I buy a DVD and I want to watch it on my phone, what should I do? PAY for it AGAIN from itunes? I think not.
I buy a game for xbox, I should be allowed to download the PC version for free as I already own the game, why should I have to pay for it again to play it on another platform?
I own Left4dead on xbox360 and would like to play it on PC too, I should be allowed.

Not really true I’m afraid. A new artist signed to a major label usually signs a contract giving them 12-15% royalties, the record company take around 85%. Yes the record company pay for studio time, promotion, the video shoot, fly the artist around the world etc. However, the record company then CHARGE the artist for all of this. That’s right, the artist ends up paying for all of the record company’s work from their meagre 12-15%. Google Toni Braxton and see what happened to her, she ended up having to declare herself bankrupt for this very reason to protect herself from her record label, who made millions of her album sales. She is not the first and won’t be the last. Some artists are more savvy to this, and they set up their own production company. In that way they sign a flat rate deal for a set amount (Robbie Williams did this with his £80 million deal). The record label rely on the artist producing so many albums, that sell well to recoup the money they pay and make a profit, so in this case it is a risk for the label but not so much for the artist as he or she has already been paid. In some cases the deal is more complex, a flat rate for so many albums and a share of the profits is not unknown for very well known artists. The artist’s production company pays for studio time, video shoots etc. The production company also take the profits from live shows, although in some cases the music label shares the profits depending on the deal struck. This is why big artists become sometimes richer than their record label. For most artists though this isn’t an option because they aren’t powerful enough, well known enough, or don’t have enough money at the start to finance all of this.

The big record labels are just as corrupt as governments and pirates, look at how Edwyn Collins (remember him) was and still is, being treated by Warner Music. When he fell ill he negotiated a deal that meant ALL copyright in his works reverted back to him. However, MySpace recently removed some of his music from his page after a takedown notice from Warner Music, even though they have no right as they DO NOT own the copyright anymore. He has now discovered Warner selling his music via iTunes, illegally, and pocketing the profits. Warner are being the very pirates they accuse all of us of being.

Back to this debate, RM and other’s argue well, but won’t change my mind or anyone else’s to be honest. I rarely download illegal music or movies, I don’t need to myself. I earn a decent wage but I will not pay the inflated prices for new music and movies. Instead I wait a few months, buy my DVD’s from second hand stores or Ebay for 2-3 pounds each, and sometimes even less. When it comes to music I do much the same, if I want the CD I’ll again wait a bit and generally pick it up for a couple of quid, or listen to it via Spotify. Occasionally I’ll download a track of an old song that is difficult to get hold of but that is rare. The reason I don’t download illegally much is more to do with the fact that, when it comes to music anyway, there is just nothing much I actually like anymore. We get one bland, manufactured artist after another. A song from AKON sounds just like a song from Taio Cruz, which sounds just like a song from a hundred other artists who all sound the same. Katy Perry sounds like many others, Lady Gaga does too, Girls Aloud and the Sugababes..what’s the difference?. I get a lot of music from small labels who DO give away music for free, yes they exist.

The big 4 labels destroyed the independent music labels in the 70s, 80s and into the 90s so that now all the better known smaller labels are actually owned by the big 4. The internet has given some smaller labels a way of getting themselves known and promoting their artists that the big 4 don’t like. The smaller labels are much quicker at embracing new technology, some give away whole albums and ask you to donate (which I have done many times), if I think the music is good enough.

The big labels need to wake up and stop trying to protect an outdated business model that isn’t working anymore. Plastic discs are so last century.

If it wasn’t for piracy we would NOT have iTunes and the other online stores. Napster, Audiogalaxy and theiur ilk showed that there was a demand for the downloading of music online. Previously the big labels dismissed it. MP3 as a mass format would not exist if it wasn’t for piracy. Online video sales are the same, they would not exist if it wasn’t pioneered by the pirates. DIVX was not invented as a commercial venture at first that came later. P2P technology pioneered by pirates lead to the rise of Hulu in the US (and the others) and BBC IPlayer, Channel 4OD and the others in the UK as well as to Spotify.

None of these would exist without internet piracy.

Well done labour. You can’t FAIL.

Because an Election is coming up and if every one picks a party that will not pass this legislation, we will not have to worry about it.

Even non file shares should care as they will end up footing the bill as well, in there internet subscription costs.