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By Danielle Stagg
WITH pricey TV licences and an arduous wait for the latest blockbusters to cross the pond, it’s no wonder more and more of us are turning to the internet for our entertainment fix.
Gargantuan hits such as Lost and Heroes are popular favourites and yet UK fans are forced to wait up to a year longer than their American counterparts for the latest episodes. Despite the mega fat-cat corporations Channel 4 and the BBC making it socially acceptable to watch re runs of the latest Hollyoaks cliff hanger on your computer, the Government has announced a ‘three-strike’ system where those caught downloading would have their Internet removed and could even face imprisonment. A staggering six million Internet users are believed to download music, film and TV programmes every year so why the sudden change?
Ignoring the fact CDs have been securely rooted within popular technology for the past decade, you can still be expected to pay a whopping £19 for new release CDs and DVDs- that’s easily the price of a two course meal at Bella Italia. If the government is going to fine or imprison those who download the odd movie, watch it and then delete in from their hard drives, why don’t they simply prosecute anyone with a Blockbuster Video card in their back pocket? We pay for the use of the Internet so assuming it isn’t harming anyone; shouldn’t we be able to download what we want?
Artisans may state downloading songs from networks Limewire or Bearshare strips song and film writers of their due payment, but this is an over-cooked, prosaic argument that protects the people who are for the most part rolling around in twenty bedroom mansions up to their eyes in Aston Martins and Jimmy Choos. Ultimately it is uploading films and music is heavily frowned upon.
Somewhat paradoxically, in Canada you can download all the files you want from peer-to-peer networks as long as you don’t upload. And in accordance to recent law, if Man A buys Cannabis from Man B, it is only Man A that gets away with a slap on the wrist- so why shouldn’t that be the same for downloading?
While iTunes offer a cheeky 79p per track, this adds up for those living on Asda’s Own Brands. While illegal downloading maybe be an ethical discussion point, it is not possible for the Internet to be monitored, and if it ever is we are being denied our Human Rights or Freedom.
We do not live in a nanny state Mr Brown. Quit treating us like babies.
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By Charlier Francis-Pape
I CAN safely say that I have never downloaded any music, films or television programmes.
When you download music for free do you not think about the effects?
Fair enough films gain most of their revenue from cinema costs and if you are downloading free blockbuster films, you could argue that no one is being hurt. But illegally downloading music is another issue. I am engaged to and live with a struggling musician. He does not have a day job, he spends all of his time playing and making music and performing, and it is far from glamorous. Would you come into our house and steal a record from our shelf? Or would you steal an album from Virgin or HMV?
Of course not, but you are doing the same by downloading it illegally. Pre four years ago, when albums cost £12 each and downloads were not an issue, a recording artist could expect 75% of his or her income from album sales. Now that students illegally download digital media without guilt, the creators can at best hope for an income of 40% in the most optimistic of cases.
When you illegally download you are robbing the people you admire, the people who spend hours working hard to bring you music, to make you get up in the morning or brighten up your day. It is the biggest contradiction to say, “I can’t afford it; I am a student” or “I wouldn’t buy it anyway” and then say that music is a passion of yours. How can it be a passion of yours when you are robbing those people every time you download? It costs only 75p to download a single from iTunes. Is 75p too much to ask to help save the livelihood of musicians across the country? Why don’t you download just two songs a week that you really like and pay for it. At least then you wouldn’t be stealing from someone you admire.
By illegally downloading all you are doing is forcing musicians to get day jobs and give up making music for you. EMI, one of the biggest record companies in the country is financially on its way out, and it’s all thanks to the high volume of illegal downloads robbing the industry of a well deserved income. If the downloading continues, there will be no recorded music and only yourselves to blame.
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