If you were managing a record label, how would you address the issue of piracy?

Question

If you were managing a record label, how would you address the issue of piracy?

Answer 1

Unfortunately my answer to you is that the cost of music needs to be reduced. Here in Australia we pay $30 for a CD and it leads us to the temptation of stealing music, particularly when the internet makes doing this so easy. So if I was a record producer looking to prevent piracy I’d cut the cost of CDs by thirty percent. I may make less money initially, but I’d lose less business to piracy in the long run.

Great question by the way – I’m a big fan of yours since taking Spanish in high school!

Answer 2

Don't make it an issue, when metalicas drummer Lars Ulrich went on that whole piracy kick, I didn't even want to here them on the radio any more and i SOLD there CD's to a used CD store and the same goes with ben afflect films. Don't sit there and tell me about how you need more millions upon your already millions. I bought tee shirts, cds, movies and went to concerts. I think I spent a lot of money already. How much is enough before these people (musician, actors) say, " let me give back to you, my FANS." Remember without us, there is no you. Money will be made.

Answer 3

The main problem is that the film and music industry has created obscene profits, far beyond their worth. Accept that a simple guitar playing crooner has little value beyond the travelling musicians that amused people in markets or court in days gone by.



Just because a stack of dopey girls wet themselves at pop video screenings doesn't mean that the majority of sane people are going to spend money on weak platitudes pedaled by record companies.

Answer 4

When I was a teenager concerts cost about $30...that wasn't that long ago either. Music was cheap. Not only did I buy hundreds of records, but later they became tapes, so I had to buy them again, and after that they became DVDs, and now MP3s. How often do I have to buy the same darned song over and over and over?



And concerts cost $100 or more now. T-shirts are $50 etc. etc. etc. Who is ripping who off here?



Same with VCRs and DVDs and now there's a new format still.



Don't fool yourselves into thinking all this money goes to the artist...it's the record labels who are doing the whining.



Something's gotta give somewhere...people aren't made of money, these days especially.



With 15 Grammy awards under your belt, I don't think you're hurting too badly there buddy. Trying feeding a family of five on one salary and then whine.



PS: To be truthful, many new artists get exposure off of sites like that.



Do you expect parents to fork out $20 for an album for their kids for that one song they like while the rest all suck. Come see all the discarded CDs hanging around my place. This is nonsense.



When you do something that works for the people then expect a change is my opinion. A dollar a tune is still way too much considering you probably have 15 songs or so on a CD.

Answer 5

I really think that if record labels were more realistic about the prices of new CD's, the pirates couldn't compete. They just don't have the quality. Think value for money.

Answer 6

Piracy is something you cant stop, people do it because everything is so expensive now. I have 2 children and we live off a minimum wage I cant afford to buy music Cd's,T shirts etc, my children come first which leaves very little money if any for myself.

record companies and music artists don't have to worry about the simple day to day expenses. To have any chance of stopping piracy the cost of music would have to be greatly reduced

Answer 7

I hesitate at paying $5.00 for a CD at the used book store so when do you think that I would ever spend $15 - $30 on a new one??! The buying public watches musicians such as you living extravagant lifestyles off of the price gouging on the end product and then you and the music industry whines and cries "Fowl!!" when we pirate. I'd like to see how far my monthly check would cover your lifestyle expenses, probably wouldn't make it half-way through one week! Bring down the cost of the end product so that piracy ceases to be practical.

Answer 8

The music industry needs to retool and think about how to sell music in a new market.



However, if you look at the history of the recording industry they have dealt with problems successfully in the past. When sheet music first came out in the tin pan alley days, the music industry was convinced it was going to die. The same went for the invention of the radio, but it ended up helping the industry. The same went for tapes and CD burners. Each time the industry dealt with it effectively and kept on going strong.



The record industry needs to understand what its young audience is thinking. I mean I haven't bought a new CD in 5 years because it is still $20 to buy a CD. It was $20 when CDs first came out back in the day. Why hasn't technology allowed it to decrease in price? These are investments and I want to make sure that I am getting what I pay for. A lot of people don't have that much disposable income to be paying for music. I really think it is a price issue for most people.



I also find that I can go online and listen to new artists and get a song immediately when I download it. I have found a number of new artists that way.



How about offering things with CDs? You buy the CD and you get access to their fan club or are able to be first in line to buy concert tickets? Bringing back singles aren't a bad idea either. People need incentives to buy the music.



What abut record companies creating web sites where all this information is offered for free on the website for unlimited play on the computer but if you want to buy it (for your MP3 player) you need to buy it. You can link it to other promos then, whether its a meet the band or an autographed picture. The more you buy the more opporunties you have to enter a concert. You need to make it exciting and interesting to purchase. The audience are more jaded.



How about bringing music that is exciting and not the same version of the same song we have heard over and over. The last time I got really excited about music was in the 90s. I'd like to do it again.



The RIAA has also gotten much more agressive over the past few days and gone after students at major universities for piracy, which is essentially a scare tactic. Unfortunately, although it does scare a few people out of doing it, it is not going to change overall mentality. If you look at the court case, Sony vs. Miramax one can see that VCR was a good invention even if people did copy tv shoes and other peoples movies. The VCR helped the movie industry out consideribly. Why can't that mentality be put toward file sharing? Let us look at it as something that can save the music industry instead of destroying it. People are coming to resent the music industry more and more and with these lawsuits they are honestly headed down a slippery slope.



These posts indicate that people are not happy with prices or product and threats do not help that situation. It is time to regroup, retool, and focus on creating ways, such as the ones mentioned above, to get people excited about the record industry all over again.

Answer 9

real musicians don't worry;

Keep it Live!!

Answer 10

It is time to come up with new models for monetizing music.



I would take advantage of new technology and allow free downloads of the music with a relevant ad attached to it. I would allow listener's to specify the areas they are interested and which geographical location they are in so that a relevant (very very short) advertisment could be chosen to tag on the song.



A user can then be sent more music that matches their taste, so the user feels like they are getting a good offering. Give them unique content from their favourite artist if they download it from you. It is about connecting with their fans.



That way fans can listen to the music, but the artists and label can receive money from advertisements.



I have been a fan of yours for many years and have legitimately bought all your CDs.

Answer 11

This week we are featuring a question from well known Spanish pop star Alejandro Sanz. As a singer and musician Alejandro has had many international hits and won more than a dozen Latin Grammy awards and a Grammy award. He has collaborated with singer Shakira and Irish band The Corrs and has released ten albums since 1991.

Whether you are familiar with him or not, the issue Alejandro is asking a question about is one that should be of interest to every person who listens to music all over the world.

"If you were managing a record label how would you address the issue of piracy?"

Copying professionally produced music for commercial gain or transmitting it via the web without permission is against the law because it deprives the music industry as a whole of revenue. Not everyone who sings for a living is a millionaire – and there are plenty of behind the scenes producers who are putting in long hours and getting very little in return. These are the people who lose income as a result of music piracy as their jobs are first to go when profits drop.

If the whole world turned to piracy the music and movie industries would cease to exist! So if you have any thoughts on how to stop the problem post an answer to Alejandro Sanz’s question. And if you’re confused about piracy laws



people have been stealing music off the web since 1995 that has been going on for 11 years now i dont think people will ever be caught

Answer 12

Here's an idea for you. As the person posted earlier, why not bring back the single? And instead of thinking of it's negative impact on full length CD sales, instead use it as a marketing tool. Maybe there could be some sort of coupon or voucher enclosed with the single that would give the buyer a discount if and when they decided to purchase the full length version. This way the customer could purchase the song(s) that he already knows he likes, and with any luck be convinced that he's got to have the entire cd. Worst case scenario in this situation would be that he's not impressed enough to buy the full length...and you only sold a single. That's still better than giving it away on the net, right?

Also, I am a DJ. I work in the night club industry and really miss those singles. They gave me the oppurtunity to have the music the crowd wanted, without having all the filler songs. Not being able to purchase decent singles leaves me with two options as a DJ. I can either go broke spending every penny I make purchasing full length cd's that I will never use more than a couple tracks off of, or I can download exactly what I want (and only what I want) off of the internet absolutely free!! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what someone with my limited finances is going to do in this situation. I do however recognize the need for the artist to be compensated, and that's why I do continue to buy the full length cd's of those artists that I support. I guess I don't feel guilty about "pirating" anything else because in effect it's doing the artist just as much (if not more) good than it is me because they (the artist) are getting hours of airplay when i'm in the booth that they wouldn't have gotten had I had to purchase a $20 cd to gain access to one particular song.

I know that my situation regarding music is a little different than most people's, and i'm sorry if I was ranting. I just hope you get the jist of what i'm trying to say.



Thanks for your time!

[e-mail]

Answer 13

I have read the answers and I would have to agree with some people. I feel that the price of music is a bit expensive. OK, for example. I wanted to buy the Shakira cd with the single La Tortura with you featured but the cd was $17.99 here in Atlanta!! I said, ' why should I pay for the whole cd when all I really want are a few songs'. That's the problem that the consumer faces. You guys feel that we should pay crazy prices for cds that may only have a few good songs! Also, not everyone is pirating music. Keep in mind that there are websites like Sonic Stage Connect who charges people for the songs that they download. Also, these websites DO NOT allow P2P which cuts down on piracy. I can download songs onto my MP3 from this website , however I cannot transfer these songs to another computer that is not on my account. If you feel that people who are pirating your music are taking money out of your well filled pockets, you should promote more websites like S S Connect. They charge people for $.99 for each song on the cd or $10 for the cd. Both parties benefit because the consumer has the option of just buying the tracks that they want and the musician still gets paid. Win/Win. Thank you very much Mr. Sanz for giving us all the opportunity to have our voices heard. Good day.

Answer 14

The entire recording process would be under lockdown so nothing escapes the area. As for when the record actually hits the stores, I wouldn't raise a big fuss about piracy like Metallica did. If you're making good music then the fans will buy the record, see the shows, etc.



Make it all killer and no filler.



Not just a record with 15 songs and possibly one or two singles. Make the whole record 15 singles.

Answer 15

Piracy will probably always be around. I think you need to do something creative to get people to buy their record.

I have a few suggestions.

1. Provide a deluxe package for my generation (30 something). I always loved having the vinyl album cover to touch, read, smell, etc.

2. Hire someone to provide a bonus footage DVD on the making of the record, or something like that. Not saying that cannot be pirated, but quality is better popping in a DVD, rather than a compressed video.

3. Pink Floyd made me buy their Final Cut album. When it was released, it was advertised that you need to hear this on vinyl with headphones to get something you've never heard before. I wanted to hear that sound and it was great. Don't know how they did it, but it was special.

4. Accept the fact that little perps will still pirate music and there is not a whole lot that will be done about it.

Answer 16

Reducing the price is the only answer. I think with production methods decreasing costs, CDs should be about 5 dollars by now.



The CD format came out in the 80s and in 20 years the price has just not fallen at all. That's just rediculous.



Even online offerings for legitimate music downloads are too expensive. i-tunes is 99 cents a song, so if you buy 15 songs, you already at the price of the CD and the record company didn't even have to package it for you.



Illegal downloading is a revolution waged against the greedy record companies that do not care about their consumers. If they don't care about the consumer, I don't care about them.



Alejandro Sanz should put out his own music. Skip the record company kickbacks altogether. They are profiting on your art.

Answer 17

Being an artist myself piracy is a major concern. Fans have a legitimate gripe in regard to the price of music today, but how can you really place a price on creativity. Lowering the prices won't completely end piracy, some people are simply criminal minded. I believe if the cost to manufacture, produce, and distribute music were lower, then the cost would reflect that when the public shopped for new music.

Answer 18

If I were managing a record label, I would address the issue of piracy by selling the music at, or lower than, the price that the pirates are selling my music.



It would take them out of business, as people would naturally buy the original, quality CD/DVD than the rip off version of the same thing which costs exactly the same.



Pirates would get blown out of the water and more people would buy music.



Take that, Long John Silver! Argh!

Answer 19

Have him do more concerts live and include in the ticket sales a free cd of his music. The age of selling records has pretty well disappeared until you can control the number of sites like u tube that give the music out for nothing. The problem as I see it is two fold. Musicians want to be heard and when they are heard they have their music pirated so make it pay in other ways. Concerts, live performances, television performance, radio plays where they get a royalty from the radio station whenever their music is played. You cannot have your cake and eat it too these days. If your performer is so in demand then he or she should be paid whenever they perform live. Performing or using their songs in commercial situations is also a good way to add dollars to the paycheque. There is also big money in using his or her music in movies and on television shows. It may take you as his agent to get off of your butt and get out there working the system for all that it is worth. Not only are there more artists these days but this piracy thing has made the music industry the home of pirates like the early days on the high seas, watch out for Black Beard and Long John Silver!

