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nntwozz

Downloading is life.

Sailing the high seas since Napster.

I give thanks to:

BitTorrent - Private trackers - Subsonic API - Navidrome - invidious - yt-dlp - Infuse - mpv

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Do you ever pay for new content to be created?

The answer is yes.

Large CD-collection, large DVD/BD collection. I go to the cinema etc.

Problem is a lot of media is missing in the mainstream, much of the less popular stuff is kept alive on the private trackers. My philosophy nowadays is that it's become an archival endeavor that I want to contribute to.

I wish we could all pay an internet fee for free access to all media like proposed by Stallman in Free Software, Free Society but we're going backwards towards fragmentation like cable tv back in the 90s with ever increasing prices (watch Black Mirror S07E01 common people for an ironic take on this).

I seem to remember Stallman suggesting a busking model where you could watch/listen all you want but there's a button you can press to give some "internet bucks" directly to the artist.

The problem with a flat rate is how to distribute it. If you split it evenly amongst all contributors then you just get a lot of shite generated by everyone who wants a slice. But if you do it "per listen" like Spotify then it's massively unfair to newer artists while artists like the Eagles keep raking it in even though you've probably paid for Hotel California about ten times over at this point.

I agree it’s a hurdle for new artists, but don’t think it’s unfair per-se.

If the Beatles, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, or others have content that continues to provide enjoyment, why shouldn’t they continue to benefit financially for that fact? I don’t care how long it took to write and perform a song; I get benefit from being entertained not the work that went into it.

I do, but still routinely resort to high seas. Many reasons:

Forcing me to download 1080p but 4K is stream only (how does that make sense, esp when your CDN is too far to effectively stream 4K)

Downloads that expire after few weeks

Sad lack of localized subtitles (Netflix is the worst offender here and Apple is best. While there are some third party browser plugins for this, it obviously doesn't work on TVs)

Can't add multiple subtitles (i.e. watching same movie with parents who don't understand neither movies original language, nor english subtitles)

Free national content that's only accessible locally. As an expat who spends quite a bit with our tiny community abroad - I find it ridiculous we can't easily access content my kids could watch and learn my language. Such a simple step.

Cherry on a cake - how come pirate sites are even better at search + filtering?

> Do you ever pay for new content to be created?

One can always subscribe to all major video and audio platforms, visit cinema's and concerts, buy merchandise, but still sail the high seas..

People willing to put in an effort to acquire and lovingly conserve the media of interest to them are often the people who really care about that media. They are often the most eager to support the creators of different media.

Which is extremely logical and obvious, if one can quickly lift one's head up above the "anti-piracy" propaganda of the major copyright-wielding creativity-killing companies spewing out the same drivel year after year.

Conversely, I have found that the same people who will happily equate "having a spotify subscription" to "supporting artists", who do things like attack people who jailbreak their kindle or whatever, these people are often the greatest thoughtless vibers when it comes to media. Try asking someone like that to name a piano player, or a bassist, or a drummer. Ask them to name three directors.

They'll know celebrities, not musicians or actors. They'll know to attack "pirates" on cue, but have no conception where their money goes every month when their subscriptions are billed.

I'm caricaturing, but these are my experiences.

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