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[recma12]

To be precise:

I pay for all my PS4 stuff, I also have Spotify, Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Anything beyond that.... sorry dear content creators, I'll take it.
Maybe it would be different if I lived in the US, but our local (DE) servies either lag behind or cut content.
How am I supposed to watch the Mandalorian when Disney+ hadn't even launched here? lol

That said, the prices to buy "not included with prime" stuff on Amazon are a joke.
Movies shouldn't be 5€ for a 24 hour rental, 20€ for season 3 of a show ?!?!?!
Hollywood still has a long way to go before they are where music is at right now.

You can have subs Disney+, Netflix, Prime, Hulu and Apple, pay 50€ every months and will still not be able to watch EVERYTHING legally.

 

[Birdo]

I use a Youtube to MP3 converter for all my music needs. That's the only Pirating I do these days.

 

[thefool]

It has been a part of my life since I was a kid (with vhs tapes and how to avoid macrovision and music tapes) and hasn't really stopped since then (3 decades).
I always bought stuff tho, I have quite a big dvd collection, I buy games too. I certainly don't subscribe anything, and have stopped buying blurays a couple of years ago. Mangas I really like I buy them too, but I won't buy everything I read. I buy books too.

If digital is the future, piracy is certainly my future.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Around there yeah. Mostly just music albums and porn. Terrible idea since Limewire/Frostwire was a virus hotbed lol

What? People pirated PORN!?!?

Only ever pirated out of reach games that cost $$$$$s but even then just to see if the price is worth it, same for exports but I did buy FF6 because of it.

Always buy my games/music legit at reasonable prices. When you pirate something it loses value and you feel it is desposible.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Mainly out of convenience.

Back in the day I had all of the Metallica albums, but picking and choosing my favourites to make a compilation CD meant I had to get the digital files, which meant pirating the albums. I've already bought them.

My view is, if I can't buy it, or even subscribe to it, then I pirate it. Or, in the case of music, i'll pirate the album as it usually leaks early, then buy a copy to support the bands.

 

[Virex]

I have pirated a view things to try out before I buy it. But with all the propaganda and shit in the industry these days. I don't think it's bad if people pirate.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Have you ever met someone that paid for Winrar? I did, and everyone made fun of him.

See, this is a world of pirates.

I did. Still have my key file around here somewhere. it was so much better than everything else the author deserved some of my disposable income.

Think piracy of tv/movies is almost entirely about convenience nowadays, not about spending money. If you somehow managed to provide single sign-in/pay for access to any TV they wanted a lot of people would pay for it. Instead you need umpteen different accounts to watch everything you're interested in. It's bonkers.

 

[nush]

What? People pirated PORN!?!?

When the only porn you had access too was a tenth generation German porn movie on VHS you made sure you made a copy before handing it back. I remember VHS players being moved to friends houses for copying sessions to be promptly returned before the parents came home. A movie, you'd just watch. But porn, you needed a copy of that shit.

 

[Charles Brandon]

generally no, pay for gamepass buy games, go to the movies, have all the TV/streaming/music subs.

But I won't pretend I don't know what 'no header' means. But I buy as many old games as I can legally on console stores and I have a decent collection of OG carts as well

My personal rule is, if you're skint -it's OK, if there is no legal way to get it, it's OK. If I can afford it (and I can) and it's possible to buy (save for a ridiculous price on eBay) I'll pay the money.

But no judging.

Except for ripping off eBooks, people that do that are scum. They aren't expensive, they provide good value for money, authors aren't rich. (exception - some academic books people need for university which can be ridiculously priced)

 

[Charles Brandon]

What? People pirated PORN!?!?

Only ever pirated out of reach games that cost $$$$$s but even then just to see if the price is worth it, same for exports but I did buy FF6 because of it.

Always buy my games/music legit at reasonable prices. When you pirate something it loses value and you feel it is desposible.

I remember the world before streaming sites

 

[Flying Toaster]

I saw this thread and thought of legit pirates and got excited. I have not pirated music since 2001 (I miss you Napster), I have never pirated a show or movie and I don't download books.

I am boring as shit. To the point that if there is a free album download and I like the band I will purchase merch on the store like the square I am.

 

[diffusionx]

I saw this thread and thought of legit pirates and got excited. I have not pirated music since 2001 (I miss you Napster), I have never pirated a show or movie and I don't download books.

I am boring as shit. To the point that if there is a free album download and I like the band I will purchase merch on the store like the square I am.

Legit pirates still exist, they're Somalians. Sadly not the guys with tricorne hats and wooden legs. Anyway, I've been downloading classic game ROMs for a while. That's about it. I got into Everdrives and Dolphin and stuff like that, just because old games are way better than the shit we have today.

These companies have gotten so big and powerful that this stuff doesn't matter. Actually I don't know how many of them make their money these days, it's weird. But we're not talking about, say, the early 00s when devs would complain that 90% of logins were pirates. This still happens, unfortunately, but companies have mostly decided to just grow faster and get more legit customers and accept it as the cost of doing business.