Answer 20

One thing I hate is buying a whole CD for one song. Sometimes when I get home, I like the rest (or most of) the songs on the CD, but then there are times that I get it home and wonder if that one song is worth $15-$20. This is why I love my subscribtion to urge.com, a site owned by the MTV/VH1/CMT etc. people. Instead of having to pay for whole cd's, I pay a really small monthly fee to listen to anything on their site. If I like a track, I can buy it for less than a dollar, if I like the whole album it is usually $9.99. I have found a lot of music that I never would have found before- in fact, at the moment I am listening to an artist I have never heard before. Sometimes hearing something on urge.com leads me to go to Target and pick up the album. I have no reason to pirate songs or albums because I get to listen for almost nothing.



I think the music industry needs to follow through on these kinds of trends. Put more into these kinds of technologies. I don't think it would be so much more money than the cost of producing so many millions of CD's and the cost of transporting them is a lot more with the cost of diesel skyrocketting. I am not sure that you can stop pirating music altogether. As soon as you create a smarter trap, a smarter mouse will come along.

Answer 21

I think that Disney is taking the right approach to piracy. They are viewing it as a business model. They've stopped trying to prevent and are just looking at it as another aspect of the music industry. If you think that you're CD is going to be pirated (and let's face it, what CD isn't?), then a good idea would be to sell it for cheaper and be sure to market the cheaper price. It will attract customers who have grown afraid of the dreaded $20 CD.



Just keeping this in terms of the U.S., piracy is almost entirely inevitable, unless proactive action is taken. The reactive action currently being taken by the RIAA is not working. They end up going after 10-year-olds. The system is cumbersome and inefficient.



I'm not advising you to embrace piracy, I'm just saying that it should be taken into account and sacrifices should be made because of it; cheaper prices, no DRM software (see Steve Jobs), etc.

Answer 22

What technology giveth, technology taketh away.



Before Edison, Artist only got paid for live performances. When Edison invented the phonograph, it became possible for artist to record music and get paid for it. Work once get paid many times. A good business model.



The business model worked first because there was a significant capital entry barrier, and secondly because analog recording does not yield perfect copies.



But with the advent of recorded music, did you see all the music hall proprietors demanding the government intervene and make the artists only perform live? I did not think so.



So now all the recording companies are demanding that the government come in and protect their business model.



Instead the music industry has to focus on what is the value they are selling and how to create something like continuous value improvment so the music consumer prefers to get a "live" music rather than a recorded version.



Price reductions alone is not the answer. The value proposition has to be more than just the recorded music. It has to give the music listener some additional value for purchasing the data from the artist and not getting it for free from his friends. Catholic guilt for "stealing" will only go so far. Sending in the Thugs from BAMM will not work either.



The artist has to build a personal relationship with his audience.

Answer 23

I am against steeling the "work" of others. I also want my favorite artist to be payed! But I can not by music that I haven't heard. So I have "lend" music from others before I by an audio CD. I have bought all my Cd's. But, I have "spend" some time with the songs that I like from other people 's "contributions". Then I bought the Cd's. The music that I didn't like I throw it away. (Honestly). But how many teenagers (I am not a teenager by far), can afford this technique? It is a dilemma that should be resolved.



On the other hand, it is not always easy to hear the good songs on a radio before you by them! That means that at list the station 's DJ has them already. I am against piracy, but not against the "ways" to truly evaluate a song before buying it.



Sorry for having no answers and submitting only problems! Good luck!

Answer 24

In today's high tech society it is unlikely that piracy will ever be controlled, for many it is a game to outwit security programmers. the way to control piracy is not through lengthy courtroom battles and jail terms but to make music and other media available at a lower cost to the consumer. I mean when a person can download and burn a CD for less than 50 cents a unit why would they pay 20 dollars a unit. so I say reduce prices to under 10 dollars a unit or offer downloads for say 3 dollars a unit. Recoup lost funds via a surcharge on all blank media sales...

Answer 25

Is it about the music or the money. I know it costs a lot to make a record. A big cost is on the promotion of the record. If your music is really good, it will sell. The problem is all this crap music that somehow gets the backing of a multi million dollar label and that gets pirated by people who could care less about the artist, then the label has a fit because their losing all this money they put up for promotion.

Personally, I buy the CD's from my favorite artists. I don't want to pay $18 for some group I heard might be pretty good, so I'll see if I like them. If I do, I'll want to hear them as they intend people to hear them, so I can get the full effect of their music, and buy their CD.

Essentially, if you produce fast food music, your gonna get fast food fans. Fans that care little about their musical, artistical diet. If you make quality, nutritious music, you will get those kinds of fans.

Answer 26

Personally, I think that piracy will always be an issue. Just as robbery will always be an issue. As long as people can get away with taking things without paying for them...they will continue to do so. Even if prices are cut...why would someone pay even a dollar for something they can have for free. Unless there is a system guaranteed to catch thieves every time...they will never feel threatened enough to stop.

Although stealing is wrong, I don't feel that the record companies are suffering too much. Their greed is one of the main factors behind their concern.

Answer 27

If it were my label, I would use the piracy to my advantage. Many times I have listened to artists I was not familiar with from illegal downloads, end up loving the music, buying the cds, posters, tix to the shows, etc. Use the illegal trade as free advertising. Also, I usually only download music (legally) because I want instant gratification. If I am actually going out to purchase the item in a hard copy there has to be something really special about it. For example, some of the booklets have amazing photos or artwork I would not be able to see if I were going to download the item. Or, release your cds as limited editions...make something unique and special about them and people will want the real deal. Whatever you do you really don't want fans to get the impression that you would betray your fans by suing them or otherwise if they were to have some illegal copies of your music.



The short answer is: if people like your stuff enough they will spend money on accessories like dvd, concert tix.....If they don't like it that much they were not going to go out and buy your cd in the first place.

Answer 28

I would do the following:



1. I would conduct a study on how many of the people who copied your recordings would have bought them, had they not had the option to steal them.



2. I would then be able to know how much of an actual loss you suffered.



3. I would then determine whether the loss is significant enough for you to invest in a very expensive solution of copyright deterrence and enforcement.



4. I would then support a movement that would make downloading so affordable that it would hardly be worth one's time to download illegally.



Comment: The one thing about the advance of technology is that it is unstoppable. One has to find a way to adjust. Adding deterrence technology merely incentivizes others to thwart it with new technology.



The current system makes it necessary to compensate people other than the artist for the work they do in manufacturing and distribution. I don't begrudge these business people their share of the revenue. However, the time has come to take another look at these middlemen with the thought that their work may no longer be affordable. Most people don't know what a small percentage of the sales you get to put in your pocket.

Answer 29

Truly if you can get something for free why pay for it, because that is what people are thinking anyway. A lot of people still buy cds or no one would go triple platinum. Cds need to be cheaper! If you want to download the album online it really should be cheaper, because you don't have the cd case a cover or anything like that. I wish I could get a refund from some of the artist cds I bought when there was only one good song on the cd and I just paid 20 bucks for it.

Answer 30

Well, first I'd start an ad campaign to connect the idea that piracy is stealing, thereby highlighting the moral issue. I mean, producers and recording stars are well-known for their honesty; we should follow their example.

But OK, that's already been done.....

Next, I'd start an ad campaign that shows how piracy hurts the "little guy"--the employees of the record company. This will help pirates forget the central issue of cutting into billionaires' profits (something they can't sympathize with), and make them think they're actually hurting people "just like us". This helps to drive the point home.

But that's been done too...

Hmmm...how about lowering the cost of the average CD? I know I know...it's revolutionary, but you asked the question.



The only ones I feel sorry for are the artists struggling to make it and having their potential income taken from them.

Answer 31

I agree with a lot of the people here that the cost of CDs should be lowered.



But there has to be a way to encrypt music files that will not allow them to be copied or played in a way that could be copied.



I think with the computer and the ipods and so on it is becoming more and more difficult.



I also agree with the person that thinks it is a good idea to give free downloads but they have to come with ads and that would be a new way to generate some income and make up for the cost of lowering the price of the music.

Answer 32

Interesting that a recording artist rather than a "record company executive" is asking the question.



Usually when the record companies ask this, the real question is "in a world of DIY recording and distribution, easy music downloading and sharing, how do I keep making obscene amounts of money for doing basically nothing"?



And, of course, the answer to *that* question is, really, you can't. This is essentially a free-market adjustment to changing technologies.



The other thing to think about is the definition of "piracy". Piracy, by traditional definition, involves somebody making money by stealing your work. There is some of this that goes on (street vendors in almost any major city), and if you are really looking to attack *that* problem, go for it though the normal law-making and law-enforcement processes. But the kid who downloads a song from Limewire to listen to isn't a "pirate" any more than the old lady who fills her purse at the buffet is an international smuggler, and lumping the two together doesn't do anything to help your case.



First, a few things that *won't* work:



- Technological solutions (aka copy-protection). This manages to make life more difficult for the real customer while doing absolutely nothing to stop a dedicated pirate. I subscribe to eMusic specifically because it allows me to "own" MP3s with no DRM or other limitiations (just as if I used my own CD as the source). I won't subscribe or buy songs from any service that limits my use, transfer, or burning of the song in an attempt to make me behave "legally". Similarly, I won't buy a "copy protected" CD out of principle (even though it's easy enough to circumvent any form of copy protection).



- Suing your customer base. Duh. Young people traditionally buy more music than anybody else, and the record companies are busy creating a whole generation that hates them and everything they stand for. Nice going, tough guys.



- Adjusting prices (up or down). Though this seems to be a popular suggestion, it doesn't matter. This isn't a pricing issue, a kid who will download an album rather than buying it doesn't care if it costs $10 or $20 at the store he never goes to.



The answer, in my view, is in unlimited, customized subscription services. The big downside of large-scale downloading is in managing, maintaining, and effectively using the songs. Sure, some geeks love making a new mix disc every day but for the casual listener this process is a pain. Radio and even satellite radio (for which people *are* willing to pay) is the usual answer there, but everybody knows the downside -- they are unlikely to play *my* current favorite song three times today. Perversely, all the customized music services currently available (such as MusicMatch radio) specifically *can't* allow you to just choose the song you want to hear. This makes no sense whatsoever. PEOPLE WILL PAY for a service that

- allows them to choose (not a programmer)

- doesn't require significant updating and maintenance

- has a big (everthing) catalog

- is completely portable (does not tie you to the PC)



So, relating this back to Mr. Sanz' question, rather than thinking about selling "your album" or keeping it from being listened to by people who didn't by "your album", you should be thinking about which subscription services you want your music to be offered as a part of. Also think about who deserves a "cut" of the money for the music you are creating -- why assume that a "manager of a record label" even has to exist anymore?

Answer 33

i'm gonna be real with you. i copy music from friends all the time. Sometime i hear a song on the radioby a particular singer. However i'm not going to go out and but the whole cd cause i like one song. so i BORROW it from a friend to get a better 'feel' of the srtist. if i like it then i'll buy the cd, if not, i just won't bother. But if people lower the price of their music then maybe they'lle make a lot more money in the long run cause people will buy their music. Where i live, its about 20$US for one cd. Most people aren't willing to pay that cause it's really too expensive. If people in the music industry would expand on selling music downloads on the net, that would lower the production cost so they could sell music to the public cheaper. How about that?

Answer 34

Alejandro with 15 Grammies under your belt who is managing your career? And are your attorneys keeping up to date on the ever changing laws that are affecting the industry in worldwide? We are in a high tech world that changes every minute of the day. We have 24hrs each day to train, record, write, and meditate. We pray and thank our creator for blessing us with the gift to sing and entertain and be able to become that world reknowned artist that you are. Are you in control of your own record label? do you have a website where you can sell you product online, if so youre already ahead of the game. If someone is taking away the millions of dollars that you already have he or they are some poor impoverished street vendors that are keeping your name alive and giving you Barrio representation within the Latino communities of the world. Give them a thanks for the publicity that it would cost you that much more in the millions you would have to pay the TV networks for commercial time. Those are your fans out there who dont have computers or the minimum wages they are receiving from their everyday existance. As they work in the sweatshops and fields of the world especially in America they may have just bought one the your Cds that they can afford with the pennies they barely make each day to feed their families and pay their bills. Remember Alejandro where those 15 Grammys came from!

