The founders of torrent search engine The Pirate Bay have been found guilty of breaking copyright law, sentenced to 1 year in prison and fined £2.4 million. Aside from the gross misinterpretation of the law and the outlandishly heavy sentencing that has occurred, the trial brings to light some of the glaring issues facing the major media industries, in particular the music industry. It’s time for major record labels to wake up and smell the ether and take notice of what’s been happening in the last few years on the independent scene.
As an advocate and minor-league promoter of independent music, I spend a large chunk of my average day finding music from all over the world by artists and bands who offer their work for free, and I do all I can to spread awareness of the music I love. Most of these artists and bands are unsigned, or at most signed to small indie labels, and they make very little money from their work - but they’re doing what they love and making truly arse-kicking music.
They save up enough cash to buy a day in a studio and record EPs, albums and demos, then give them away - not only to promoters, podcasters and potential labels, but to anyone who wants to listen. They upload their music to sites like Jamendo, Reverb Nation, and The Podsafe Music Network so that people can download it for free, they use Twitter to network with other music-heads - in other words, they use some bloody initiative to spread their work around. They do it purely for a love of making music and a desire to have their tunes heard by as many people as possible.
Compare this to the attitude of major record labels.
These are people who find bands that love to make good music, take them under their corporate wing, and proceed to ethically and financially bitch-slap them and their fans to within an inch of their lives. Trent Reznor, a pioneer of the Creative Commons, independent music movement after Nine Inch Nails dramatically ditched Universal in 2007, expresses this predicament perfectly:
“One of the biggest wake-up calls of my career was when I saw a record contract. I said, ‘Wait - you sell it for $18.98 and I make 80 cents? And I have to pay you back the money you lent me to make it and then you own it?”
The fact is that the record industry is floundering because music fans are no longer willing to pay extortionate prices for CDs when they know that the artists themselves are getting jack shit - and they can get a copy off the internet for nowt. But the big labels have become so enamoured with making quick money from trendy bands who are hyped up to hell and only record one album before they disappear that they’ve forgotten what it means to build a proper relationship with musicians and fans.
Subsequently this means that, to most independent artists, the thought of getting a major record deal seems so terribly bleak and soulless that no one actually wants one anymore. Musicians have become savvy; they understand that if they get signed to a major label they’ll get dicked around and probably eventually crushed, so that now most musicians worth their salt would rather get a nice deal with a smaller indie label and tour their music-loving arses off.
Because do you know what you can’t illegally download or torrent or pirate or stream? The thrilling exhilaration, excitement and joy of live music. And I know you can film and bootleg gigs, but I’m talking about actually being there and feeling the bassline hit you right between the ribs. The whole point of bands giving away their music is to build up a loyal fanbase who will pay to come to their gigs, buy their merchandise, and recommend them to friends who will do the same. The more people who know about your music, the more chance you’ll have of making money from it, and the easiest way to get your music heard is to give it away.
This is something that modern bands understand perfectly, yet it’s a concept that is entirely lost on the mainstream industry. Rather than addressing the glaring flaws in its outdated business plan and refocusing their efforts to embrace technological advances, the industry would prefer to shout “Thief!” at anyone who brings their shortcomings to light. Of course sites like The Pirate Bay are making their problems worse, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing – the problem exists and will not go away until major labels overhaul the way they do business.
The point is, the future of music is priceless. It is a Creative Commons licensed, free exchange of EPs, albums, demos and promo tracks, distributed and spread by people who love the music enough to tell everyone they know and pay to go to gigs and. It’s a true thrill unlike any other to stumble upon amazing music that no one’s heard yet, whether on the internet, at a live event or through word of mouth, and it’s why I spend half my life doing it.
The major labels need to prick up their ears and take notice of how music distribution is operating under their radar, and maybe then they’ll realise why no one’s buying CDs anymore and why The Pirate Bay founders shouldn’t go to prison for making music available to everyone. By making commercial music available for free, The Pirate Bay have highlighted a problem in a failing industry which is begging to be addressed. The irony is that the solution lies within the unsigned masses, right under their noses.
Free music is the future, whether they like it or not.
Creative Commons website
The Pirate Bay Verdict
Write Commentby windows78 Apr 18, 2009, 01:40:51 pmI thought Warner just brought it out?
by Samyouwell Apr 18, 2009, 01:58:30 pmI thought Warner just brought it out?
