reconsider me

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

So it's okay to trade non-commercially traded material? Wouldn't that mean bootlegs and demos? Isn't it unethical to possess and trade these kinds of materials too? We know how Stevie (for one) feels about the circulation of her unreleased material and bootlegs aren't really "legal" either are they? I'm not calling you out, just wondering where people stand on this, and also wondering why you singled out "commercially available" materials.

You've got a point there. Besides, If I download one or two songs from an album (I did this recently - I wasn't sure whether 'Street Angel' was worth buying so I downloaded Blue Denim and Maybe Love) I will gladly pay for them on MSN download but I use limewire to download rare stuff or stuff that isn't available on MSN download.

[trackaghost]

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

So it's okay to trade non-commercially traded material? Wouldn't that mean bootlegs and demos? Isn't it unethical to possess and trade these kinds of materials too? We know how Stevie (for one) feels about the circulation of her unreleased material and bootlegs aren't really "legal" either are they? I'm not calling you out, just wondering where people stand on this, and also wondering why you singled out "commercially available" materials.

Commercially available as in available to buy, I would have thought. Anything that denies the singer/songwriter in question a royalty.
Now most people can legally purchase and download individual tracks as well, so even the age old problem of having to buy a whole soundtrack, for example, just for one song doesn't even come into it.

As for the bootleg question: it probably is unethical to possess and trade bootlegs, but since they aren't available to buy at the very least you are not stealing a potential sale. I think it's nice we share an odd "commerically available" track here and there, but a lot of people seem to be so used to getting things for free they don't want to buy anything. Like I've said before there was one guy on Seven Wonders who had a few tracks from TOSOTM and asked three times (thankfully without response) for people to post the rest of the album for him. It just seems bizarre to me. I'm also confused when some fans seem to have collected a huge amount of bootlegs and only own one or two albums. Is this because the bootlegs are essentially free and the albums aren't? I just don't understand it really. I'd want the albums before anything else (and I wasn't exactly rich when I started my collection, I bought it slowly, piece by piece).
It's a tricky subject really. I change my mind about it all the time.

[Johnny Stew]

We don't really have an "official" policy regarding song sharing here on the Ledge (ie: it's not in the guidelines/FAQs), but we generally prefer that file-sharing is limited to unreleased songs, audience recordings or radio broadcasts of live shows, and material that is no longer available commercially.

We do allow the occasional request for an album track or a soundtrack appearance, but... especially in the case of album tracks... we prefer that the requested file not be shared publicly on the board, but rather in a private message or email. And as long as the privilege isn't abused (ie: asking for "Wild Heart" today, then "If Anyone Falls" the next day, then "Gate And Garden" the day after that, and so on until you've bummed the entire album).

[TheWILDheart]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

I've said before there was one guy on Seven Wonders who had a few tracks from TOSOTM and asked three times (thankfully without response) for people to post the rest of the album for him. It just seems bizarre to me. I'm also confused when some fans seem to have collected a huge amount of bootlegs and only own one or two albums. Is this because the bootlegs are essentially free and the albums aren't? I just don't understand it really. I'd want the albums before anything else (and I wasn't exactly rich when I started my collection, I bought it slowly, piece by piece).
It's a tricky subject really. I change my mind about it all the time.

I agree with you there. Popular albums like OSOTM are very easy to get hold of especially online. I only download stuff from soundtracks or stuff that is just 1 song I like buy an artist (e.g. I can't STAND Deacon Blue but i like 'Real Gone Kid') so I download the odd song here and there. Downloading whole albums is pointless when you can pick them up in a store or online cheap enough and they are widely available and most are now digitally remastered.

[David]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

We don't really have an "official" policy regarding song sharing here on the Ledge (ie: it's not in the guidelines/FAQs), but we generally prefer that file-sharing is limited to unreleased songs, audience recordings or radio broadcasts of live shows, and material that is no longer available commercially.

We do allow the occasional request for an album track or a soundtrack appearance, but... especially in the case of album tracks... we prefer that the requested file not be shared publicly on the board

I think that's the smartest policy. If the album is still in print, it means that label can come after Adelson for allowing it to be posted on his site without permission. So there's a very real practical danger in posting things here that are still in manufacture.

Whereas an audience-recorded concert or a radio concert or a demo may still be copyrighted but it isn't in print & being sold through primary retail markets--it's on the 'secondary market.' So people can argue that it's unethical to trade such things (because it's a breach of IP & copy rights), but there is almost no practical danger associated with the transaction.