Answer 35

Well piracy is needed to save money. Sometimes you only want that one song on a cd but not the other 17. Sometimes you can't find songs in a music store cus the artist doesn't sell in that cd in the country or store. If the CD's had lower prices I wouldn't mind spending a dollar or 2 on cd's but they're like 20 dollars each which is a waste of money especially if you just need one song. Limewire or other p2p services provides you with this stuff for free. They're is no way to stop this. Even if they're is a copy protection on a cd there are still several ways to make it unprotected so you can write the cd on a different disk.

Answer 36

I don't pretend to understand the music industry.

I only absolutely buy a CD I like, and to give you an idea - I will buy probably 1 CD in 2 years.

Otherwise, I listen to friends music, or the radio or stuff I have on my computer (not downloaded).

The reason I won't buy has already been stated. CD's are far too expensive, and for the 7 - 10 songs that are included, I likely will only like one of them.

Year's ago - we used to be able to buy singles. What's wrong with the studios offering singles downloads direct from the studio for .50 cents or 1.00 each? Consumers could buy what they want directly from the studio and studios would eliminate the middle man. If you did this, a person could buy 10 songs for 10 dollars or so and get the songs they want, and it would be lots cheaper for them instead of buying a bunch of pirated CD's.



I don't think you will ever eradicate piracy however. There will always be those people who will refuse to pay and who will want to make money off of stolen goods.

Answer 37

Actually, from an uneducated viewpoint... seems to me there isn't much to worry about because piracy doesn't insure quality control, packaging (fold outs, lyrics, pictures, etc) nor the titles to the songs and name(s) of the artist. Not only that, but I think the mass quantities sold of any popular artist/music is indicative of the wealth derived amongst those artists, their producers, and of course the wholesalers and retailers. Greed is the basis for piracy concerns and constraints... those in the music industry just can't be satisfied by the wealth generated in the present.

Answer 38

Unfortunately my answer to you is that the cost of music needs to be reduced. Here in Australia we pay $30 for a CD and it leads us to the temptation of stealing music, particularly when the internet makes doing this so easy. So if I was a record producer looking to prevent piracy I’d cut the cost of CDs by thirty percent. I may make less money initially, but I’d lose less business to piracy in the long run.

Great question by the way – I’m a big fan of yours since taking Spanish in high school!

Answer 39

My tip from a music fan to a musician is this, we all know people want something for nothing, what you need is a TOUR. If people see you they will say damn let me pick this guys CD up at the door. Second make your music avaliable by song and by album in the form of Pay to Download services and actual record releases. Third throw in extras with the purchase of the CD, tangible items that the internet can't give you like the chance to find a special Autographed lyric book.



I'm not saying it's right but if you want Law Suit alternatives try that.

Answer 40

Piracy affects the overall profits to all in involved from producing to selling the CD'S.



It's a diversive issue because those who make illegal copies and sale them like in Saudi Arabia make a fortune from Black Market CD's ;However, the publicity and exposure of those who are pirates of the music are actually exposing the artist even further because some people who can't afford right now to buy the CD will eventually buy the CD when they're financially well off and the fact that they got the music free or through piracy it would'nt have been made possible if it had not been for piracy and that affects only a 4% of the media, but let's be for real here. 4% gain sales is worth the publicity gained.



So there you have a pro and con game of the pirate networks on line.



Every song that you hear on T.V for sale can be downloaded. Marketing music like it was 20 years ago has been slashed so hard because of the download egines on line that allowed the music to get in the hands of literally millions and millions of people that never paid one dime for the music, but paid for their internet service to get the possibility to have that music.



The artist lost money, but gaines a whole new reputable fan base that will make him continue to be the start and musician or singer that he or she is. If it wasn't for the engines on line his or her music could not reach the wider audience because radio is only 30 % of the air versus 80 % on line.

Weigh it out and any way you look at it, your music is going to sale and your going to get exposure and the pirate network is basically exposing you as the singer to everybody on and off line and that is more than radio and online can do for you because the word of mouth travels faster than a computer.

I have spoken my true heart on this issue and trust me on this, your gonna be more richer than you are now with the system like it is, but in any event the law is the law and people break the law everyday, but never get rich from it or do they is the question.

Answer 41

I would stop signing crappy bands that are only capable of 1 hit off an entire album! The reason people don't want to buy albums anymore is they feel they aren't getting any BANG for their Buck! When you buy an album, you want an album experience, not flip to "Track 5" since its the only good song on the record.



bands like Iron maiden, Led Zepplin, Metallica (old), U2, all had full length albums that rocked, you could listen to the whole thing and enjoy it!



Nowadays, you cant make it through 3 songs without wanting to turn it off or skip to the only good on eon the album, essentially, you're paying $15 for a song, not the album, This is why iTunes is so successful today, people know the band only has 1 song, why pay $15 when you can pay$1.00?



Stop signing bands that suck and look like everyone else!



my 2 cents.

Answer 42

There's only so much you can do, but here's one solution: Don't put out terrible music. I'm not saying you do, as I haven't heard your music. A main problem today is artists with no talent, or with talent but putting out CDs with only a couple of good songs. Less and less people write their own music... then they expect us to buy their crap. Many people only download from artists they don't respect. Another answer would be to reduce costs of the album if its price is too high. What confuses me is that can't the music industry just go to Limewire or whatever and track the IPs of the downloaders, then arrest them? I read in the news they had done that to two people who uploaded more than 1,000 songs. Only two people out of the many that partake in piracy. Maybe it's an issue of laziness?

Answer 43

I do not manage a record label but I do own a recording studio/production company and I've noticed that the producers and artists I've worked with have their IPODS, cell phones and laptops loaded with pirated music.



My favorite is when some artist plays me an MP3 and tells me how he likes the vocal production or guitar tone or whatever but cant even tell me the name of the artist because it was something he "found" online. BTW, they never "pirate", they "find".



If the people in the industry can't support one another then why should the rest of us? It has to start somewhere.

Answer 44

It doesn't matter, because music is overpriced. Considering that a song is something you might listen to a few times, then grow bored with it - the music industry is mistaken in the value of its product. It is pirated because that is all it is worth - nothing. Art should be produced without consideration of profit. When a songwriter puts words to a melody, he doesn't own it. The melody and words already existed. The songwriter just arranged them in a certain 'way. That should not give him any ownership interest. Once a person puts certain words to a melody, they are depriving others of the right to put different words to that same melody. So the songwriter should pay into a fund to compensate humanity for the songwriter's use of the melody.

Answer 45

Dear Alejandro,

I personally like all your cd's. I don't think the record industry can stop piracy and I suppose, it all started too long ago in order to have it under control now.



Cd's are very expensive and artists sometimes, have only one or two good songs to offer in one cd. It doesn't mean you won't have fans, to buy your music or follow their idol.

The media doesn't help much either, to put an end to piracy.

Maybe more publicity on tv, should be done.

I hope, and wish, for all artists sake, that through proper information on television, you 'll raise more awareness on "piracy".

Sincerely...

Answer 46

Music piracy is the worlds response to the corporate worlds greed. I personally have no interest in taking money away from an artist but in the same instance, when it comes to the price we pay as consumers, there is no denying the greed factor. No one has to buy a CD nowadays however I still think the prices being charged by download websites are extremely high in some instances. Sure it costs money to setup, run and maintain a site however this is what advertising is for. The other annoying factor that I think is a strong enticement to download music for free, is the fact that sites lock music files to be played on specific players. This is ridiculous! I've paid for the song, but only to play on that one player. Seriously! Why would I pay for the song at all. If I bought a computer program that only played on one specific type of motherboard, I'd be pretty annoyed if I had to replace my motherboard and couldn't use that program any more. Companies like Apple overprice their hardware which does not make me inclined to purchase it and then if I do, I can download their itunes music to my ipod but not to my daughters generic mp3 player.



I really think this is the universe giving the corporates a kick up the backside. For decades they've been ripping people off and now they're annoyed because they feel ripped off. Morally, I don't see anything wrong with people downloading music for free, as long as they're not profiteering from it. In any case, I don't believe you'll ever get rid of it. It's here to stay. I don't believe people in general object to companies making money from things like music, they just object to being ripped off. And that's what's been happening to us for decades. They can rant and rave about copyright all they want but until they start doing the right thing, they'll continue to fight a loosing battle. In saying that, of course there are always going to be a minority who are themselves greedy and regardless of how much money they have, they will not pay for music if they don't have to. There's nothing you can do in relation to those people.

Answer 47

When I was a young man it was common to buy a virgin vinyl LP record, at a premium price if I really liked the contents. So so albums would be purchased second hand or swapped usually with loss of quality from abuse and use. Also when a new album was purchased you would receive a nice size piece of cover art to look at and quite often biographies and anecdotal info about the band or artist was included. The covers with artwork and info enhanced the purchase experience. These covers would be passed around whenever I had company over listening to the music and discussion would evolve around the covers and the music-(free advertising). This experience is missing with tiny cassette tape and cd covers. The covers with art work and biography info was a great incentive to buy new premium quality LPs. Lower quality cassette purchases were secondary.These days a group of people would have to sit in front of a computer monitor discuss and test each others knowledge about the artists. People are not interested in that. A person, I believe, would rather have a collectors item in their hand. It was also common to pass around cassette copies of music. These copies were a great incentive for a person to go out and buy their own virgin album and artwork associated with it.

In closing.....

Sell premium quality Cd's or songs with points for either in store or mail in incentives to receive an LP size collectors art piece with biographies on quality acid free card stock. No folds on the art work. Encrypt the Cd's if need be.-Make them cool-lectable.

Sell unencrypted lower quality recordings-like the what we get now Cd's and buck a song titles. Do not worry if people re-record the lower quality stuff as it is free advertising for your industry.

Answer 48

I believe that the record labels have been dealing with piracy the wrong way. I am a believer in not pirating music. Therefore, I buy all my CDs and downloads. Why then, am I being slapped in the face for doing this? I buy a CD and it installs a root-kit on my machine. I buy a download and I am not allowed to play it on my iPod. This would have been a good strategy had it stopped files from being uploaded on P2P networks, but it has proven to be ineffective. I can still pirate any song I want, often before the CD is even released. Therefore, the only people the record labels are hurting are the people who are supporting them. This has to change. Instead of punishing the people who support you, reward them. Make the CD come with some pack-ins that cannot be distributed on P2P networks. Something like distributing a poster that comes exclusively with the CD. Only allow those who bought the CD to purchase concert tickets. Best of all, a simple thank you would be nice. Instead of listing everything I can be sued for if I decide to pirate the music, how about putting something like "Thank you for supporting us, we really appreciate the fact that you felt that we were worth your money and we will reward you accordingly" on the CD cover.

Answer 49

I dont know much about the record label and things related to that but i think when you find somebody does piracy, place open critics and comments to the media. At least it will help other to have the same situation as u get.

Answer 50

It would probably be a big No-no, but before filing law suits and jumping the gun, I'd think about it first. I'd ask people first, like post on the label/ recording artist's site saying please don't pirate our music and do everything possible to block it without filing lawsuits. If it doesn't decline, but the company itself is still doing fine, and the piracy isn't affecting it too badly, I probably wouldn't file a lawsuit. If it was the opposite, and we were almost bankrupt, I probably would. Just because they are a fan doesn't give them the right to have the recording artist's music for free

Answer 51

There is just no way to stop it, if you use encryption, someone will find a way to break it. People will always try to rationalize stealing if they feel it's overpriced. I'd like to believe that people are basically honest and if given a chance will do what's right. So with that in mind, if you could find a price that the majority would be willing to pay for a single song, then more people will buy songs instead of pirating them. One other alternative is to put a special tax on all blank CDs or DVDs sold.

Answer 52

Odd that one can buy a car, a house or a Monet painting and do with it what one wants from copying it to destroying it but buy some music and you have no right to copy it or share it with your mom because that's piracy. The price for cd's is too high and the quality of music has not improved from the 50's thus it is impossible to jusitfy outlandish costs for music today and that is the primary reason for piracy.

