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Kaidan suggested I post this here, so we could get an opinion from all of you.
Copy paste from the other jrock guild:

Since some people have a problem with me continuing my final thought in a thread... I've been told I could create a thread about this outside of it.

So here it is.

The ethics of Downloading versus Buying...

THIS PART IS THE SHORT VERSION FOR YOU ALL WHO CANT READ MORE THAN FIVE LINES:

'Hash' it out.
Downloading versus buying. Why is downloading good? why is it bad?
How many cds do you own?

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Now. We all do it. We're all 100% guilty of it.
Downloading songs off the internet, instead of buying the CD.

There are several excuses to why we do these things.
"I wanted to preview the CD first" seems to be the most popular.

Well, that's all fine and well, but how many people seriously buy the CD after that? Not to mention, how many MP3s do you have of your favorite band, that you KNOW you will love the CD of? Yet, still haven't bought it? How is that 'previewing' if you never buy it?

Another often seen excuse, is that you're poor, have no money, and no job. The funny part is, when these people turn around and attack someone else because of these reasons.
We all have gone through that! In fact, the vast majority of these people that I see downloading, could get money from their parents. Some people are even my age, and can still do so. This angers me to see them say "but I'm poor!" My parents would never give me money. I've had to earn my own, since I was ten.
Yet, believe it or not, I've been through that stage where I wasn't legal to get a job! *gaspshockhorror* Yet somehow I still managed to buy CDs.

There are too many people with gigantic lists of MP3s, who only have, at the very MOST, five CDs. I've seen people with none. And the worst part is that there are many people without the intention of ever buying the CD.
Japanese CDs are so much more available now, and CHEAP. I remember having to pay $90 for a video. ONE VIDEO. Ridiculous, yes, but I wanted to support the band wholly.

Now, here's where the problem comes in.
In America, people complain about the downloading ethics. Yet, majority of the bands don't see any profit from CDs, that all goes to the recording agencies.
The Japanese bands that you love to listen to, are getting ripped off by your downloading. Maybe not bands like Dir en grey and Pierrot as much, because they have a large agency, but everyone is downloading from indies artists.
Indies is not a genre. Indies = independant label.
These bands create and produce their own CD. So when you find their CD to download, you're stealing directly from the person you love.
Why not just go up and pick pocket them? It's almost the same thing.
For example... all you Mana loving fans... he is not on a major label. He's on an indies label. It comes out of his pocket.

Now, I've gone on long enough. Because i'm sure that many of you won't even come close to READING this. So I'll end it here...

I do download but I buy the cds also.. I want the real thing.. not some burned cd.. supporting the artist who made such wonderful work

I'm pretty sure that most of this rant is directed towards the fanbitches who claim that "such and such" are their favorite artist ever, have been following them for years and yet never bought a single cd. I don't understand those people.

You are not one of them. You have more than 5 cds. heart

I've been down;oading for a while... I never thought of it as taking money fron the artist until recently, when I started to get into more indies bands..... I had always said, oh I'll save the money and buy a CD.. bu after buying some anime OSTs and TMRs Coordinate, all my money was spent on manga or anime.....

I just got Gackt's Sixth Day and Miyavi's Ashita, Genki ni Naare single. It was then that I realized not only the sheer difference in quality of the sound, but the fact that being able to sya that I owned the CD was a big thing (at least for me).... All my friends back in my hame state of Virgina downloaded. Now I can say that I own some of the very music I was downloading a week ago.

I'm currently saving my money to get a copy af Gaue, then I'm going to try for some Vidoll..... I still download.... but the stuff I own is going to be taken off my playlist... if I want to listen, in goes the CD... or I'll copy it from the cd.... whatever i decide to do....

....i have noticed less downloading on my part lately... I just mooch off of friends... they send me good stuff.... >.>


XD

That's so hardcore. \m/

I buy CDs just to have them. If I don't have the MP3s, I rip them to iTunes. They sit in my house all day. If I want to listen to music in the car I make a copy. Other than that, iPod all the way.

Awesome sig Magnavox.

I am too poor, also, for an mp3 player *bribs parents for her birthday* and I just have a portable dvd player I got for Christmas that plays mp3s but its a b***h to lug around.. >>;

I think my parents are starting to nuts.. I have around 25 jrock cds and they started to yell at me for no more ordering .. >>;

File sharing is bad if you're never going to dish out any cash.
I'm a filesharing whore, and I really need to stop. I know it's bad, but I can't always get CDs. (I guess that means I shouldn't be listening to their music then; it's not a god-given right to be able to listen to that music.) I buy whenever possible though. I'm lucky and I don't really have to do much to earn money other than cleaning the house. And when I'm old enough to get a job I'll be able to buy all those DVDs and money order only CDs since I'm not allowed to right now.