RIAA to stop suing alleged MP3-sharers

http://online.wSportsJournalists.com/article/SB122966038836021137.html?mod=rss_whats_news_technology

 

I dabbled in music 'sharing' via Limewire until I received a letter from my internet provider telling me that the RIAA had taken an interest in my activities and would pursue legal action if I didn't stop and immediately erase all files from my computer.

I was scared straight.

 

If I ever get a message like that I'll stop, but until then I'll jump on Limewire once every couple months and grab some new content.

Nice how the RIAA is basically trying to shift the bad PR to the ISP's. Smart, too.

 

Using Limewire and the like is no different then you producing a great piece, then having thousands of newspapers use that piece and you don't even get paid for it.

 

Yes, it's exactly like that. If we were millionaires who made most of our money from touring, not story sales.

 

And I shed a tear for Lars Ulrich every time I pull a file off Limewire. I really do.

 

I know this is cliche but I use Limewire to grab songs and I'm not ashamed of it. You know why? Because if the artist is good enough, I go out and buy the CD (usually through ITunes). The songs I grab off Limewire are from artists I'm either on the bubble about or don't know well enough to trust buying their CD. If the RIAA wants to come get me, they will see that the number of tracks I've downloaded is much, much smaller than the amount I've purchased on ITunes so they can eat me.

Also, without Limewire, I'd be less likely to test out new bands. Limewire helped me discover that I liked Slipknot, Within Temptation, Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Theory of a Deadman, Nickleback and Lincoln Park and I have purchased CDs/tracks from Itunes for all of those bands and many more.

 

my condolences

 

AAAAAAA-men.

 

The only thing that Limewire has helped me realize is that viruses do exist.

 

If you have a good antivirus program, it catches them before they're a problem.

 

Use Avast. It scans P2P feeds (and everything else).

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html