Answer 53

My answer would be internet is easy and most of the time downloading is free and why should we pay , In india English CDs are starting from 350 to 800 Rs and Hindi 90 to 200 Rs , And if we download the songs from the internet it would be 30 to 60 rs for hindi or english songs and we can store 150 to 180 songs in that MP3 cd .

The original Audio or Dvd Cds have become very expensive , So i dont mind going for the pirated version even just to watch movies.

i know it is wrong and bad but I cant afford by expensive Cds when i m getting Pirated Cds or internet songs for free.

Answer 54

The only reason piracy exists is because it pays. Why does it pay? Because the premium that intellectual property owners put on their product is atrocious. With trade globalization, it would be very dificult to control market forces. Sorry, but the same technology that makes it possible for intellectual proprietors to reach large markets opens the doors to piracy.



There has to be a paradigm change. The copying machine down the block has changed the art market. Lower down your margins to make it difficult for pirates to make a profit. Unfortunately artists of all persuasions love to overvalue the worth of their art. What's going to stop other talents of comparable prowess but less known from producing "my own version" of art works that are much in demand?



In the final analysis, do artists believe that their art is for their exclusive pleasure or do they have a moral obligation to share this with the world?

Answer 55

The way the music industry supplies the public with their art must change. Piracy issues came up when the VCR & Beta Max came out...but they are still around, and we also have Tivo. Piracy of music will not go away...all you can do is put something out there that can't be supplied on a computer.

Answer 56

Note: I've never heard of you before but here're my views anyway!



Well, the problem is that often, for many artistes, their cds are not available anywhere for purchase. And even if you want to order the cd through places like HMV, you might not be able to(not even if you offer to foot the shipping and other charges). This is especially difficult if a fan lives in some other country than the artiste's country.



Also, many artistes still resist the idea of allowing their albums for online purchase and some even don't have any mp3 samples.



And with mp3 players now in the rage, I'm not sure everyone wants to spend hours trying to rip their entire collection from their music cds.



Thus, in my point of view, many people just resort to downloading the entire album when they're just looking for samples to try or buy. Or they do that, even if they have the cd 'cos they're just too lazy to rip the mp3s.



Also, even if the mp3s of a certain cd are for sale, they're often like 128 kbps when "pirated" mp3s often have higher bitrates like 196kbps to 256 kbps or even higher(like 1000++ kbps variable bitrate)! And there's that horrendous issue of DRM and mp3s purchased from one source, not playable on another type of mp3 player. Also, I feel that many people are pirating mp3s to get back at RIAA for its' "overly harsh stance".



My conclusion? This is the era of mp3s. Strip away DRM, allow mp3s for sale but with higher quality. And allow people to play their mp3s on different players because often, consumers switch brands and by restricting what you can and cannot do with an mp3, you're annoying the consumers.

Answer 57

Piracy is a dark era of entertainment industry , it doesn't sounds cool man! Many artist I've known gone collapsed and not in the mainstream anymore. Price is one of the factor, comparing pirates price is much a reason. But I'm amazed, there is a law against pirates, where's the fang to stop this?

"People need an artist, an artist need people. Artist is in need a help right now, we people must act". This is slogan of one I've known, an anti-piracy group. My cousin is one of the member.

I like the question you have raised. Let us be together finding solutions . Just visit some sites for this.

good day!

Answer 58

First of all, piracy will never be solved. There will always be those people who want everything for free and don't want to spend a cent on things unless they absolutely have to.



However, record companies could reduce the amount of piracy. They should be able to easily able to reduce prices on CDs. It doesn't cost much to produce the CDs and they get the CDs cheap. They make a killing off the selling of the CDs. $20 for a CD that probably costs like $2 or less to make is ridiculous. They could also give more to the artist from the sale of the CDs, which would lower the costs for everything else the artist sells. $25-$50 for t-shirts and sweaters is overboard. All you are paying for is the name. It happens with merchandise from music artist to big name brands like Quicksilver and Desiel. You are mostly just paying for the name.



If record companies would reduce their prices on CDs, then people would buy them more. It would reduce the amount of piracy. Unfortunately, it will never fully stop.



Another way to reduce piracy is to have cops and such prowling site/applications like Limewire to do IP traces on the people sharing the copyrighted music.



Piracy could also be slowed by using sites like purevolume.com. You can create profiles on it and put you music on it in a small section so that people can sample your music, and you can also give them the choise to download your songs. This way it is legal, and people can download music that they like or sample it so that they might go buy your CDs.



Hope it helps.

Answer 59

You'd probably heard it already, but i think the record labels should let the person who bought the music to use as they please. There are so many restrictions and it's so much easier to get it by downloading. You can use the music as much as you want, and your not limited in where the music is.

Maybe put a code where you can download it five times into your ipod or mp3 player or such. Maybe then people would be willing to buy cd's more. Who know's what the future holds.

Answer 60

I don't think you can end piracy and I hope it doesn't end. Downloading and sharing files have exposed me to different artists that I might not have heard otherwise. If I hear something I really like then I am willing to spend my hard earned money on the CD to support an artist but due to the price I am very selective in what I buy and how often. I would still rather download legally/illegally just to keep my shelves clear and all that plastic out of a landfill.

Answer 61

Piracy of any kind is generated or made possible because first the strict copyright makes it more attractive a venture and secondly the items are overly priced. If the popular music is priced low sufficient enough for public to access, it will certainly help in reducing piracy.

Answer 62

Great question. Well, I think artist should make better music. Artist should stop trying to get that quick hit and make quick cash and produce a better product, which could prevent people from pirating their work. In my lifetime, I've bought over 500 CDs, tapes or records. I bought a lot of music that had only (1) one song on it that I liked, which to me is not fair, having to pay full price for a inferior product. That's why I now have a three song rule for all music I buy. If the CD doesn't have at least three songs that I like listening to, I won't buy the CD. To combat piracy, maybe you should be able to purchase individual songs from maybe a artist website. My beef now, is with artist who embed programs on their CDs, which require you to download a program to listen to it on your computer and requires you to only license it to one computer. Those artist I don't buy their product and I encourage my friends to do the same. I have three computers, so I should be able to put the music on al of them or none of them.

Answer 63

One word: re-engineering.

Rethink the production process so that the cost to the final consumer is not so high!

I like Alejandro's music, as well as the work of many other artists, but the albums are too expensive for me to buy even a small fraction ofl the music I like (I should note that I live in Argentina, where any new album costs in excess of U$10, which is too much for us given our exchange rate).

So far, active pursuit of illegal distributors has only made them cleverer and their methods better; and they end up being regarded as modern "Robin Hoods".

You should be better than the illegal "competition", and avoid becoming the "bad guys". One copy-controlled cd I bought almost ruined my cd-player, after installing unauthorized software in my computer. That did nothing to make me appreciate the music production industry!



So, instead of spending even more money to 'crack down on piracy' (which will ultimately be paid by the consumers of legal music), why not offer diverse and more flexible systems to buy music, and keep it at a reasonable cost.

Once the costs are affordable, advertise the quality of legal downloads. You could also offer extras or bonuses to reward people who buy legal music (and no, the packaging does not usually compensate for the high prices!).

Answer 64

If you're talking about peer to peer file sharing, I wouldn't. What's to stop us from sharing music that we bought with our friends, like loaning out cd's or recording music off the radio station? I think the issue of piracy is bunk and it lost Metallica many fans.

Answer 65

You will have to get the programs that people use to pirate music and track the IP addresses of the file sharers or downloaders and contact those peoples ISP. The word will get out in the file sharing communities and people will get scared to download the tracks. You could also register as a member of some of these sites and spread false rumors about federal charges against people that download the stolen music. Programs to check would be Torrentspy, Limewire, Torrent finder, Ect... Good luck.

Answer 66

Let me answer your question with another question.



What two things do these three industries have in common:

1. Airlines.

2. Movie Theaters.

3. Record Companies.



They are:

1. All three treat their customers like criminals.

2. They are all fighting like crazy for survival.



So why don't you just drop all the DRM crap and learn to trust your customers? Sure, there will be some piracy, but if you could concentrate on improving your business model to get out of the nineteen-fifties, instead of spending toms of money on litigation and DRM bullshit, that just makes your customers loathe you, and want to pirate more, you would probably save money, sell more, and improve profits.



You can, of course, keep doing what you are currently doing. One problem: It just doesn't seem to be working, for you, does it???

Answer 67

Lowering the price of music isn't really the solution. There is so much that goes into creating it and putting it on the market. Everybody involved needs to get paid for their hard work, especially the artist. The only real way to curb piracy is to include patches on mp3's that will prevent them from being duplicated.

Answer 68

Release the whole record at the same time! You can't stop piracy - Understand that it exists and move on. Just like alcohol, prohibition and bootleggers. Look at your fans (or potential fans)Where are they more likely to buy music and how much are they willing to spend. $17 for a cd is way too much money. Make the price of cd's and downloads so reasonable people will buy them legally.

Answer 69

The cost to buy cd's is outrageous. The best way to stop the piracy is to reduce the cost to the consumer. These artists and record companies make more money than they can possibly spend in a lifetime already.

Answer 70

I think the bottom line is that artist do not release a full CD of quality music. If an artist had 10 songs of quality instead of 2-4, then there would be a greater chance the CD would be sold.

In other words, the artist must provide a quality product if they want it purchased.

Answer 71

the sad thing is, after reading several answers posted it seems as though alot of people classifing "piracy" with "copyright infringment" . Piracy is the act of creating and selling "copys" of full length movies & albums with covers as the real thing. Where the downloading of a song for personal use is classified as "copyright infringment". one hurts artists and retailers alike whereas the other could be used as perhaps the best form of advertising for this type of media to date all it lacks is moderation of content that is distributed. I.E. 1 song from albums about to be released is put up for download a week prior on a torrent with a page link to a sales site its all about marketing!!!!!

Answer 72

I agree with Eve and a few others that argue that most entertainers are greedy SOBs who should just leave well enough alone. Geesh, how much more money do you want for practically doing nothing. How about that guy that is mowing your lawn to feed his family, pulling up the weeds, and landscaping your garden for you to enjoy when you're at home and not on the road. Does he get to go home to a house as nice as yours? He works harder for what he does than you do. How about that housekeeper, that is cleaning up after your grown behind and your friends after a wild party. I hardly think that she is being compensated nearly enough for her talents. "Celebrities" get free swag all the time, and the minute that the working slob finds a loop-hole to get a little comeuppance, the big wigs want knock him down and out. Celebs get things for free that they can afford to pay for outright, that have NEVER made any sense to me. Free clothes, free food, free electronics, free room and board at very expensive hotels, FREE FREE FREE. But you want to penalize the poor working man (woman) for trying to find some happiness in an otherwise dull existence. Even though you may not be "getting paid" your name is getting out there, and if you are really worth your weight, then that downloader is going to become a fan and possibly come to see you live in concert, buy posters, and clothing. If you ask me, you are cutting off your nose to despite your face. You can't have it all. Sorry to break it to you, but you can't, no matter what your manager tells you.

Answer 73

Trying to completely stop is impossible. May I suggest that CD be a better value meaning Enhanced Stero version( THX) and a DVD side showing couple of videos maybe an short interview.This reminds me of in the late 70's and early 80's when record companies were trying to stop the sale of blank cassettes because of people copying albums. Then CD"s came around everybody bought into the format. everybody traded up.

Answer 74

I would sign artists with talent so that when people paid $20 to get their CD they wouldn't feel raped when they discovered that the only good song on the entire thing was the one they heard that prompted them to buy the album in the first place. If people weren't so concerned with pumping out as many low quality CD's as they could maybe other people wouldn't feel like they had to go online and download just one or two songs rather than buy an entire album of garbage.

Answer 75

The Grateful Dead did it best - allow taping and free trading of live music, then fans could buy the studio stuff.

Music trading has always been done...everyone copies a tape or a disc for a friend.

An artist needs to take control of his music and not let a record company do the distribution and marketing, etc. You should sell your songs online yourself and cut out the record company.

Answer 76

For me, I'd say that I'll cut the cost of music CDs since here in the Philippines, a lot of people pirate movie CDs, video-game CDs, music CDs, etc. It's already getting irritating. Yes, I may lose a lot of profit, but at least I can help a lot of people from avoiding piracy.

Answer 77

That is very hard to say. First off, I would target Limewire and other P2Ps. Second, I would give people incentive to pay for music by selling them online without DRM, and advertise them greatly. And third, I think I would invest in a record store. Many big stores, like Barnes and Noble's or FYE, charge records way overpriced, like 18 bucks for an album. If I had my own chain of stores that sold albums for an affordable price that would help.

