Dude should file for bankruptcy. It will only take about 10 years to recover from that, but he'll be paying this thing off his whole life. Even if he profited from these songs (which he didn't), the sentence, an essential lifetime punishment, seems little steep. This kid didn't do anything sinister, there were no bad intentions.

If anything, he should get sued for the value of the songs. I understand they have to take into account the sharing aspect, but that seems flimsy.

oh my. i would owe so much money

30 songs though. That's a lot!!!

Capital punishment maybe?

if they're gonna do it, they should just prosecute more people for smaller fines, like the price to buy the songs online...im always opposed to making an example of people

also, they should release the other names on that 2003 steroid report wtf...

they should bring back the electric chair for such a hanis crime

Kinda lulzy.

I wonder if any artists will ever leave their label in protest of this shit...

I thought they stopped doing this and were just focusing on the websites and programs now.

oh for gods f*ckin sake...



jus shows again how effed this justice system is

"I wonder if any artists will ever leave their label in protest of this shit..."

Maybe after they've got their slice of the fine.

I wonder if any artists will ever leave their label in protest of this shit...

ugh shit like this makes me kinda nervous

ugh shit like this makes me kinda nervous

ugh shit like this makes me kinda nervous

Maybe after they've got their slice of the fine.
Seems to depend. I remember back in the napster days Rage got on Sony's case about banning users that dl'd Rage songs.
Made me like them even more.

I thought they stopped doing this and were just focusing on the websites and programs now.

I think that the suits already in motion were completed. I know in the UK they've turned their focus to sharing sites/programs and ISPs in terms of new battles to fight.

How do they catch these guys is what I wanna know

How do they catch these guys is what I wanna know

Yeah, my debt would probably rank in the high millions.

they grab them off the streets

maybe all songs should start costing the price of a new car

He was probably doing it on his schools internet connection and they caught him.

Well toss his life down the tubes.

If you have a good ISP they won't give up your information.

Good thing there's no bad intentions in purposefully stealing an artist's work.

yeah this guy is probably fucked forever

you know what? they probably just picked a guy outta the hat cause chances are anyone is dl'in

that fucker is my best friend! jk jk

josh only pops up to start arguments

sonic, you are one mean sob lol

yeah

The music industry has typically offered to settle such cases for about $5,000, though it has said that it stopped filing such lawsuits last August and is instead working with Internet service providers to fight the worst offenders. Cases already filed, however, are proceeding to trial.

i read that. but 5,000 dollars is still a lot

like corenotgore!!!

so bout that f*cked up justice system...

it's fucked up... but what can we do about it?

moral of the story is...

dont DL

then how can i get my music? lol

It's a lot, but it's probably pretty fair. I mean, you get caught stealing something, you shouldn't have to pay what its worth, you should have to pay more, since its wrong and if you steal once you'll probably steal again and not get caught.

Besides, the amount most people dl...

until we voted in obama

4.5 million is not fair for 30 songs worth maybe a dollar

god... are yall gunna fight about obama and mccain?

Who's Obama... A hip-hop artist?

No, I meant the $5000 thing. You guys just post too fucking fast.

Another thing to think about is how much the artists actually see, if anything. It's not like the record companies care about artistic rights to music more than they care about maximizing profit on a different avenue than a lower-than-ever record sales era.

Yeah, because artists like giving away their stuff for free.

I'm confused as to why he only has to pay 4 labels. Are they the only companies whose artists he downloaded? If not, and the ones he owes the money to are the big ones, then that's arguably the most disgusting thing about this.

time to listen to some rage against the machine

this is utter bs

>I'm confused as to why he only has to pay 4 labels. Are they the only companies whose artists he downloaded? If not, and the ones he owes the money to are the big ones, then that's arguably the most disgusting thing about this.

None of the money in these lawsuits goes to the artists anyways so its irrelevant.

I'm guessing some of the artists had multiple songs downloaded (there are some listed in the linked article), so it's very possible that only 4 labels were involved.

well it's not, is it? as far as the music 'scene' and 'art form' is concerned, it's not exactly a good thing if independent or smaller labels are getting kicked to the kerb and treated as though they don't matter. there are a lot of people in the music business that would happily see the big companies get bigger and bigger as the small ones die out, and it wouldn't exactly help the situation if the courts started to perpetuate that.

yeah davey but it says they only FOCUSSED on 30 songs; that's not all he downloaded. what i'm saying is that if that sample was biased in favour of the major record labels and big names, it's just fuelling an already-dangerous situation. it's not good for the art form if music is viewed as a commodity owned by a select few companies.

Atavan, I dunno about the others, but Reznor has made it clear he doesn't LIKE giving away the stuff for free. No-one wants to give away their hard work for free, I mean, it's a capitalist world for christs sake. He's just smart enough to realise the fans will like him more for it and that its inevitable.