What would they be paying for, the list or the website? If its the list then somebody else has already started to shift it to another site, if its the site same answer applies!
I just read this quote from a Sweedish website...
'File sharing will obviously not cease with the Pirate Bay verdict, regardless if it�s in the district court, the court of appeal or the Supreme Court. I will say what the author Paulo Coelho has already said: mankind has in all times always shared information. It�s a natural urge, quite impossible to stop. In the long course, I think it will be impossible to turn the Internet into a paying TV channel.'
by Samyouwell Apr 20, 2009, 12:19:59 pmI just found a great article. The Pirate Party, pirate bays political arm is now the 5th most popular in Sweeden and growing. It is the most popular political party for the under 30s in Sweeden. As predicted, this court case would never be a victory for the copyrighters, just more publicity and public support for the pirates lol.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/pirate-bay-could-soon-be-obsolete-1671421.html
by floydy Apr 20, 2009, 12:33:03 pmsuper dodgy right wing political funding connections:
In April 2007, a rumour was confirmed on the Swedish talk show Bert that The Pirate Bay had received financial support from right-wing entrepreneur Carl Lundstr�m. This caused some furor since Lundstr�m, an heir to the Wasabr�d fortune, is known for financing several far-right political parties and movements like Sverigedemokraterna and Bevara Sverige Svenskt (Keep Sweden Swedish). The size of Lundstr�m's contributions is unknown, as are his motives. During the talk show, The Pirate Bay spokesman Tobias Andersson acknowledged that "without Lundstr�m's support, Pirate Bay would not have been able to start" and claimed that most of the money went towards acquiring servers and bandwidth.[19][20]
by M_B Apr 20, 2009, 01:48:10 pmsuper dodgy right wing political funding connections:
In April 2007, a rumour was confirmed on the Swedish talk show Bert that The Pirate Bay had received financial support from right-wing entrepreneur Carl Lundstr�m. This caused some furor since Lundstr�m, an heir to the Wasabr�d fortune, is known for financing several far-right political parties and movements like Sverigedemokraterna and Bevara Sverige Svenskt (Keep Sweden Swedish). The size of Lundstr�m's contributions is unknown, as are his motives. During the talk show, The Pirate Bay spokesman Tobias Andersson acknowledged that "without Lundstr�m's support, Pirate Bay would not have been able to start" and claimed that most of the money went towards acquiring servers and bandwidth.[19][20]
I know i probably shouldn't take anything that begins with "a rumour was confirmed on the Swedish talk show...", too seriously but, isn't that selective bit of cutting & pasting from Wikipedia a bit misleading? Lundstrom's company, Rix Telecom, ran the servers that Pirate Bay, amongst others, used. I mean, it's not as if Pirate Bay was directly funded by neo nazi's.
Anyway, even if Lundstrom was funding Pirate Bay, so what? It's not like Pirate Bay was supporting him or his politics. Better he spent his money on something harmless like file-sharing than, say, fascist rallies...etc.
by floydy Apr 20, 2009, 01:58:22 pmit must have made a profit, he probably saw a return...
by cheque Apr 20, 2009, 06:55:46 pmSoon it will be illegal to buy VHS and Cassette tapes...
Is it even possible to buy VHS and cassette tapes?
by Mr Curtis Apr 21, 2009, 10:34:16 amQuoteif Lundstrom was funding Pirate Bay, so what? It's not like Pirate Bay was supporting him or his politics. Better he spent his money on something harmless like file-sharing than, say, fascist rallies...etc.
True.
The site has mirrors and back ups all over the world and most torrents that appear on TPB appear on all the other torrent networks anyway. I think they're fighting a battle that can't be won, it's the users that share the files not the torrent websites. The only way a crack down will happen is if internet providers start keeping tabs on what you do online (which would be proper shit!) but Virgin started sending warning letters to its users last year who were seen to be downloading illegally.
by Samyouwell Apr 21, 2009, 01:07:19 pmSoon it will be illegal to buy VHS and Cassette tapes...
Is it even possible to buy VHS and cassette tapes?
Lol I was alluding to the fact that Pirate Bay may soon be as extinct asd the two formats...
by LeftLion Apr 21, 2009, 02:46:52 pmClick here to read this article: The Pirate Bay Verdict
\"The problem will not go away until major labels overhaul the way they do business\"
Please use this thread to comment on the above LeftLion article.
by Lord of the Nish Apr 21, 2009, 05:44:12 pmThat article is mint.
