Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!tjs From: tjs@cs.monash.edu.au (Toby Sargeant) Newsgroups: scea.yaroze.freetalk,scee.yaroze.freetalk.english Subject: Re: anti-mod chip / pirating / backups / etc. Date: 14 Feb 1999 22:56:55 GMT Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE) Lines: 36 Message-ID: References: <7a0a6u$714@scea> <36C40EC4.E4082468@datasys.net> <7a187m$o0v10@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <36C488C0.8DF59CF0@datasys.net> <7a2cd1$2i83@scea> <7a3pvs$7op11@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <36C5AEB2.BE73A768@btinternet.com> <36C6236E.D0B1F5B@manc.u-net.com> <36C65F6D.53849947@hotmail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: longford.cs.monash.edu.au X-Newsreader: slrn (0.9.4.3 UNIX) Xref: chuka.playstation.co.uk scea.yaroze.freetalk:1198 scee.yaroze.freetalk.english:3497 On Sun, 14 Feb 1999 05:30:21 +0000, will atkin wrote: >Its not the hardware manufacturers(like the minidisc players) that are >the ones that are suffering the most. Its the record companies that are >the ones losing the money. Everyone is still going to need something to >play the stuff on anyway. Also now with the impact of .MP3 files, the >recording industry is being hit really hard. Losing money across the >board. 1) The lines between hardware vendors and software vendors are becoming more and more blurred. Personally I expect that to continue, as we construct a more and more pervasively networked world. 2) I'm positive that the record companies are not being hit hard; they're just seeing the potential for a new form of market that cuts them out of the deal, and that has them very scared. 3) Artists, as opposed to the bureaucracy, stand a very good choice of actually benefiting from digital music distribution, simply because they're given more control over what they do, how they do it, and the money they receive for doing so. 4) Piracy (software and music) will not destroy the industry. I still buy software and music, even though the means to get it 'free' (which is acknowledging that there are other costs associated with piracy; physically, socially and personally) is within my grasp. I do it primarially because I believe that good work should be rewarded and in this society, the way to do that is with money. I would like to be able to give more money to the artists and writers involved, and less to the publishers, and I hope that the ways in which the world is changing will allow me to do that. >Sony will still make money because people need the hardware to play >games.. but the games publishers are the ones who have to push the >protection issue... Sony loses money on their hardware, in order to recoup it in software sales (see point 1). I'm sure they're being hit just as hard by piracy, and possibly more hard. Toby.