I understand your point now Adam & it's a good one. Wouldn't at all be surprised if you were correct.

Get a clue about Reznor. He's one of the smartest people in the industry right now for having his music available in so many mediums.
It's not about the money - it's about getting people to hear the music. What would you prefer - someone who paid for the record and didn't particularly care for it, or someone who didn't but told you, the artist, just how much the record meant to them?

675k for 30 fucking songs?

If I ever got bagged for downloading, it would be easier to just shoot myself.

real moral of the story is don't distribute tbh

...I know that about Reznor. I don't get how that was a response to what I said, since you basically just expanded on what I said and said it better.

im a sinner

The government was actually just joking about this, thats what this news article didnt include.

I don't get how that was a response to what I said, since you basically just expanded on what I said and said it better.

It varies with the artist. Some are in it for the cash, some want their creation to be heard more then they want the cash.

Josh, you are one dumb cocksucker.

Reznor has explicitly said that he doesn't want to give his music away for free. =/ Artists need to make money, so whether or not they want as many people to hear it and love it as possible, they still want to make a profit.

out of all the music artists in the world most will never break mainstream success so if they really wanted profit they'd find a new career

lol you're alright josh

yeah i find josh quite humorous at times as well

hey thanks i try

I don't mean profit in the millions or some shit like that. I mean live comfortably.

holy crap, man.

It would probably be better if they maybe slapped with a few thousand dollar fine. Losing 3 grand over a couple songs stings and you probably wont do it again, but 675K? Kiss your life goodbye.

It's probably fake i remeber the name Tenenbaum from bioshock

fuck law

They aren't going after individuals anymore. This Tenenbaum guy got sued way back in 05'. This is just how long it's taken to get through the court process. He should've been smart like everybody else and just paid the damn settlement fee.

Artists need to make money, so whether or not they want as many people to hear it and love it as possible, they still want to make a profit.

Yeah, I'm pretty nervous myself. I've downloaded about 9/10 of my music library and I certainly have a lot (and growing).

i would laugh if one of the stolen songs was Escape The Fate-Ashley

i would too

We were just talking about this kind of thing about a month ago, and how some of you would owe 50 million dollars.

So I would owe like, infinty trillion dollars then I guess.

time to listen to some rage against the machine

Oh no guys, we are all screwed like 1/6 of the world's population.

Forgive my ignorance but is downloading a song from Limewire and keeping it for your own enjoyment a crime? Is that what this poor prick got sued for? If you don't profit from it, or leak unreleased material, how is this different from making or accepting a mixtape from a friend?

Oh noez, all music should be free lulz

Seriously though, that is one hell of a fine for a very minor offence, its the equivalent of stealing a chocolate bar and losing your house for it. At the end of the day though stealing is stealing, and people have to realise that modern day record companys are capitalist assholes; there's no other way of looking at it. As long as record companies have the power they do then this kind of thing will continue and we should get used to it. Easiest thing to do is either stop downloading shit or pray like crap that you won't be one of the .0001% caught.

Thank fuck i live in australia. I would owe ten kazillion money's . Poor them only making hundreds of thousands not millions of sale's, record labels can have a cry!

.0001%

I like those odds.

Eh, my library will get the blame

Don't get my wrong, I wasn't trying to defend the actions by any means, I was just saying that people should get used to it as this kind of thing will continue to happen until governments place some restriction on the maximum fine for this kind of thing; which unfortunately I don't see happening.

Music is dead

So what's next, we release rapists and murderers and punish those who steal music for the simple pleasure of listening? What the fuck is wrong with North America?

Most bands make money from gigs and merch, not album sales.

Not most bands, this is true for mainstream acts who get paid 30,000 dollars to play MSG on a regular basis but for independent acts album sales play a large part in their income. Some bands even make more than half of the record's shelf price.

What the fuck is wrong with North America?

Hey guys, just so you all feel a little better, this guy used Kazza (sp?) and downloaded songs from artists like Aerosmith and Green Day.

Basically if you download, you're fine unless you're downloading really really popular songs or using some old, dated and crappy peer-to-peer shit like Kazza.

the more bullshit I hear like this, the more I think how un-hyperbolic Rage Against The Machine really are

I think I was reading the other day that Kazaa is making a comeback. Of course, it will be a legal comeback where most tracks will have to be paid for. Sounds familiar!

Quality has nothing to do with business.

i would be curious to know which sites/programs are being heavily monitored

Mediafire ftw

This no happen in Canada.

U.S. law is sxxt........??????

luckily i dont live in the usa either. Feel sorry for the poor kid.

Thank God I don't listen to major label shit.
I've bought about half of the albums in my library at some point in time anyway. As a musician (my band is my only income), I understand how cool it is when someone actually buys the album. I buy CD's that I think are good, when I have the money to do so. That's how I would like it to be with my band some day.

