I've been "stealing it"
Humm, a written admission of guilt for all the world to share, I wonder who I would pick to make an example of? ;)

"Stealing it" is their label, not mine. I personally prefer "checking out new talent so that I can make informed decisions about where my entertainment dollars should be spent".

I'm not a "thief" but if thats the label that someone wants to stick on me, then so be it. I could really care less to be honest.

The fact that I own close to 1000 CDs (all nicely ripped and stored on my HD - and not one bit hanging out on a filesharing network), roughly 500 albums and probably just as many cassettes (not to mention that I've spent close to $500 on live music this year alone) would tend to support this.

I used to do the same thing when I was a kid. I would tape the Top Ten at Ten on 92 CITI FM and 58 CKY in Winnipeg for weeks on end and then make mixed tapes - and when I'd have enough money, I'd try and buy one or two of the more outstanding albums that I'd cottoned onto. The expensive debut of compact discs slowed me down a bit (a little bit rich for my blood at the time), but the habit has pretty much stuck with me. Changing the technology doesn't change my listening and purchasing habits.

I know you were kidding, but if this causes some loser to show up at my door with a subpoena, the joke will be on them.

BTW - both albums entirely kick ass, I might get a chance to review them sometime this week.

"I know you were kidding, but if this causes some loser to show up at my door with a subpoena, the joke will be on them."
Whew!
I know you’re not a "thief" I was just surprised by the timing of your original choice of words. (kind of a hot issue)
Revised
Did I say stealing?
What I meant was:

"checking out new talent so that I can make informed decisions about where my entertainment dollars should be spent"

;)

You are definitely not "stealing" music when you download it. You are "listening to an unlicensed copy." It's illegal, like when you drive a car without a license but you haven't "stolen" anything.

Remeber, it's "unlicensed" music, not "pirated" or "stolen" music. We should ensure we keep our terminology straight ;).

"You are definitely not "stealing" music when you download it. You are "listening to an unlicensed copy."

Again, I'm using someone elses words. Hillary thinks I'm a thief and that I'm stealing. Check out their website. The subtle nuances to which you refer simply isn't in their vocabulary;

Stealing is still illegal, unethical, and all too frequent in today’s digital age. That is why RIAA continues to fight music piracy.

"Piracy" generally refers to the illegal duplication and distribution of sound recordings. There are four specific categories of music piracy:

* Pirate recordings are the unauthorized duplication of only the sound of legitimate recordings, as opposed to all the packaging, i.e. the original art, label, title, sequencing, combination of titles etc. This includes mixed tapes and compilation CDs featuring one or more artists.

Mixed tapes and compilation CDs. Couldn't get through the day without them. At least once a month and as often as once a month I'll make a new mix that I'll drop onto memory cards that I'll use in my MP3 player or onto CD-R and listen to them in my van. This, according to Hillary, makes me a thief.

* Counterfeit recordings are unauthorized recordings of the prerecorded sound as well as the unauthorized duplication of original artwork, label, trademark and packaging.

Do that all the time too. Its really the only way to turn old vinyl tracks into MP3s.

* Bootleg recordings (or underground recordings) are the unauthorized recordings of live concerts, or musical broadcasts on radio or television.

I don't make bootlegs, but I certainly love listening to them. I've bought a few off of eBay, downloaded some from filesharing networks and picked up others from flea markets. The quality generally sucks, but it certainly primes me for the odd live album that artists put out once in a while. Too bad that record labels continue to think that live releases aren't what consumers want. They haven't figured out yet that its the live albums from their pre-packaged imposters like Brittany Spears that consumers don't want. Real talent that can sign and play is always in demand. Again, this probably makes me a thief.

* Online piracy is the unauthorized uploading of a copyrighted sound recording and making it available to the public, or downloading a sound recording from an Internet site, even if the recording isn't resold. Online piracy may now also include certain uses of "streaming" technologies from the Internet.

Dowloading, check.

Streaming, check.

Uploading, negative.

But again, I guess that this qualifies me as a thief in Hillary's eyes.

I completely understand what you are saying, but never make the mistake of allowing the truth to stand in the way of perfectly good propaganda - unless you're sitting in Congress.

I'd like to think of it as de-centralized security backups. That's a translation from a German term we've been using for a while now ;-)