Post #3326 by MrsCarnaby on Fri, Jul 5, 2002 12:57 AM

Hanford, sorry if I spoke out of turn (and don't worry; I didn't take it personally :))

When I said 'free', I actually meant a service where you don't have to pay THEM
to steal from others! I don't really know how such systems work, to tell you the truth. I know that I have uploaded music (usually REALLY rare sixties stuff) and thought that I was making what I had already bought 'available' to others who might want to hear it (sort of like putting stuff on a cassette for someone.) I guess I saw it as a 'hippy ethic', sharing what I enjoy with others (and them sharing with ME the stuff I'd been searching for.) I'm in no way trying to paint myself as a 'happy innocent'(far from it!), but I've always felt morally 'off the hook' on the issue because the vast majority of what I download is either no longer available in the shops (or so incredibly rare as to be a quest akin to the one for the Holy Grail finding it.)

With this in mind, I've always been incredibly grateful to services like Audiogalaxy and such for allowing people with odd tastes to 'share'. If I happen to have some totally obscure 45' from a non-charting Rotherham band (circa 1966), I'll upload it thinking; 'I can't be the ONLY one who likes this rubbish? But I'm probably one of the few people who OWNS this rubbish - let me put it out for others who might be interested.' If the record is no longer available in the shops, I genuinely (genuinely) don't feel that I'm harming anyone by either uploading or downloading it. I sort of feel as if I'm helping 're-popularize' some of the bands/musicians I like (even if it's only on a VERY small scale; a collective TWO PEOPLE WORLDWIDE downloaded my upload of 'The Crystal Bus-Stop's' non-charting B-side 'Gotta Getta Girl' (1967) - one of whom 'aborted' half way, sending a message; 'This is crap'! Hee hee.)

I suppose that what I'm trying to say is that for people like myself (and probably for the previous poster), these download sites operate more as an 'obscure music club', with the music which is being downloaded previously bought by whoever 'uploaded' it, the thinking behind it being that if we arbitrarily met another Crystal Bus-Stop fan on the internet, we'd have no qualms about making them a cassette and posting it - with the 'server' (be it Audiogalaxy or whomever) acting as the 'cyber post office' and allowing us to get a piece of music from one side of the world to the other. I honestly (honestly) can't see this as 'piracy', as the 'uploader' is happy to share what he/she has already bought (usually after either a long search or an amazing piece of luck!) with others who are interested.

In saying that, I realise that I'm talking about a tiny (tiny, tiny, tiny) pocket of people who use these download sites as an 'Obscure Music Club'. I suppose the ideal would be to HAVE 'obscure music clubs', properly 'sanctioned', whereby fans of a particular type of rare music could upload and download in the knowledge that they have already purchased said music and are sharing it with friends (like we used to in the days of cassettes.)

Anyway, these are just my thoughts on it; I'm aware that there are differing opinions on the topic, but as I've suggested, I've PERSONALLY always felt morally 'off the hook' because the stuff I upload/download is usually not available to buy. In saying that, I'm aware that there are probably 42,000 people downloading Britney Spears as I write, and that those of us who DO use these sites as an 'obscure music club' are feeding into this sort of piracy.

Anyway, I'm sorry if I gave anyone offence. 'Trouble' IS my middle name, and as it follows me wherever I go, I knew it would be only a matter of time before I got into trouble at Tiki Central; at least it's 'out of the way' now! (Hee hee!)

All best,
Amanda :)

[ Edited by: MrsCarnaby on 2002-07-05 01:37 ]