Answer 78

I don't think there's an absolute solution for piracy and pirated CDs. The only thing that's effective in my opinion is for the artist to appeal to his fans to support the industry by the purchase of original records.

Answer 79

I used to think CDs cost too much..but then i realized the great deals you get at places like Target and Walmart. Especially when the CD first comes out, its usually on sale.



But, I would suggest you re-up the single. Whatever happened to the single? Why do i have to buy the entire album? There are only a few artists whose entire album intrigues me.



Also, i like the options on yahoo that let you buy one track at a time. They just need to make it so that you can listen to the tracks on any computer via your mp3 player. I think you can, but there seems to be a bug that sometimes prohibits this.

Answer 80

I would sell the CDs only by myself or sell bulk CDs only to people I trust to sell them. I would put a copy-guard on the CDs so that they can't be read by popular CD burning software such as CD Mate. Also, when putting up free mp3s, such as the ones on my site, I would create a special graphic with control buttons like play and stop added to it - the special graphics prevent all but the best hackers from saving the actual mp3. They could save a picture of the graphics, but not the song itself. Another solution to prevent piracy would be to put mp3 samples that are obviously flawed for that reason. Who would want to steal a MONO mp3 or an mp3 with other recording faults such as buzzing in the background? These samples are ideal for potential buyers who are considering buying the CD but want to hear samples first.

Answer 81

music piracy is a very big issue. The best, i think anyone can do is to talk about the issue. Simply address the public.

However, i doubt it will make a big change

Answer 82

I love music, and I would never buy pirated music but know people who do, the prices continue increasing and people like me, who like to have the original copy have started downloading from P2P sites (I have friends who started doing this), so one solution would be to lower the prices of CD's, track down major producers of pirated CD's, I know for a fact that in Mexico is a big problem, I see them selling in the border crossing to the United States, and the authorities don't do anything about it.

Join music clubs like BMG who offer to buy one and get 4 free, or give you free CD's when you get your friends to join the club, the only problem is that they lack variety on new music and artists,and usually newer music is not part of their sales.

But if you want to expand your collection of not so new music this is a great choice.

Answer 83

i think mistaking the public or making a great issue of this may make people hate you...



you can write a song of how the evil wins and angel falls when there is piracy.... furthermore.. if you are alejandro sanz then why not you buy the pirated recording studio, makin themselvs to make record label for you... i know it's vast... but by promoting this makes people realise.... you dont hate them for what you do if they have to feed their children but you make them know that you understand the pain of a poor..... may democracy hails!!!! dude!!

Answer 84

I would start with the big corporate businesses that are illegally pirating music and have them arrested and ran out of business. It is important to make an example of them to the community then work your way from there.



It would be notable too that the price of music is outrageously high and should be more affordable for individuals. I think this would reduce piracy to an extent. Just my opinion...

Answer 85

In reading all of the other answers posted by users, there seems to be one common thread: make music more affordable to the masses. CD's average $15 to $20 each. For some people that is A LOT of money. Once you figure out how much it really costs to put out a CD, this seems outrageous. Cd's are mass-produced and all you really end up paying for is the lyric sheet and a few photos of your favorite band inside. Concert tickets are EXTREMELY expensive. As a matter of fact, I wanted to see Alejandro Sanz in concert in NYC this summer, but could not justify spending so much money on the tickets, so I can not go.



Music is a huge part of pop culture, and we all know everyone wants to be up on what's popular. Kids get access to what their friends are listening to by scoring burned CD's and DVD's. Plain and simple, we all want to be a part of music, it ties us together in some way. Not everyone can afford access, so they, in their desire to be a part of popular culture, access music as best as they can.



Bottom line is, is costs too much to be a hard-core fan of a singer or band these days. When you factor in CD costs, clothing and apparel, DVD's, concert tickets, etc. we can't really afford it.



Alejandro, te quiero!!! Y me duele no poder comprar un boleto para tu concierto en Nueva York este julio. Pero tu has leido las respuestas de tu pregunta aquí...CD's, playeras, boletos para los conciertos...todo cuesta dinero, y muchas personas no lo tienen para gastar en estas cosas.

Answer 86

I go to walmart.com and purchase music on line by song if i dont want the whole album; the artist gets their percentage and the on line service gets a percentage; piracy is horrible but i believe that artists would want people to be able to afford their music should allow a few songs for free.

Answer 87

lower the cost of the cds, offer free downloads of new music for a limited time on websites like myspace. maybe if the record companies stopped keeping so much of the profit from someone else's work and the actual ''artists'' got more money per cd sold you could reach a compromise between a lower market cost and more publicity through the ideas above.

Answer 88

You should lower the costs of CD's. Maybe $10-15 or less would be nice. You recording artists are rich anyways you shoulden't be complaining about a few people here and there. But get rid of the P2P file sharing programs.

Answer 89

The cost of Cd's is outrageous and in many cases I have found that they contain only one or two songs which are worth owning. If I owned a Record Label, I would be mindful of the fans because without them, there would be no record label. I would give fans value for their dollar, I would insist that the Artists and bands had a sufficient amount of potential hits to put on an album before I would allow an album to be released. It seems that the music industry now cares only about their pocketbooks and not about the music fans. I don't mind buying a CD if I'm going to like most of the music on it. Nowadays, I find too much junk on Cd's, the good songs have been saved so that they could release albums more often. The cost of Cd's, the cost of concerts, and the fact that Artist now want to only play in large urban centres for large crowds make it next to impossible for me to be a true fan of any artist. Bring back the days of vinyl; the days of more concert dates in smaller venues and concert tickets that I don't have to mortgage the house to get and the fans will go out of their way to support you, including buying only your authentic CDs.

Answer 90

Alejandro, people need to understand that it is taking what does not belong to you. I am a dj/dance teacher and I have over 3.000 Cd's. I purchased each and every one of them. I would not dream of stealing music because I understand that it is stealing. Most of the people I know who download think it isn't stealing and that they will not be caught. There are some Cd's I have had to repurchase when they become scratched and I need them so all I am saying is that it will take a campaign to teach people that downloading is shoplifting. It is that simple.

Answer 91

Okay, here's my thoughts on this issue. Firstly, I agree with what everyone said about music being too expensive. Secondly, being in South Africa, we tend to get music a while after it's released. As a matter of fact, there's this one artist's debut album that was released in January, and it's still not out here yet. I think there should be worldwide releases... same date around the world.

Answer 92

We think the price of the cds. Most people only by cds for 1 or 2 songs. why pay the price of the cd when you cant get the songs for free. But its something thats going to keep happening, Unless the prices go down or they come up with a new format that cant be downloaded

Answer 93

The one thing I don't hear people talking about is the use of technology to protect music. I think it's time to watermark music. Not by using tracking...but by simply implementing software onto CD's, and downloadable tracks, that sense and detect P2P software. Furthermore why not get involved with Microsoft, and implement a manditory program in Windows, that freezes use of all CD and MP3 catalogs when a P2P filesharing network is downloaded.

Answer 94

I think the Yahoo and Itunes have the right idea of selling subscriptions for unlimited listening and cheap downloads to burn songs and download to mp3's . It is is the "if you can't beat em..."





All in all, access to music has to change in order to keep up with the times. It is going to be a complete paradigm shift in order to keep up with the industry. But like everyone else, I am not losing sleep over musicians not being able to make a living playing songs. If they want to make money with REASONABLE download prices, live gigs, being a working musician and a day job, that is the price of being a musician.

Answer 95

you can't stop piracy, specially now that the internet makes file sharing to much easier than before. you can always track computers and have them seized by the police and take the people to court, like metallica. but you risk losing fans that really love your music. it would be easier if it was regulated and enforced more, that way people would get prosecuted without having to blame the artists and record companies. I didn't like the idea of the software that prevented copying cds, because it was harmful to computers. people like to have a copy of their cds on their computers for back up, not just for burning extra copies that they can sell. this was bad for the record companies because they did not warn consumers and then they denied it. the best way to prevent piracy would be to lower the cost of music. i love music, but i have not purchased as many cds lately because the cds cost to much. also, if people were making better music. i am willing to pay for a cd if all of the songs are great. because of things like mtv and ipod/itunes, we are becoming single oriented. i prefer to listen to a whole cd, i like singles, but i want to hear everything that the artist thought was worth putting on a cd. just have better artist and sell the music for a more affordable price, please.

Answer 96

if i were a manager of a record label.the first things i will do is to eliminate the production of any music to compact disc and dvd.i will bring back the 12 inches back to market.that case no one can duplicate it.totally eliminate the cd and dvd.and will stop piracy by big percentage.we all know that we can buy a blank cd and dvd but you cannot buy a blank 12 inches record.the record company is to blame for all the piracy.if they did not brought out the cd then there will be no piracy.remembered the old days when everyone buying the 12 inches.the record company and its artist are making money.now they losing money because of the piracy.so why not bring the old form of records.i bet no one can pirated the old form.plus buying a turntables are more expensive than a cd player.and the sound from the 12 inches are far better than cd.

Answer 97

piracy is a grey blurry area.. it's not black and white. people who are into the business side of music think everything is piracy and to them music is all about money. if you are a true artist and you do music for the love you could care less about piracy.

Answer 98

I would add copyright protection to each and every disc so it could not be copied! and if the music was copied , have it coded so it would not be in playable condition once copied from an unauthorized source.(this procedure is availible and can be facilitated). As an added note; most of the music being leaked is done so before the release of the actual disc (the same people who are producing and manufacturing, So it would be safe to say: "know those who labor among you"

Answer 99

WIth DDR, it becomes more difficult to pirate music. So more artists are using services such as itunes instead of releasing CD's. The song is coded so that only authorized computers can play them and thus piracy is reduced.

Answer 100

the way fans receive the music they listen to has evolved therefore so must the industry putting the music out (record labels) Money is made in other areas such as touring, and there is always endorsements. young music fans are getting their music from the net, while older fans are still buying their music from CD's. Capitalize on the net sales (downloads) as the cash cow to fund the CD sales.

Answer 101

I wouldn't. Pirated copies have been around since the days of the 8 track. They always have a poorer quality. If people want to listen to crap let them. When people want quality they will always opt for the better disc no matter what the cost. It's time for these rich suckers to stop bellyaching about their cut. They're all better off than us, & you can bet your bottom dollar that they would be amoung the first to pirate records before they became rich.

Answer 102

> Hey man. I live in the states.



> Someone on this sit or whatever



> asked what he could do to get



> people to not copy CD's.



> How to stop it? If I knew how,



> I could live in Spain or

> anywhere else. I would be

> a millionaire. I could have my price from

> any major US label.



> But piracy is impossible to stop because

> of the ability of the PC user to copy an

> audio file. So many different angles or

> viewpoints about copying music to MP3

> or other files. I've done it, but not to create

> a physical medium and redistribute for profit.



> Only thing Sanz could do(unless you are

> somebody playing me or another for a fool.

> This is a perfect medium for wasting another's time).



> You must get a software genius, a CD manufacturer,

> and somebody in that industry who really wants

> secure recordings. Then they create a way

> to digitally and technologically prevent it.



> There isn't any other way.



> If you ever see Adriana Karembeu tell her



> some of us really admire beauty.





> Good luck

Answer 103

For all we know that piracy is a criminal act coz it steals our music from the underground world of economy.. We can promote and help to stop piracy by means of our good music and lyrics that a consumer might be able to admire with..

Answer 104

under no problem in the future most of Latin America

wont be around to support alto of industries

and this includes the Latin Grammy awards too...

you can continue to celebrate the separations of

nationality....but you can not ask about privacy...

that's too expensive... Latin music is world known...

and its not only Spain whom are the artists,,,,

and dint get offended you can try to build your castles

as high as you please but the foundation it will stand upon

will crumble and fall... like all casa blancas,,,

the future of Latino children that you neglect...to think

about and if i do not know what i am talking about

well just say its history reference.. Latin Americans might

be wet backs but we are known to dry like raisins'

Que pas in the sun...on gods blanket,,,away from

the shade of those now walls still plenty around too support each other

a Leo from ponce a giant blue heron whom baths

in that fountain... we managed the miracles..

Answer 105

At the end of the day its all about money! Piracy has been handed to us by the various corporations that continually overcharge us for there cd's and dvds! You want us to stop burning?? well stop producing the cheap cd/dvd burners for the public and the blank discs that goes with them!