And I think they should turn Sweden Norwegian. Just out of badness.
by Spandex Apr 21, 2009, 06:15:59 pmQuote from: M_BAnyway, even if Lundstrom was funding Pirate Bay, so what?
Ar. True or not, it's irrelevant and is part of a smear by Andrew Orlowski... climate change denier and generally confused angryman.
According to Wikipedia his Register articles are "are also rare for The Register in that they do not feature a comments section". Wonder why :)
by Samyouwell Apr 22, 2009, 12:44:02 pm<a href="http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/2505">Click here to read this article: The Pirate Bay Verdict
<img src="http://www.leftlion.co.uk/images/content/articles/smallimages/piratebay74.jpg"></a>
\"The problem will not go away until major labels overhaul the way they do business\"
Please use this thread to comment on the above LeftLion article.
This is a great article, really welll written and gets right to the heart of the matter.
by Spandex Apr 22, 2009, 01:07:25 pmThe article is good but not as good as this one from 2002.
http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2002/12/11/piracy.html
To be that spot on after 7 years of internets is pretty amazing. But if we could all predict the publishing/internets like Tim O'Reilly we'd be sat on similarly massive piles of cash instead of commenting on a mongboard.
The LL article seems to imply that musicians should only be able to make money from live/gigs now... that's true to some extent (especially for unknown peeps like me who can make as much with a single gig in mainland Europe as I will off any 12") but not necessarily how it SHOULD be. The only reason we can't make money off music sales is cos of the stranglehold the majors have, as they try to hang on to their aging oligarchy. As Tim O'Reilly points out in that article, there'll always be publishers, aggregators, distributors etc... we just need a totally new way of thinking about performing rights where micropayments become feasible. This would have been impossible 20 years ago, but it's now possible to track every individual play. Then we can get paid proportionately cos we have 5,000 listeners worldwide, instead of getting bob-all until we've got 5,000,000 and a gig on Saturday morning kids TV.
by Samyouwell Apr 23, 2009, 12:37:15 pmPirate Bays announcement...
TPB FTW
So the first verdict finally came, almost 3 years after the raid. You might have heard about it in the news...
You, our beloved users, know that this little speedbump on the information super highway is nothing more than just, a little bump. Todays verdict has already been appealed by us and will be taken to the next level of court (and that will take another 2 or 3 years!)
The site will live on! We are more determined than ever that what we do is right. Millions of users are a good proof of that.
We have seen that some people that we dont know have started collecting donations for us, so we can pay those silly fines. We firmly ask you NOT to do this. Do not gather or send any money. We do not want them since we will not pay any fines!
If you really want to help out, here is a list:
* Seed those torrents a little bit more than you usually do!
* Buy a t-shirt and show the world where your sympathy is.
* If you live in Europe, vote in the election for the EU parliament in June.
* Continue to build the internets! Start more bittorrent sites, blog more, start your own lobby group, create, remix, mash up and continue to grow more heads on this amazing hydra that we know as the internets!
* Do not be afraid of using the network. Invite your friends to this and other file sharing systems. Calm people down if they're upset. We need to stay united.
And say it loud say it proud! We are all The Pirate Bay!
by Spandex Apr 23, 2009, 01:15:43 pmGotta love em.
by timmy Apr 23, 2009, 05:54:54 pmQuote
* Continue to build the internets! Start more bittorrent sites, blog more, start your own lobby group, create, remix, mash up and continue to grow more heads on this amazing hydra that we know as the internets!
Brilliant
so its still there
and it still works
Carry on!
by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. Apr 30, 2009, 08:24:26 pm
by timmy Apr 30, 2009, 08:28:21 pmgreat find.
by Rebi May 01, 2009, 02:09:33 pmSoon it will be illegal to buy VHS and Cassette tapes...
Is it even possible to buy VHS and cassette tapes?
Lol I was alluding to the fact that Pirate Bay may soon be as extinct asd the two formats...
You can buy recordable VHS in wilko's. I was most shocked and pleased when I saw them!
by Samyouwell May 06, 2009, 06:36:59 pm
Lol, I like this. I checked on the Pirate Bay site today and its gone. Looks like google will have to do it by themselves (or maybe with a little help from mininove etc...)
by timmy May 12, 2009, 01:11:37 pmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8044251.stm
"please, please, create laws to protect our outdated business model because we cant move as quickly as technology. We are old and can not cope, surely that must be everyone else's problem - sue them all!"
by Samyouwell May 12, 2009, 03:50:45 pmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8044251.stm
"please, please, create laws to protect our outdated business model because we cant move as quickly as technology. We are old and can not cope, surely that must be everyone else's problem - sue them all!"
