Comment Uploaders are not motivated by money, nor altruism (Score 1) 633
Uploaders are not motivated by money, nor altruism.
They are motivated by the social status boost conferred to those who are prolific leakers.
Comment Please stop abusing the term "sharing." (Score 4, Insightful) 309
Copying other people's stuff and giving it away isn't "sharing."
If you want to share, create your own work and give it away for free.
In the past (and present) this is precisely what Richard Stallman did with GNU. He wanted software to be free. Instead of bootlegging copies of Windows (or MS-DOS) he created his OWN stuff and gave it away for free. Now Linux is a force to be reckoned with. If he had simply pirated other peoples' work, this innovation would have never happened.
Submission + - How much is Spotify paying independent artists? (blogspot.com)
Damon Tog writes: David Harrell, of 'The Layaways,' reveals the following:
"For August and September of 2009, we received per-stream payouts of .02 cents, .03 cents, .06 cents, and — my favorite — an amount so small that it apparently rounds to .000000 cents!"
"At the .022 cent rate... it would require 3,500 Spotify plays to generate the same payout as that from a 99-cent iTunes download."
"For August and September of 2009, we received per-stream payouts of
"At the
Comment Re:gosh (Score 1) 517
The word "sharing" is used incorrectly here.
Sharing is when you give away something that belongs to *you*. Making and distributing copies of other people's work doesn't quite fit this description.
Comment Apple is not responsible for the DRM (Score 1) 664
Apple is not responsible for the DRM used in iTunes. They are required to include this by the majors labels. Most independent music featured on iTunes does not contain DRM.
Comment Did the RIAA know that she was disabled? (Score 1) 663
Were the RIAA attorneys aware of the defendant's illness when they filed the suit? This is not clear from the article, unless I have overlooked it.
This seems to be a result of one of the RIAA fishing expeditions, rather than targeted malice. The judge would have been the best position to... well judge and was apparently unmoved by the defendant's illness. Maybe the judge should be the target of this criticism.
Submission + - Apple move from .Mac to MobileMe runs into delays
Damon Tog writes: Apple's transition from .Mac to MobileMe is running into unexpected delays. The maintenance window, during which most of the web-based services are unavailable to users, was originally supposed to be completed Wednesday night. It was still down, as of Friday morning.
Submission + - Demonoid BitTorrent Taken Offline (wired.com)
Damon Tog writes: Demonoid, a popular BitTorrent tracker, has been taken offline. A notice on their website states that this action was taken due to legal threats that were made by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) to the company that hosts their servers.
Submission + - Universal and Sony Plan "Free" Music Servi (macworld.com)
Damon Tog writes: Macworld reports that Universal Music Group (UMG) has "enlisted" Sony to join forces in a new music service. The price of the subscription is expected to be built-in to the cost of digital music players, leaving the music "free" to the consumer. In other news, I have a $100 pencil that I need to sell. If you buy it, I will also throw in tickets to see Van Halen.
Submission + - Juror from recent RIAA trial speaks
Damon Tog writes: Wired posted some quotes from a juror who took part in the recent RIAA trial. Some interesting statements include:
- "She should have settled out of court for a few thousand dollars," Hegg said. "Spoofing? We're thinking, 'Oh my God, you got to be kidding.' "
- "She's a liar," added Hegg, who just returned home following his 14-hour night shift.
- "She lied," he said. "There was no defense. Her defense sucked."
- "I think she thought a jury from Duluth would be naïve. We're not that stupid up here," he said. "I don't know what the fuck she was thinking, to tell you the truth."
Submission + - EFF Proposes Simple Alternative for RIAA and P2P (eff.org) 2
Damon Tog writes: EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) proposes a $5/month, Non-DRM, all-you-can eat, digital buffet.
Why not?
- It's cheap.
- It's easy.
- Artists get paid.
Why not?