Answer 106

I think that the best thing can be reduct the prices of the movies or music maybe for the artist can be worst but in the other hand if the prices drop piracy can´t follow in quality and less price more sales in this way the artist or the records company earn more money for the product....so maybe some adjustments with the governments for less taxes....anyway somebody that sold for sample 500,000 copies at 15.00 us why can´t sold 1000,000 at 7.00 us?? or less if you pick a dollar for each copy is 1000.000 of dollars is not enough??? so the price for virgin cds is ridiculous! around 10 us cents!....in volume how much you need for recorded.... no to much... around 50 cents. per copy the real cost is very cheap.

Answer 107

Employ the pirates as part of your marketing department or just perceive them as working for you for free already....create some songs about them.........a proportion of which will be bought/sold in an orthodox way...........Most people in the world have never heard of him so the pirates are probably doing him a favour......Be thankful he is not being given the once over by the Greenies and the politically correct mob regarding the pollution caused by CD factories etc etc

Answer 108

There is no likely way to stop them all, but I think a start would be for Apple to get rid of LimeWire, you should talk to them about it. Another thing that I would do would be to get lots of artists together and go around the internet reporting websites (search something like, "100% Free music downloads") Although you may never get rid of all of them, it should help.

Answer 109

I don't think there is nothing you can do about piracy, it will always be there. If you block them, they come back with a better way...! It is very unfortunate for Sanz....he is one of my favorite singers...!



hey, I know this is not related to your question. How do you like the album, el tren de los recuerdos....

Answer 110

you're an artist doing song for the love of music not money so you shouldn't care much about material issues. Besides, artist's records are getting too expensive these days How come? ARe we "the poor" aren't allowed to hear your music ?

YOU and the other artists are SNOB.

Go limewire go....

Answer 111

The cost of music needs to be less - a lot less. Going after people for downloads is stupid & a waste of time & money. The industry needs to learn to adapt to the changes in technology and what consumers want.

Answer 112

Your worth nothing to me.



The few times I have purchased music I have not liked the music I got my money is never ever going to purchase another.

I went to buy a Mercyme song I liked. I Can Only Imagine. It seemed truly inspired by GOD.



When I got to Sam Goody. It was on a CD mixed with other songs I did not want. I did not buy it.



Before the computer came along and sent this gift of music I did not listen to music. Now that they have called me a criminal for collecting and listening to only songs I like I have gotten rid of them.



I know what I like and the ability to download songs was the only way I ever enjoyed music.



Before computer came along I put it on cassette tapes and just listen to songs I liked.



You think you are worth something to some one I hope everyone feels like I do and just stop listening to music...



I listen to talk radio so I never have to listen to garbage. I find it irritating to listen to many song and have no patience for some of the awful stuff.



High pitch whiny guitars

Whiny singers.

unacceptable language

Unacceptable subject matter

Its seems like the most beautiful voices and music sing about adultery. Follow Me Uncle Kracker

Stacies Mom giving young boys ideas like that you ought to be ashamed.



You find another way for me to have just the songs I find acceptable and affordable I'll be consider listening and buying music.

Answer 113

Go to the companies that run the software programs allowing "peer to peer file sharing". This is not an innocent sharing program, when everything being shared has a copyright. DVDs, music, pictures etc... are all examples of intellectual property that belongs to the owner. This is how these people make a living, and we are lucky enough to live in a country where we can enjoy these art works. The companies facilitating these activities need to be held responsible for their actions.

Answer 114

There are some kinds of cd's that are protected against piracy. You could also go with putting a sticker on the cases.

Answer 115

Over the years I have spent thousands of dollars, first on records, then on tapes and cd's. I have had to buy same albums several times. Now with three children, I can't even imagine going to a concert! You people have ripped us off for far too many years. Now thanks to p2p, I have ALL the music I can ever want. I think I have paid you people ENOUGH already to help you with your millions. Enough is enough.

Answer 116

I think the best way to address the issue is to make the CD genuine, example signed CD, a free poster or things like that,

things you just couldn't get in the Internet so easily.

Answer 117

god these record artists are soooooo greedy! like there not rich enough. leave those less fortunate alone,just cause we're not rich doesnt mean we dont have the right to music. they need to stop wasting their hard earned cash on junk and then it wont matter. yes and i agree with the aussie we do pay $30 a bloody cd. its to much just so the price is kept low for americans, were record sales count!

Answer 118

I would try to make it easier for folks to give money back to the artists. Have a site with download of tunes and if you like this tune you can buy the CD or make your own CD of your favourite music and have that sent to with very nice photo on the CD so that you get something much better than if you just downloaded it on your on computer and made a CD yourself. And naturally website with "Other people you like this tune made this CD", getting more orders to one CD, cheaper for the company. And this website could be utilised to find out what is the taste of today.



And while studio recording is expensive why not use that so many people are fans that will make a private recording. You could also make people earn a little money if they sent it to the recording studio if the quality is good enough it can become a new CD. In that way real few people would send it to a pirate company.



Don't make it a crime for music lovers. Make private recording work for the artist!!!

Answer 119

I would release formats with an extremely complex encryption algortyhm, unlike the formats released by the music industry already which were no good when they were released into the market.

You may also have to implement the use of them to only be played on proprietary hardware systems - portable players etc with the decrypt software on them.

Answer 120

Records are out dated and so are CDs. I would think that in the future there will be no need for record companies period. You just download things from the artist and pay them directley. This is the way of the future.

Answer 121

People are going to download music illegally. They just will. Even the crackdown hasn't really fazed people from downloading. One way to combat it is to raise tiket prices to live shows and hold more of them.



There will always be some people who will buy legal music, but by raising ticket prices and holding more shows in more cities, that lost revenue can be made up.

Answer 122

Set up a label website, charge for exclusive downloads...with video and audio....that is going to be the future of the music industry..no more C.D's...live digital feeds and downloadable albums as well as videos...charge membership fees that give concert announcements, TV appearences, and etc...make people feel like they are part of the artistic exprience...give them something the bootleggers can not....because how can you shut down a black market totally as long as there is supply and demand....sell a better quality product.

Answer 123

The real thieves and pirates are the rent seeking parasites in the music, movie and software business who want to sell their products to the public, and then get government to make them private again by force. Well, guess what? That is called PRIVILEGE, and it is EVIL. Anything that has been released to the public is in the public domain, and everyone has a right to use it and copy it as much as they like. The fact that the law might be on the side of the thieves and pirates who want to privatize human culture and information is irrelevant: the law was once on the side of people who owned slaves, too.



If you don't want people copying your music, don't publish it in a form that can be copied. Simple. The whole point here is that you want to have your cake and eat it, too: you want to be able to make a lot of copies of your music very cheaply so you can sell a lot of copies to the public at a big profit, but you don't want any of the public to be able to make ANY copies of it themselves. Well, that's just too damned bad for you, pal! If you want to use cheap mass copying technology, be prepared for others to use it, too.



The whole notion of "intellectual property" is totally bogus, and always has been. It's nothing but a way for rich, lazy, greedy bastards to get control of other people's opportunities to produce and consume, and charge them a fee for access to the common heritage of all humanity without having to lift a finger in productive effort themselves. All income from patents and copyrights is what economists call "economic rent": a payment in return for nothing that was not already available. You want more money? Go on tour! Sell your music to advertisers! Don't ask government to violate others' rights for your profit by making what is inherently in the public domain into your private property.

Answer 124

Companies say that thet will prosecute if the artist's material was pirated. Name one instance where that has happened to "Joe Everyman" instead of a major corporation. you probably can't. If one nobody got sent up the river on charges of piracy then it sends the message of: YOU WILL BE NEXT!!!

Answer 125

i feel there shouldn't be a law against it,if you do not want people to copy your material go after the companies making the equipment to do it.but of course that will never happen .music big wigs would rather go after the little guy just tring to get his favorite song onto his ipod.why do they make dvd recorders and vcrs and the record button on your radios? why are there recordable cd's ?

Answer 126

Every idiot knows that when you tell a kid not to do something, that is the first thing they do. They test limits to see how far they can go. Fining their Mommy's and Daddy's isn't going to solve anything nor is trying to regulate something you know nothing about. The next gen will always be one step ahead so just get a life and get over it.

Answer 127

Lower the cost of music! You cant even buy crap music for $5 or less. Its not even worth it! Re-introduce the "Single" CD. Not many of those anymore. Who wants to spend upwards of $15 on a whole Cd when all whomever wants is one or two songs. Also copy-protect the Cd's. I know when I purchase some Japanese Cd's online (God help me their music is twice as expensive but you can buy singles) and a couple of them were copy-protected. You cant even burn them to i-tunes (which sux for me and my ipod but I understand why its done).

Answer 128

Considering today's technology and the ease of copying and pirating recordings there is not much anyone can do. Every time they come up with a fix to stop the pirates, they come up with a way around the stop.

Answer 129

Id say the prices need to come down for the cd's. I mean ya i guess 13.00 for a cd isn't bad but when you think about it if you want 10 cds your already down 100+ dollars. I can think of a lot better things to do with 100 dollars then buy some cd's. Ill buy a cd if its like 5 dollars but that's about it.

Answer 130

You have to make CDs worth the money. I hate buying CDs. They are expensive and I can get the same thing from burning my friends. You have to make something else in the cd more appealing. Maybe a bonus DVD or something.

Answer 131

I'm sorry to say that it won't stop any time soon as the price of a cd at $18-22 is less tempting when compared to finding it free.

Answer 132

Capital punishment. Kill everyone who ever taped a song on the radio in the 80's. Shoot all the people with a computer. Hang everyone with a CD-R.



Or accept and move on.

Answer 133

You need to hire an attorney that works in the music field. They can handle piracy.

Answer 134

Well I suppose that you could make it so the CD can't be ripped onto a computer. But that won't stop people from making CDs that they bought. There's unfortunately no good way to police this issue.

Answer 135

People have been trying to figure out the same thing for years, and the thieves can always figure out another way to get what they want without paying for it. I just hope you make enough money off your music before they do start pirating it.

Answer 136

I guess its too easy to say have these people arrested for theft, assuming that one could catch them in the act . There is a lot of $$$$$ to be made in this fashion that the pirates will probably do anything to protect themselves. Stiffer security measures on recording sites and for personell involved????.Stiffer consequences if caught????? These are the only things that come to mind.

Answer 137

I would make all music available for download at a nominal fee and definitely cut the cost of CD's.

Answer 138

It's difficult to solve unless no buyer for pirated cd and give education to the younger generation is the long term solution.

Answer 139

Hmmm..Boy am I stretching it on this one.most piracy is done through the Internet,So what about some kind of various that only effects CD burners.I hope you realize I really don't Know anything about it .

Answer 140

The concert tours and the souvenirs will compensate the loss in the record sales. The fans will enrich him in a different format.

Answer 141

itunes??? $1 per song download??? whats the problem??? the music industry (lawyers, accountant etc etc etc) all make toooo much money!!! The ride is over, the power goes back to the people who have been getting ripped off for too many years. You want to make money? earn it the old fashion way, concerts and merchandising, the music is just the advertising to get you there

Answer 142

you have to do what i tunes dose charge for a song on a website put insentives for customers to buy the cd coustomers are saying they think that the recored industry is trying to rip them off they just want fair pricing you will have people that will always get around things so you can never get all the people to stop.

Answer 143

I AGREE THAT THE COST OF MUSIC SHOULD BE LOWERED SO EVERY CLASS CAN AFFORD TO BUY IT. FIRST CLASS, MIDDLE CLASS, AND THIRD CLASS. IT SHOULDN'T COST SO MUCH FOR ENTERTAINMENT...NO WONDER PEOPLE COMMIT THE ACT OF PIRACY...RECORDING ARTISTS SHOULD WANT THEIR MUSIC TO BE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC CHEAP BECAUSE THEY GET PAID IN ALL DIFFERENT WAYS, NOT JUST THROUGH THE SELLING OF THEIR CD'S.

Answer 144

you can't dude. Ppl just click and get, click and get. Soon their won't be a music industry or movie industry cause ppl just don't care to buy cd's and dvd's cause there to expensive. Plus it's so much easier to just click and download. No need to go to store, no cost, easy,simple, fast, reliable.

Answer 145

I say do what other artist are starting to do, offer the public a single to download for free! if the fan's like they can buy the whole C.D.