"And we've been shafting everyone up the arse for the last 5 decades, especially those with creative genius. Please put laws in place so we can start ripping people off again"
Pirate Bay is back on line again...
by timmy May 12, 2009, 05:30:08 pm
by timmy May 12, 2009, 05:35:26 pm
by Purple_Jim May 13, 2009, 08:54:21 pmPeer guardian has been doing the rounds for a few years. Although i don't know many that bother with it, it's far from fool proof.
People should enjoy downloading P2p while they can though it won't last forever IMO.
by timmy May 13, 2009, 09:20:20 pmPeer guardian has been doing the rounds for a few years. Although i don't know many that bother with it, it's far from fool proof.
People should enjoy downloading P2p while they can though it won't last forever IMO.
First I heard of it - Recon its worth the effort?
by Purple_Jim May 13, 2009, 09:57:03 pmIf you've had a warning letter from your ISP why not. If not it's a numbers game and your chances of getting fingered are too low to worry IMO unless you're a serial uploader.
by Samyouwell May 14, 2009, 04:24:52 pmProtowall does the same as peer guardian also. Most P2P software has an IP filter built in, you just have to know which IPs to block. I think Block List Manager is a good place to start.
Just to point out the legality issue. P2P is not illegal, its the content that is shared that may be illegal. You can find a huge amount of legal stuff through P2P. I use it for journals, podcasts, RSS feeds etc. If you download shows from the BBC that is done using P2P methods.
I am concerned about who else uses the P2P software so I protect myself from hackers by using an IP blocker.If you've had a warning letter from your ISP why not. If not it's a numbers game and your chances of getting fingered are too low to worry IMO unless you're a serial uploader.
Even if you have had a warning letter from your ISP, you can only be arrested for uploading not downloading. Viva the revolution...
by Al (G) May 21, 2009, 10:45:48 pmhttp://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/judge-reviewing-pirate-bay-trial-bias-is-removed-for-bias/
Judge reviewing case for potential bias is removed for being bias... quite the saga this.
by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. May 22, 2009, 11:31:32 amIt is starting to look like there's absolutely no case whatsoever against these guys so they're just doing everything they can to stack the deck against them...
by Samyouwell May 22, 2009, 04:05:02 pmhttp://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/judge-reviewing-pirate-bay-trial-bias-is-removed-for-bias/
Judge reviewing case for potential bias is removed for being bias... quite the saga this.
The whole thing has decended into a pharce. There is no way in the world that theseconvictions are going to stick, they were just an attempt to frighten people. If anything they have increased awareness of the fact that its really easy to download pretty much any piece of music/film/porn/software for free and how to do it. Thanks Sweeden!
by timmy May 29, 2009, 01:42:42 pm
by Adrian Jun 07, 2009, 03:31:08 pmRather good article from Ben Goldacre, the scourge of dodgy claim-makers:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/05/ben-goldacre-bad-science-music-downloads
by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. Jun 30, 2009, 01:27:30 pm
by Al (G) Jun 30, 2009, 02:58:11 pmYeah read that this morning, they are also preparing to launch http://www.videobay.org/ which seemingly will not be legit (and loads more dodgy than piratebay as they'd be storing video files themselves).
All very strange.
by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. Jun 30, 2009, 03:18:35 pmHuh.
I'd kinda assumed that with the Pirate Party's strong (if novelty-based and probably short-lived) showing in the Euro elections, they'd grown tired of actually facilitating the filesharing themselves, decided to go into politics and were selling TPB off to whoever to bankroll their campaigns or something.
If they're starting up a potentially even dodgier video hosting site on the side, then maybe not so much. Who knows?
Possibly the most likely explanations are a) they're cold broke after the spectrial and just flailing around for money, b) it's all lies and disinformation and PR flimflam and they've decided they like being talked about so are now just inventing things for people to blog about, c) both.
by Purple_Jim Jul 01, 2009, 11:20:01 pmSummat similar happened before with a site who's name forgets me.
Legal action threat>public donations>site was brought out and the founders buggered with thousands of pounds of donations.
Big business this stuff
by timmy Nov 24, 2009, 02:23:12 pm
