Illegal Downloading

I'm just curious as to the extent in our PA prog community of illegal downloading. Especially after the thread about streaming that explained that if you can stream it, you can download.
This along with some members seemingly humongous amount of groups they have reviewed, recommended , or generally seem to be able to discuss in a knowledgeable way. I know in some cases, collections have been amassed over decades, so I don't mean to say that a massive number of albums necessarily means they were obtained illegally.
Let's face it, some of the older stuff isn't found everywhere, & imagining the ability to pay a hundred dollars/euros, whatever for any album, especially for one they may never have heard before seems a bit far-fetched to me.
In case, the RIAA is listening in, a caveat, use the O.J. approach to book writing; i.e. if I did it, this would be why; but I don't do it & don't condone it etc ...

1. P.S. I've been buying records, cassettes, 8 tracks (way back when) & now Cds, and very few legal downloads, in my case from Puretracks in Canada for close to 35 years. So I would not doubt a person ability to put together a quite extensive collection.

this poll is gonna get "it" I think  panta  , they are sensitive about this issue 

Illegal downloading is never acceptable. If you want an album that's out of print look for a secondhand copy, if you're on a limited budget look at amazon you can often get albums for under £5 on there.

As an aside I've only downloaded 3 albums all of which were completely legal and having to back them up on CD and print off a cover was a lot of hassle.

I'll let the thread run meanwhile, as long as there is no discussion about illegal download sites.

FOR ME IT'S NEVER  acceptable.

The reasons are those that they say all those who work in the music World and do not accept this modus operandi. 

Glueman wrote: As for doing it because "it's free". Well you're a bloody thief and I'd like to see all people who steal in this way prosecuted!

I think the choice in this poll was "if it's free", not "because it's free". Of course I'm all for free downloads - but it must be the artists and their record labels who decide whether something can be downloaded for free or not.

Glueman:  can honestly say that if I hadn't been so fortunate, job wise, that I still would not have done it - purely on moral grounds. This is very naive. Let's say you didn't live in UK, but in some of the poorer eastern european countries instead. You write that you know you've been lucky. Well,  you (and I) are lucky with what countries we're born into, as well. Morals are easier when you can afford it. You're judging everyone less fortunate than you, and calling them bloody thiefs.
There is NO excuse to download on the basis that the album is out of print. You can absolutely guarantee that at some time in the future it will be. It may take some years but there will be a release. If the album is out of print, and and say 50 to 1000 copies exist (its like this with 1000's of gems), I think its just fantastic if some blogger puts out a vinylrip. This is the first step towards a possible re-release.  If you bought an overprized  rarity like that second hand, the artist wouldn't benefit from the sale anyway. But I'm defenatly not interested in discussing this here. Everything is all black or white for too many of  you.

^ Yawn... it changes something. Just like home taping is not the same as going into a shop and simply take an album from the shelf.

BTW: I voted for the first option. 

Rocktopus wrote: Glueman:  can honestly say that if I hadn't been so fortunate, job wise, that I still would not have done it - purely on moral grounds. This is very naive. Let's say you didn't live in UK, but in some of the poorer eastern european countries instead. You write that you know you've been lucky. Well,  you (and I) are lucky with what countries we're born into, as well. Morals are easier when you can afford it. You're judging everyone less fortunate than you, and calling them bloody thiefs. There is NO excuse to download on the basis that the album is out of print. You can absolutely guarantee that at some time in the future it will be. It may take some years but there will be a release. If the album is out of print, and and say 50 to 1000 copies exist (its like this with 1000's of gems), I think its just fantastic if some blogger puts out a vinylrip. This is the first step towards a possible re-release.  If you bought an overprized  rarity like that second hand, the artist wouldn't benefit from the sale anyway. But I'm defenatly not interested in discussing this here. Everything is all black or white for too many of  you. Easy Livin': It is theft in the same way as walking into a record shop and stealing a CD you think is overpriced is theft. Stealing a physical object for sale, is obviously different.

Edited by Glueman - February 13 2007 at 05:57

Thank you for an intelligent post , Rocktopus. I was about to give an answer based on the same arguments, but I'm glad I don't have to.