 

[TIMSTER_777]

4k HDR Remux, all day every day lol

 

[Flying Toaster]

Legit pirates still exist, they're Somalians. Sadly not the guys with tricorne hats and wooden legs.

They almost got away... almost.

 

[-Minsc-]

I do pirate in one form or another. It's just a habit I fell into during my younger years. A part of me does want to give it up. One thing I do notice about piracy is it leads to binging a show or something when I really don't need to. Then there's situations like setting a series to record on my PVR. Five episodes in I realize one is missing.

 

[Lanrutcon]

I stopped all that, but I was quite active when I was younger. Didn't have a lot of disposable income, so you know.

But these days?

Haven't murdered any tourists on the ocean for ages now.

 

[LisaMariaMartin]

I only pirate if it's not available to purchase or if I deem it unworthy of it's price.

 

[Quasicat]

I have a computer program that records real time off of streaming services. They have it all over their FAQ that it is legal since it’s technically recording it in 720p and not downloading anything. It compares itself to using a VCR and recording off of TV, which the US Supreme Court ruled was legal in the 80s when Universal sues Sony over BetaMax.

I’m really not sure if it truly is piracy or not. At the very least, I imagine that I’m breaking a EULA with the streaming companies by using it.

 

[LordPezix]

I watched the Matrix in 1999, then Napster was released shortly after. I now am the unlimited Haxor Lord of the Interwebz. Bow before me.

 

[Goro Majima]

tl;dr: media publishers need to actually make their catalogs available for sale in the digital age

Long version: I voted no because we have most streaming services, I collect retro games, and I have no problems buying new physical games or on Steam. Of course there are caveats for what I consider to be gray areas.

I’ve used YouTube MP3 conversions for anything that isn’t on Apple Music or available physically on eBay for about $10-15. Apple does have that neat thing where you can rip your CDs and upload them to the cloud (crazy to think about how forbidden that was like 15 years ago). This is useful for old soundtracks and techno compilation albums that are often not on Apple Music probably because they are a rights nightmare.

Even though I collect retro games there are times when games are both ridiculously priced on eBay and completely unavailable digitally through legit sources. There are loads of post 16-bit era games that never got distributed like most of the Saturn and Gamecube libraries and, as a result, a copy of Paper Mario: TTYD is now over $100 on eBay. Skies of Arcadia Legends is $163 according to my collecting app. It’s criminal that these can’t be played through current official channels. So yeah I can see why some people choose to go with the Dolphin emulator instead.

Microsoft seems to be the best about handling BC but even then not everything is available or backwards compatible. The PS3/Wii/Wii U all had good sized retro libraries but then Sony and Nintendo were like “nah” when it came to making those future compatible. And now with the SNES Classic no longer being made, your only choices for something like Earthbound are trying to find a cheap used one or buying the game on a legacy platform.

 

[Yoboman]

I used to torrent everything about 5 years ago but really dont feel the need to these days

If there is a movie that isn't on any streaming service in Aus, I'll roll the dice on a Putlocker (only if its an older movie) just pay a few dollars for a Youtube or PSN 48 hour rental

I wish I still had my old music collection, Its lost to some carelessly thrown out HDD from years ago though. I had a 300 GB MP3 filled to the brim like 15 years ago I dont even remember what I did with it

 

[Yoboman]

I subscribe to multiple streaming services so it has lessened the need to pirate, but if something I want isn't available on them and I can't buy it then you're damn right I'm going to pirate it.

Frankly I see it as the publishers fault in this case, if its unavailable everywhere then get fucked, I am pirating it - thats their missed opportunity for my money

 

[badblue]

media publishers need to actually make their catalogs available for sale in the digital age

And at a decent price. I don't mind paying but $20+ for a single movie from 1955 (The Court Jester) just seems a bit too much.

 

[Makoto-Yuki]

I still do....but I'm more than happy to pay for something.

if publishers don't want to sell it to me or let me back it up then we have a problem....

 

[tuco11]

KODI + RD = heaven

 

[Nymphae]

If something is made reasonably affordable for me to purchase, I try to. If I think the asking price is too high, I try to live without or wait until sale. In rare instances I'm fine with pirating something that is next to impossible to acquire legally.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Off the record, the issue with pirating is it requires a lot of downloads, programs etc. and makes it a chore in just acquiring something you'd otherwise stream in a second.

 

[DESTROYA]

Off the record, the issue with pirating is it requires a lot of downloads, programs etc. and makes it a chore in just acquiring something you'd otherwise stream in a second.

Why can’t that be on the record ?
Anyway I don’t really watch much TV/movies and since I have a huge backlog of games so don’t feel the need to pirate. I have tried it in the past but found it too convoluted and a waste of time to get everything working as it should so I gave up and never bothered again.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Piracy is a must in a world where household favorites are regularly subverted and used to push ideological propaganda.

