Freesound Forums

i like to play with audio on my computer, and if you're reading this, you most likely enjoy the activity also. the companies and individuals who work to make the software tools for us, have to be compensated in some way. but software "piracy" (i only use the quotes because the word is a little harsh in my very personal opinion) is a reality:

Software piracy comes form the same place that fraud comes from, the desire to get something for nothing. It's not a result of P2P, BBS, IRC, or any other file sharing medium, these are only facilitators.

People know what they want, and if they can get it by expending the minimum amount of resources, they will.

Money is a very valuable resource to most people. To some people, the fact that others need to be paid for their work, and that companies need to make money in order to go on to produce more software, doesn't occur to people who use pirated software, or they just don't care.

A lot of the time people don't realise there are free alternatives.

For example:

Office XP -> Open Office (much better IMO)
Photoshop/PSP -> GIMP
Max/MSP -> puredata

Tehre are more than one reason i think.

The price is a problem, of course, many people should keep money for many months in order to get any software. Many people can't just even think about buying that software. One may suggest that they don't use the software if they don't pay it, but, it is so easy to get it on the net, the use of this kind of software among musicians and the like is so extended AND the very good marketing campaign some brands made are a reason that many of this people that cannot pay or have lots of difficulties to do it, choose to download a program, and one of the well known ones, because it's what everybody use.

On the other hand, programmers of this software, companies, well i do not know how much damage the illegal copy and distribution of software is doing to the programmers, it would be nice that someone paste some examples about it. Anyway, i do understand their frustration, when a program that took many months of work is being distributed over the inet, nobody pays, and (if this really happens) they don't win moneye enough to keep going, so they stop making cool software, while nobody seems to care.

On the middle of both hands there are some interesting things, one is that this distribution of illegal software is a very very very good marketing tool, i mean... it makes many many people use it, people that wouldn't be using it if they had to pay yes or yes.

Another interesting thing is the existence of some music software wich price is not as high as Cubase, Protools or Sound Forge and the like.... an example is the early bird license of Plogue Bidule wich i recently bought for it's price, for it's coolness AND for the license wich is very cool license and makes me feel sympathy fro the programmers. I find there is not enough movements from software developers to people, like other kind of licenses or lite software, even more lite, so even more cheap.

About free software, there is a problem sometimes with it, like when i tried to learn PD and i gave up because the tutorials were so hard to understand, and the documentation so little... and i didn't know shit about programming.. so i (i am sorry if you don't like this) downloaded Max/MSP and learned with it... but i am not in the position of buying it... so i will switch to PD in a moment or another, or if i start to earn big money, i will buy max. Free software is very good and we shall support it but sometimes it doesn't do everything you need or it is too buggy or difficult to use or just not the standard and u are forced to learn the standard, but you cannot pay the standard...

To conclude, even when there are lots of things to say, i think companies should find ways to attract people with licenses and creative soft wich you use a lot. BEcause when you use something just from time to time... you are not gonna buy it if it costs the same than one month of living place or more...

Also people should get more in the place of developers and understand the problems and frustrations of having to stop because of the people you are working for.. the ones you are making the cool software for.. they stab you.. they use what you did, so they like, but they don't give a cent... and u cannot eat.

Lots of arguments and points of view.

friend of mine works for sony (he used to work for sonic foundry, and then sony bought them, so now he works for sony). so that means he works on acid, sound forge, and vegas amongst other things. i forget the exact title of his job, but he basically tries to crash the programs all day and then the new version get released when he says go. so i know how hard he works at what he does and he is very proud of it. i can't quite get it out of him, but i think he thinks maybe the software costs too much, like i do. on one hand, i can see how hard he and his associates work, and how proud they are of their work, and how much they deserve to not be ripped off. but on the other, i think the $700 USD pricetage for sound forge is, frankly, immoral and cruel.

that is a good point too, plagasul, that none of those things cause "piracy". the only real cause of "piracy" is the desire to have something for nothing. i should have asked what seemed to be the leading facilitator of "piracy".

i think software designers need to focus really hard on new ways to release their creations. it seems like they are, but i do not really "have my finger on the pulse" of the audio programming community, so that is why i asked (to learn more).

if there were no P2P networks people would have very few places to find cracks
they would be buying them out of the back of black vans in dark alleys and no one wants to do that

the high cost of software is not the reason why there is piracy. a lot of hardware costs a crapload of money but people save up and buy it because there is no other way to aquire it unless you can rob a studio or buy the hardware used(which may be damaged or stolen)

one thing for people to consider doing is: if you are asked to do a project that needs a certain sequencer, plugin or soundware library, but the person is not paying you - you should demand that they budget to buy this piece of software you need to complete the project. just a thought i have after working on a lot of non-paying gigs this year . :cry:

in your opinion, what is the leading cause of software (particularily of the audio editting / manipulation variety) piracy?
--p2p (peer-to-peer) file sharing networks
***I think this falls in to the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" category; ie if you are
buying something at the store and the cashier gives you back too much change and doesn't notice you
can a) walk away and keep the extra change or b) tell the cashier s/he gave you back too much change
and return the extra; just because you can walk away with the extra change and get away with it doesn't
mean you should
--exorbitant price that is placed on the software be the companies that create it
***I've always been of the opinion that if a person can't afford to buy a certain piece of software, they
should use the demo version until they can afford it; others just say "oh well, i can't afford it so i'll use a crack"
--software "crackers" (the folks who develope the (illegal) technology to bypass the security of software)
***This is sort of like if a store has expensive products in the window and someone throws a rock in the window
and breaks it and then runs off do you a) take advantage of the situation and take some products out of the
window and then run off or b) call the police and tell them about the situation; again, just because you can
take the products for free and get away with it, should you make that choice?
--something else . . .
***I think the biggest contribution to piracy is disrespect and lack of understanding.
If you have friends who create software, you know and respect how much time and effort
they put into creating that software and understand that they deserve to be compensated
for their hard work. Also, you can't download free groceries or free hardware or a free car from
the net, so what makes it right to download free software? Again, just because you can do something
doesn't mean you should. My CDN .02. Andrew