and b) Priced cheaper

    I reiterate that i agree its morally wrong to do it. But people do it and you won't stop it, ever. So they should do something innovative to encourage legal means instead.

    If I needed a map, I could either use a free Google map, or go and pay for a road atlas or OS map. Google make their money in different ways through innovation. Why couldn't movie studios do the same thing?

     

  • Good points mattywarr (what is it good for absolutely nothing)

  • Sussex Runner NLR wrote (see)

    Good points mattywarr (what is it good for absolutely nothing)

    I can't tell if thats sarcasm or not?!

  • so illegal downloaders = robin hood?

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