Either way. 675,000 for 30 songs? Are you kidding me?
They could've charged the kid like 500 bucks and made a pretty focking huge impact on how he sees downloading.

Another thing: A label like Season Of Mist or Statik Factory aren't going to pay a lawyer thousands of dollars to convict of a chubby college kid of downloading.
Just stay away from downloading mainstream shit.

"Yeah, because artists like giving away their stuff for free."

Just about as much as they like watching their fans lives get ruined over a couple shitty songs.

ugh shit like this makes me kinda nervous

Not most bands, this is true for mainstream acts who get paid 30,000 dollars to play MSG on a regular basis but for independent acts album sales play a large part in their income. Some bands even make more than half of the record's shelf price.

Part of the reason I buy stuff from the smaller bands if it's good. I'll usually still d/l it to check it out first but if I like it I buy it.

Thank God I don't listen to major label shit.
I've bought about half of the albums in my library at some point in time anyway. As a musician (my band is my only income), I understand how cool it is when someone actually buys the album. I buy CD's that I think are good, when I have the money to do so. That's how I would like it to be with my band some day.

Either way. 675,000 for 30 songs? Are you kidding me?
They could've charged the kid like 500 bucks and made a pretty focking huge impact on how he sees downloading.

Another thing: A label like Season Of Mist or Statik Factory aren't going to pay a lawyer thousands of dollars to convict of a chubby college kid of downloading.
Just stay away from downloading mainstream shit.

Alright well i know this is a stupid situation and never should've happened, but all of you guys blaming it on "capitalist America" need to wise up. I guess you'd rather have a socialist America, and have any and all free downloading sites or software outlawed and shut down?

Tenenbaum just got ROYALLY screwed

The Royal Tenenbaums

ROYALTY Screwed

Fixed.

So what's next, we release rapists and murderers and punish those who steal music for the simple pleasure of listening? What the fuck is wrong with North America?

"ROYALTY Screwed

Fixed."

ummmmm no. TricksterGRex gets it.

movie sucked though

what a shitty opinion to have

ummmmm no

Nooooo! My poor Rhode Island brother!

also Scorpion Stan obviously knows nothing about socialism or for that matter capitalism.

how do they find these one out of billion people d/ling albums?? do cops just kick in the door and say "where those burned albums at!" poor bastard.. and the dude who posted Royal Tanenbaums was funny.

It's really that uploading/distributing that's the fucking killer. This is total horseshit though, considering the cost of a shitty mp3 file when legally purchased. I understand upping the cost to set an example, but when you're talking about going from 99cents to $80,000 (as in the case of the previous lawsuit) that's far beyond fair, just, or reasonable. Still, it's sad to see these companies get their panties so bunched up when without the power of the internet, millions of bands would still be going unheard, or at least unknown outside their own national fanbase(s).

Pretty damn curious to know what these 30 songs actually were that warranted such vengence.

Probably the entire back-catalogue of Brokencyde & Millionaires.

What a fucking joke. If it weren't for file sharing a lot of underground bands wouldn't get noticed. The judicial system's dignity taste's good in one's mouth - but when they get a sniff of what is going down they just end up making themselves look utterly retarded.

Pretty damn curious to know what these 30 songs actually were that warranted such vengence.

Good thing that it only cost 20 dollars to record an album, otherwise I would be unjustified in my anger at charging such an egregious fine!

it costs Aerosmith and Green Day nothing to record an album

Just stay away from downloading mainstream shit.

yes all mainstream music is terrible.

Good thing that it only cost 20 dollars to record an album, otherwise I would be unjustified in my anger at charging such an egregious fine!

The courts see differently. That argument has been tried before and it failed magnificiently.

lol exactly. if you get caught shoplifting they don't just go, "OK, just pay for it and it's cool."

They don't charge you $675,000 in fines either.

no but the people saying the guy should just have to pay for the tracks he downloaded illegally clearly haven't thought it through either.

The large fines are not so unrealistic when you consider that what is actually stolen is someone's intellectual property, which has a wealth that is much more difficult to ascertain. That is why stealing a physical cd may get you a much smaller fine, it is a physical product that is distinct from the intellectual property that is contained upon it. However, stealing the medium outright is a much more serious crime.

i hear ringtones is the biggest cash cow for bands these days. Sounds logical i suppose. I make my own
though. lol!

However, stealing the medium outright is a much more serious crime.

when you have the long dick of the law in your ass i'm sure you'll rethink your methods

Just in an update to this, the guy fined is refusing to take donations from people (donations had already started to roll in). He even stated (as many predicted earlier) that he will simply file for bankruptcy.

i'd rather have enough money from donations then file bankruptcy