They know nobody will hand over their cash for a ground-up woke product, so they rely on infecting established properties. I feel like piracy is a way to speak against that, while not depriving yourself of something you love, assuming most of it is still left.

Why in the world would you "pirate" ideological propaganda?

 

[teezzy]

They never released anything after the first season of The Drew Carey Show on DVD or streaming, and these bastards wonder why The Pirate Bay wont die.

 

[IntentionalPun]

I've pirated a handful of things in the last decade, and it was only when something really wasn't available online because it was old.

Spending $4-6 to "Rent" a movie or at most $14.99 to buy it is still a pretty cheap endeavor; TV Show seasons are an even better deal. $20-30 usually for sometimes 15+ episode seasons.

It's also just faster to buy something than to try to hunt it down, and the quality is usually better. Everyone who brags about how easy that one Popcorn app is always cracks me up.. yeah totally easy to click on a dozen streams to find one that is even close enough to decent quality, oh but maybe ignore the Taiwanese subtitles lol

 

[ScarletSpider]

.

 

[Kenpachii]

I pirated to make things more easy.

Instead of having to pick up my disc to install a game i would just download and install the illigal version then use the cdkey of my game in wordpad and apply it into the game and done.

These days i couldn't care anymore, i just buy the stuff on steam or whatever digital platform as its easier.

 

[Nester99]

Whipping the Lama’s ass since 1998

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Yeah I still use SLSK to download tv shows and stuff. I used to pirate games but now that I can afford them I just buy them.

Piracy has always been a thing ever since before mechanical type even. A great many works would have been lost to time if it weren’t for pirates. It’s true for ancient works as well as pop media.

For instance “I Think We’re Alone Now” first became a hit off pirated copies, giving Tommy James a career, which he used to write Crimson and Clover and Mony Mony. All these songs became hits for other people decades later and none of it would have happened were it not for piracy.

 

[hariseldon]

I don't pirate games, as there's no issue of availability (and where there is I'll go do what I have to). I get stuff from GOG where possible to ensure preservation. TV and movies on the other hand, absolutely. It's the only way to preserve the content I love. We have entered an age where preservation matters more than ever.

 

[Tesseract]

Why in the world would you "pirate" ideological propaganda?

you should watch and read everything

 

[JasonVA]

Been pirating heavily and just saving money in general since all the woke stuff. It's probably good for me. Less consuming, more long term saving, and a better conscience because im not supporting unethical companies.

 

[infinitys_7th]

The only stuff I am okay with pirating are things you just cannot get anymore, like old radio shows that you cannot get even by paying for. If access is available legally for something I will get it. I've only pirated one game, and that was after I imported a copy to put a translate patch on, dumped it, and then couldn't get the patcher to work. So I just downloaded a copy which was already patched already payed for a physical copy and modding, so I'd done my good faith effort.

I do also rip a lot of shit off of YouTube and other sites, but that is more for archival purposes than to steal it, and those channels do not sell their media anyway.

 

[dorkimoe]

Everything but games

 

[Mossybrew]

I've never pirated anything in my life. Not that I'm some moral bastion, I just never felt the need to.

 

[synchronicity]

The only thing for me is sometimes for old games that aren't for sale at retail. I've pumped so much into this hobby/industry, I feel I'm more than entitled, lol.

 

[Kamina]

Rarely
I usually pay my bills in full, but sometimes i make small exceptions.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Piracy is a must in a world where household favorites are regularly subverted and used to push ideological propaganda.

They know nobody will hand over their cash for a ground-up woke product, so they rely on infecting established properties. I feel like piracy is a way to speak against that, while not depriving yourself of something you love, assuming most of it is still left.

So there has always been excuses and justifications for piracy, I'm assuming this is the modern day take?

 

[Tesseract]

So there has always been excuses and justifications for piracy, I'm assuming this is the modern day take?

have you swashed or buckled in your day, m8

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

have you swashed or buckled in your day, m8

Oh, don't take my reply as judgment. I was legitimately wondering, cause that sounds like quite an involved and dubious justification.

And of course I've swashed AND buckled in my day. I dont typically do it nowadays but fuck yeah I pilfered like a mf

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Piracy is a must in a world where household favorites are regularly subverted and used to push ideological propaganda.

They know nobody will hand over their cash for a ground-up woke product, so they rely on infecting established properties. I feel like piracy is a way to speak against that, while not depriving yourself of something you love, assuming most of it is still left.

I mean no offense, but I'm seeing this argument as a cop-out. If something is too "woke", you don't have to support it, but that doesn't mean you have the right to watch it anyway, imo.

I'm not casting judgement, just to be clear. I may have pirated in the past.

 

[Tesseract]

 

[MastAndo]

Yeah, nice try, Narc.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Really triggered the local smooth brains, almost all of them familiar and with the same ideology, with that take, didn't I?

Makes you think. How dare one take control back from a political movement specifically leveraging beloved brands to get you to fund their ideological statements?