Answer 146

first the musicians hardly receive any money from the sale of Cd's. If the record companies and their lawyers would stop raping the talent, I would give a hoot. other wise Its "free" publicity.

Answer 147

Congratulations on all your Grammy Awards!



Piracy needs to be challenged not so much on the peer2peer aspect, but by the piracy coming out of Asia. Every now and again you see the Chinese Government taking a millions of CDs and running a tank or bulldozer over the top to show they are doing something to prevent piracy, but it is really only for show.



If you can minimise the piracy there, it will have a big effect.

Answer 148

ARRRRRRRRR! Ye scare me not with yer empty threats, landlubbers!!! Avast, ye scurvy dogs. The Royal Navy cannot stop me, so why do ye thinks that some landlubbing record company man ever could. I'll have 'im walkin' the plank! ARRRRRRRRRRRR!

Answer 149

I have a question for you. If you were a director or movie producer, would you address the issue of people taping off tv? Same principle.

Answer 150

I think the key in this issue is to reduce the cost of music. The big artists make so much money and perhaps they need to realise that the people listening to their music can't always afford the luxuries of a $30 CD.

Answer 151

Find some clever person who can make a CD that cannot be copied. A CD that if anyone tries to copy it, it wipes the whole thing out and makes it unusable. Good Luck. Let us know how you go.



I am a 63 yr old grandmother doing it hard at the moment, so if the idea works, will you be kind to me n help me out a little.

Answer 152

LISTEN THERE IS REALLY NO WAY TO BRING DOWN PIRACY BECAUSE 1) IT ISNT A COMPANY ITS A BUNCH OF INDIVIDUALS DOING THINGS ON THEIR OWN AND 2) EVEN IF YOU BRING SOME OF THEM DOWN THEY CAN EASILY RISE BACK UP BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE A PIRATED CD YOU CAN EVEN DO IT ON ITUNES

Answer 153

I think families in tension create a lot of "acting out" behaviour.



Isaiah 42:1, 2 says:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets."

Matthew 10:34 says:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own house.'""

I think this means that Jesus was breaking up the old hierarchical family systems in favour of families where everybody gets to be involved with spiritual "sword-fighting".

The Bible particularly warns that carousing in the daylight misleads weak people (2 Peter 2:13). This means that people are taking credit for their enjoyment for themselves, instead of looking at who made the sun in the first place. If we didn't have the sun and moon, we wouldn't be able to see anybody anyway!

I think the answer is for musicians to tell it like it is in their songs. Ezekiel 13:10 says that it's a false idea to say that there is "peace" when there is no peace.

Finally, Proverbs 20:22 says: "Do not say, I'll pay you back for this wrong! Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you."

Answer 154

You can somewhat stop it by adding a ship to the CD, but this makes your fans very upset as there are restrictions on how you can listen to it, and inability to copy it to your mp3 player.

Answer 155

With technology. They need to create a CD that can be played but not downloadable and cannot be copied either.

Answer 156

If the cost of a cd was lower, people wouldn't feel the need to download. I, for one, still like to buy them for the jewel cases and the information contained. But for the cost of them, knowing I can download for free...why wouldn't I?



The other issue is the quality of albums. Its terribly discouraging when you purchase a CD and there is only one really good song on it. Again...why would someone spend $30 for one song?



I think its on the recording artists to either lower the costs of their cds, or provide more value in the purchase of one. The battle goes both ways....

Answer 157

Well that is something that is always going to be around. i don't think it will ever go away. So there really isn't much you ca do. Just keep doing what you are doing and hope for the best.

Answer 158

Actively seek to shut down enablers like Limewire, and punish egregious offenders.

Answer 159

I would side with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

'Nuff Said!

Answer 160

# It's difficult to solve unless no buyer for pirated cd and give education to the younger generation is the long term solution

Answer 161

if piracy hurts the artist,it is perhaps injust to him and to a big company,,,,,,,,,if the (a ) company wishes to reap the product-profit at the expense of the artist,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,thats unjust,,,,,,if the company and artist compete over the internet,,,,,,,,,instead of controlling the market,one or the other needs to create something more appealing.

Answer 162

Here's the thing, so many artists state "I am not in this for the money, music is my passion" blah blah, they feed us lines. Then, when after we have downloaded their music for free, they are suing us for not paying them for their music. Am I the only one who sees the irony??

Answer 163

I would reduce the price of the actual CD's because then people would buy them instead of downloading them illegally and stuff

Answer 164

lower prices, I used to sell cds and 18.99 for a cd is too expensive. Most artists have tons of money and don't need to gouge their fans.

Answer 165

You can somewhat stop it by adding a ship to the CD, but this makes your fans very upset as there are restrictions on how you can listen to it, and inability to copy it to your mp3 player.



Many people will use codes to break the chip, but for the average person it will decrease piracy.

Answer 166

I would make my cds uncopiable like the foo fighters did with thier newest one. Im not sure about things like limewire though.

Answer 167

Encode Cd's so that you cannot copy them like they do with DVDs . Lower prices so that they are more accessible to the public.

Answer 168

Piracy is confusing, you can't help but do it even tho you know it makes it harder for the musicians to make more of their sweet sweet music

Answer 169

make cds cheaper! most cds cost 15 to 20 dollars and its just easier to download. if i find a cd under 7 dollars that i like, i'll buy it in two seconds.

Answer 170

I WOULD LOWER MY PRICE A LITTLE MORE, AND GIVE THE CONSUMER AN INCENTIVE FOR BUYING YOUR CD AND NOT A BOOT LEG ONE FROM THE STREET,MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE A SECRET CODE FOR A FREE CD OR BUY THREE AND GET ONE FREE!

Answer 171

By making an example out of somebody.

Answer 172

show d people that ur cds are worth keeping for

some people buy pirated cds bcoz oftentimes dey just throw d cds away bcoz dey dont like d song anymore

bcoz new songs were d one dey like..

show dem dat ur cds are worth reasonable

Answer 173

Simple answer to this... I would welcome piracy.. Piracy brings merchandising. The more people that listen to the tunes the more likely they are to buy a singer's merchandise!

Answer 174

people do this bcz the items are so costly. if piracy is to be reduced,should reduce the price severely

Answer 175

you should become partners with people who produce piracy. or even easier: cut the prices, they're stupidly high.



regards!

Answer 176

i believe that if cd's were cheap enough it would help and haveing your own download site for fans to download from for a small fee would be good too.

Answer 177

I would pray to GOD to help me to make the best choice for this person. Everyone need help so they don't hurt people with their wrong thoughts.

Answer 178

I would have distortion effects put into the CD itself, that would only show up on the pirated CD.

That's my idea.

Answer 179

i think most of the artists have more money then god and need to stop whinning if people really like u they are gonna buy the music so chill!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Answer 180

This is right up my alley. I need my privacy and usally I just shut the door. I hope this helps.

Answer 181

Whatever happened to making music being about the music. I would be happy to know that people are able to obtain my music by any means for their own personal use. As long as people are listening they are getting some enjoyment out of it and that means more than getting more money.

Answer 182

Aww. Poor baby millionaire singers want more money?

Answer 183

Sue em

Answer 184

i would rally many other artists together and sue the pants off of file sharing programs like morpheus and limewire, and start making money off of album sales again.

Answer 185

One word: re-engineering.

Rethink the production process so that the cost to the final consumer is not so high!

I like Alejandro's music, as well as the work of many other artists, but the albums are too expensive for me to buy even a small fraction ofl the music I like (I should note that I live in Argentina, where any new album costs in excess of U$10, which is too much for us given our exchange rate).

So far, active pursuit of illegal distributors has only made them cleverer and their methods better; and they end up being regarded as modern "Robin Hoods".

You should be better than the illegal "competition", and avoid becoming the "bad guys". One copy-controlled cd I bought almost ruined my cd-player, after installing unauthorized software in my computer. That did nothing to make me appreciate the music production industry!



So, instead of spending even more money to 'crack down on piracy' (which will ultimately be paid by the consumers of legal music), why not offer diverse and more flexible systems to buy music, and keep it at a reasonable cost.

Once the costs are affordable, advertise the quality of legal downloads. You could also offer extras or bonuses to reward people who buy legal music (and no, the packaging does not usually compensate for the high prices!).



Me pregunto si Alejandro leerá todo esto...

Answer 186

Pardon my ignorance but is it not possible to make all disc writable only ,so you cannot rewrite or copy them at all?

Answer 187

I would manage it with O.J.'s attorney and a sub-machine gun. You'll have about the same luck.

Answer 188

you have a tough task ahead of you



Do you realize how hard it is to control the internet?



I'm not trying to discourage you, but you have your work cut out for you

Answer 189

i would just get a lot of security because if u have a lot of fans they gone be after u so that is why i say that

Answer 190

i would probbly lay it all out about what things you can and can not do as far as privicy gose. and every person how singhs a contract and add thouse privicy pallaces as well, mean i know i like my privicy. and i do not know any one how dose not like there privicy.

Answer 191

Music should be free.

Answer 192

AAArggggh I'd sink their Ships!!! AAArggh

Answer 193

stop being so sensitive about the issue is free play time

Answer 194

its simple, reduce the cost, maybe do a site where you can make your own album up with your own song choices, but cheaply.

Answer 195

I don't know, but do you remember when artists were into art for the art's sake?

Answer 196

I would leak it to the black market myself and make money both ways.

Answer 197

In my mind I would 'kill them" but in reality I would charge them if I caught them, then make them work for me, for two years without any pay, Should teach them a lesson.

Answer 198

i would scramble all my records and start selling CD players

with passwords

Answer 199

i am all for it u guys are over paid and make too much screw u

i just downloaded (stole) some of ur music ur not very good lol

Answer 200

the simple answer is you cannot stop piracy, all you can do is live with it. no matter how many people you sue it will not deter anyone. unfortunately even if you charged 1 cent for each song there will still be piracy. people are generally lazy and its easier to download a song or copy a song than it is to go to the shop and actually buy one.

Answer 201

I would lower the prices of the cds so that they would be competive. I guess if everyone got the choice to keep the original cd at home there would be less downloading. that's what the barclay company is doing in europe

Answer 202

Sue some one!

Answer 203

i would say the pirots are not in toon with JEASOS and thear 4 they r probly going to H-E-BASBALL BATS

Answer 204

well thats like trying to stop people from stealing it will never happen sorry

Answer 205

fire the guy who seperates the m and m's and use that money to make cd's cheaper

Answer 206

theres no way to stop its like asking how do we stop drugs from comin in its never ending get over it who are you again???

Answer 207

Only put it out on vinyl.

Answer 208

i would lower the price of cds that would help alot.

Answer 209

I don't know who you are, but the criminal mind will succeed. They are a different breed, and many are smarter than you.

Answer 210

Music is too expensive............you have to low the prices.....that's the only way!

Answer 211

Simple,,DON'T MAKE IT SO EASY TO BOOTLEG YOUR MUSIC!!!!!

Answer 212

I'd say that softwares like itunes are the solution. It's easy, legal and sometimes cheap to download songs, so that is great.

Answer 213

You wont stop piracy, the idea is to give fans what they want for free-mp3s, then cash in on DVD's, and merchandise and concert tickets TV specials and special packageing that make the CD a must buy, and put free concert passes in the covers etc. use mp3 piracy as free advertising, but realease it at a lower fidelity so real fans buy the music in its full resolution and let the cheapskates suffer ignorantly.



You could also circulate copied music at a very low audio signal -60db so they turn up the listening device then right near the end of the song have the most awful sound at 0db so they blow their speakers or damage their hearing

Answer 214

i don noe to answer this quention la

Answer 215

arresting...and making then work there for 4 months and they would have 2 b put on house arrest!!!!!.......WHY???????

Answer 216

eres un joto

Answer 217

I would lable it special.

Answer 218

http://www.kahmer.com/how-to-promote-your-band.html

Answer 219

How many answers do you need?

Answer 220

dont know but he sounds hot

Answer 221

court

Answer 222

YOU HAVE TO STOP THE IMPORTS FROM CHINA!!!

Answer 223

All manner of tech. including CDs, iPods etc didn't exist X number of years ago. Would it be possible in future, when new tech. is being invented to include a physical key into the design enabling your music to be played? eg: A motor car wouldn't work [or shouldn't] if you didn't have the right ignition key to start it. Perhaps a CD [or whatever] wouldn't play, if the correct physical key wasn't attached to the CD each time you played it. Would this idea be viable or even possible?

