Feelings on Napster?


Hi, Since this is in part a forum about music, I'll put this statement and question on the table. In the past few months, I've begun to use Napster online. I'll look through the forum for reccomendations on good albums and tracks, then I'll download it on Napster, take a listen and, if I like it, purchase the album. My opinion is that Napster is really opening up accessibility to music for alot of people, allowing them to try new things that before they wouldn't have access to or simply wouldn't be prepared to invest in. It's helped expand my own horizons I know and I think it's good for music overall. Any opinions?
issabre

Showing 1 response by lakefrontroad

For me it's simple. Giving away what you don't own is theft! It is antithetical to America and precisely why the USSR isn't around any more. Napster stole the essential property rights of others in order to "gain" for themselves. Whether they "gained" directly in cash, indirectly in business, or psychologically through ego gratification the real looser(victim) is and was the writer, producer, artist and middlemen whose livelihoods are based on the production, sale and use of the music.

Esoteric dissertations as to conventions of use in tapes and cds are interesting. However, to me, unless the original is paid for...IT'S THEFT! I like paying for what I get and I like others to do it also. I like my children to do it as well. It's simple, clean and satisfying.
To me there is no analogy to demo listening in music shops, where the music is for sale and the demo a licensed copy.

I am reminded about a conversation I had with the head actuary for IRS about twenty years ago when he said, " I have heard lots of rational discourses of illogical premises."

It was true then. It's true now.