Answer 224

you dont care about me so why should i care about you? you make enough money, quit bitching

Answer 225

i don't know

Answer 226

is it just me or has this question been on here 4EVER?

Answer 227

ENOUGH with this question, already!!!

Answer 228

dunno who u r loser but you can NEVER STOP bootlegs.



thats money out your pocket and into theirs.



I'm all for it.......$hit, 5 bucks a cd verses 13.99.........thats a no-brainer fella.....



sorry ;o(

Answer 229

Piracy is a crime committed by big businesses because they enjoy huge to unlimited distribution outlets. Big business is generally untouched by the consequences as it is the distribution outlets that seem to attract most of the attention of law enforcement. Piracy is also a crime committed by us, the consumer. Every time we knowingly buy a known pirate copy we are defrauding artists, who are, more often or not, receiving much less in royalty than the actual profit generated by legitimate sales.



Priracy may be compared to the circulation of counterfeit money. When a phony bill is circulated, some innocent person, somewhere, sometime will loose the face value of that bill. Real money actually has the capacity to generate money. For example a portion of that $50 note you spent at the local shop becomes disposable income as a result of say wages or profit. Any portion of that portion is also disposable income. So for every legitimate $50 note spent ,there may be a cashflow in a community of that amount plus whatever value that can be generated from it. The same applies with the recording industry. Backup musicians, technicians, roadies, ( not to mention the record company sic.) etc. are all getting a spin off the gross sales of the artists records, videos, promotional commodities etc.



Many countries have made inroads into the incidence of counterfeiting of money by using a recent Australian invention of laser/plastic into the paper. Passports are also harder to counterfeit because of chips embedded into this document. Australia, again, is one of the countries leading the way in this technology.



A chip could easily be placed into DVDs, CDs etc. and newer models of players would be only able to read those recordings which have such chips. The average consumer would be unlikely to keep an outmoded recorder very long which are not subjected to a chip reader because of deterorating quality over time.



If such a technological innovation was carried out today, I doubt that piracy would be economically viable within five years.

Answer 230

sue, sue, sue

Answer 231

why

Answer 232

nice question...

Answer 233

it cannot be done.

Answer 234

Hold meetings with police and other authorities to strategize how to reduce the number of people pirating music. Even talk to politicians about increasing the penalties for what is essentially a crime.

Start campaigning to raise public awareness about why piracy affects everyone in a NEGATIVE way.

Thanks.

Answer 235

If I were a record label manager I'd push for a complete crackdown, no questions asked, both in physical and electronic form.



Recently sites like Limewire and Bearshare have become increasing popular which allow you to download songs from person to person (P2P). Personally I already view this form of electronic file transmitting as piracy but if I were the manager of a record label I couldn't imagine how outraged I'd be by these sites.



These P2P sites let people download songs while still not paying the artist for each CD or song transfered. Does anyone remember a site called Napster back in mid-late 2001 besides me? If it was shut down for file sharing I'm sure these person-to-person sites will be shut down as well (also, Limewire has countered-sued the RIAA unlike Napster. I'm sorry, but you don't counter-sue one of the big names in legal rights). Since then Napster had reopened with a paying service that is legal and fairly operative for the musical aritsts.



We also have a very active physical piracy market going on right now as well. People will go onto their computers and duplicate the CDs for their own resale and as really anyone in a recording company that'd make me mad as well. I mean sure, making your own personal CD of your favorite songs is OK, but to go and copy work for profit isn't something that should be done. This would mean stricter control on international trade since most physical music piracy occurs internationally. Since there are no real concrete laws about what can be done concerning international trade regulations there really should be some international organization stepping up to take the challange.



The last thing that people must understand is that money for the record companies are made through the CD/singles sales themselves, not the concerts or other appearances. Concerts sales, memorabilia, public appearances and other musical earnings besides record deals mainly go to the musical artist, not the record label. Maybe if there was some strict clause of an artist's contract that said "All money from (blank) will become the property of (record company)" but a musical artist would have to be offered a lot of other stuff like a massive signing bonus to accept something like that in their contract.

Answer 236

Todo mundo le entra duro y tupido a la piratería, aunque tal vez en niveles diferentes, y esa es la única verdad. Ya sea por pasarle una copia a un amigo o pariente, o hasta irse a gran escala a la venta pública en Tepito, en las calles de Málaga, o a la orilla del mar en Phuket.



La realidad es que la venta de discos va en determinada cuesta a abajo: En España el declive anual ha sido del 6% en los últimos 3 años; en México, 9%; en los Estados Unidos, 7%; y en Inglaterra 11%. Alarmantes cifras, y aún así en realidad, la industria musical no sufre perdidas a la escala de la industria del cine.



Históricamente la piratería musical ha estado presente ya por muchos años en nuestras sociedades, pero de forma semi-latente y en números relativamente pequeños; sin embargo el advenimiento del acceso masivo a componentes digitales para la reproducción del Disco Compacto (y, ahora el DVD) ha sido la causa principal de el problema gigantesco que ahora aqueja a las compañías disqueras. Gracioso es, entonces, que esas mismas represas hayan sido abiertas por las compañías que hoy buscan apasiguar a la bestia, ya que las mismas casas disqueras fueron quienes lanzaron, laurearon y promocionaron la superioridad del CD sobre el vinil, el cartucho de 8 y el cassette. La superior calidad de audio, la alta capacidad para almacenaje, y sobre todo las características longevas del nuevo acetato resultaron a la vez insólitas, asombrantes, pero sobre todo inigualables.



Todo eso nos ha traido hacia donde estamos ahora. Un mundo en donde el intercambio ilegal de archivos electrónicos sobrepasa diariamente el quintillón de bytes (osea, 10 a la décimo-octava potencia... un chingo de ceros, pues) y aplicar sistemas infalibles de control y/o medidas anti-piratas que detengan esta actividad ya es indudablemente una tarea imposible. Los protocolos de transmisión P2P (usenet, torrent, rapidshare, ANts, PeerCast, etc.) son cada vez mas avanzados y sagaces, por lo cual no se ve por dónde obstruir, o desviar tan solo, el flujo de actividades piratas en internet. Y aún así, ÉSTE es el intercambio "altruista" porque tanto aquellos que distribuyen, como los que reciben, lo hacen sin sacar remuneración monetaria alguna. (Yo en lo personal, aún no he conocido al compa que cobre por pasarle a alguien la discografía completa de "El Gallo de Oro" -- qepd -- o en su defecto el nuevo material de Radiohead -- faltando meses para su lanzamiento oficial.)



En cambio, el negocio donde SÍ hay dinerito pasando manos es el de la venta ilícita de discos de audio (y video) a plena luz del día, en los mercados, en las calles. ¿Acaso eso aligera el nivel de culpabilidad? ¿El hecho de que sucede a la vista de todos? El comerciante que realiza la venta en menudeo tuvo que haber comprado todo ese material en mayoreo de algún distribuidor, ¿o no? Esa no es otra cosa mas que producción semi-masiva. Al caminar en mi última visita a Phuket (a mediados de Mayo del 2006), establecimiento tras establecimiento alcancé a apreciar en cada uno por lo menos 10 a 15 copias de los, entonces nuevos, CDs de Shakira y Thom Yorke. Es obvio que esas ventas dejan ganancias, y entre más se adentra uno al proceso de producción pirata, es inevitable darse cuenta que ése es un sistema enorme de mercado. ¿No es entonces obvio también que esa práctica no es otra cosa más que una mafia; un cáncer extenso y casi imposible de extirpar? ¡Claro! Pero, igualmente uno puede llegar a la fácil conclusión que las autoridades le han de tener cierto miedo o nivel de respeto a esa forma de crimen organizado. De no ser así, desde hace muchos años que esta forma de hacer negocios estaría extinta ¿o no?



Es probable. Por eso tal vez sea más atractiva la inclinación al morbo que conlleva la idea de saber que hay un individuo frente a su ordenador, en las penumbras, buscando y obteniendo por medio de extraños artificios y conjuros aquellos mismos álbumes, y películas. Sin duda llama la atención.



Así que por una parte existe esa "mística de las artes computacionales" en las cuales no todos somos iniciados, y por otra está la inundante realidad de que el número de "pirateristas" de internet se encuentra en las decenas de millones. Su "extenso" conocimiento de la tecnología los hace convierte en seres perversos. "¿Cómo es que se atreven a conseguir canciones sin pagar por ellas?", es la pregunta que se hacen las firmas disqueras. De ahí surge el afán de querer combatir "fuego con fuego" y utilizar la tecnología misma para acabar con los "planes malévolos" de esos que osan obtener la tan preciada música en forma ilegal.



Se sabe que esas personas rara vez pertenecen a un circuito, y que su colución no va mas allá del contacto que generen en un chatroom o a través de sus blogs. Igualmente se sabe que regularmente éstos son individuos que realizan dicha actividad en la comodidad de sus casas o incluso en sus escuelas. Por ende es fácil localizarlos a través de sus proveedores de internet y por sus direcciones únicas (IP address) de internet. Igualmente, al saber que no son un grupo organizado, es mas sencillo concluir en atacarles haciéndoles ver como grandes criminales.



Pero la realidad es diferente. Estas personas no están obteniendo ganancia alguna al hacer sus intercambios, y muy al contrario, en la gran mayoría de los casos hasta se puede argumentar que están generando publicidad gratuita a innumerable grupos, artistas y/o cineastas que no tienen medios para competir en los mercados nacionales o internacionales. Entonces, la solución no está en lanzar cacerías de brujas completamente fortuitas, con los "transgresores de la ley" que se encuentran en internet. Por el contrario, el problema debe atacarse primeramente en la calle, donde las ventas clandestinas merman verdaderamente la ganancia del artista establecido, y de la compañía a la que éste pertenece. En este caso, la respuesta es sencilla cuando uno se pregunta si fue primero el huevo o la gallina. Si se le quiere dar un ángulo legal y económico a este asunto, entonces se tiene que empezar por destituir, y perseguir abiertamente a aquellos que hacen negocio y sacan remuneración indebida de la obra artística, y no me refiero al vendedor de calle, sino a los distribuidores de gran escala. Éllos son los que sacan auténtica ganancia en millones de pesos, euros, dólares, baht, a un negocio donde no tuvieron nada que ver.



Segundamente, hay que llamarle al pan, pan, y al vino, vino. Debemos de darle real difusión al enfoque de la protección de los derechos de autor. Los artistas que graban, lo hacen bajo contrato. Su ganancia en el mercado es mínima comparada con la entrada de capital que se genera a raiz de presentarse en directo. ¿Cuál es entonces el real sufrimiento que padece el artista debido a que copias de sus discos circulen ilegalmente por internet, salvo por la pérdida de capital de la compañía disquera? Y en todo caso, para hacer posible que alguien pueda inicialmente compartir un disco, alguien tuvo que convertirlo a archivos de .mp3, y para haber sido posible esto, esa misma persona tuvo que haber comprado ese disco con anterioridad. No nos hagamos tontos. Ganancia la hay, por un lado o por otro, proteger derechos de autor es, indudablemente, harina de otro costal.



Finalmente, hay que aceptar que las ventas de discos compactos van en formal picada. Dentro de unos años los CDs van a ser no más que un recuerdo en las tiendas. Pero no por ello la música va a dejar de ser un negocio lucrativo. La compra/venta de música va a ocurrir netamente en internet (la tienda de iTunes, por ejemplo, o los mismos websites de los artistas --ejem! manejados por las compañías disqueras en cuestión, obviamente.) Las tiendas de discos van a desaparecer y serán suplidas por kioskos designados (presentes en conciertos de artistas, en supermercados, etc) donde uno podrá adquirir y "subir" archivos directamente a su reproductor eléctronico.



Siendo entonces que el formato por excelencia en el que la música y el video serán comercializados será el electrónico, la conclusión es que el intercambio (o piratería pues) por internet, no va a tener fin, sin embargo, mejores técnicas de control podrán ser aplicadas, ya que la venta pirata, junto con los CDs, va a desaparecer de nuestro vocabulario. Y al convertirse esto en un intercambio P2P del artista al escucha, entonces podremos sinceramente entablar un dialogo hacia la piratería restante, o por lo menos hayar la manera hacerla factible.

Answer 237

.....is bad....



♥♥♥

Answer 238

find the company and sue them. it works. piracy is illegal.