"Yes as I said we can keep going back and forth with examples."
I'm not actually presenting counter-examples, which would mean saying no-DRM makes things sell better. I'm saying DRM is tangential to sales. Better games with broader appeal sell more. The Witcher fell short of Diablo because not as many people want that kind of game. The Sims is ahead of it because it's the best entry-level video game ever made. Diablo is selling a lot because it's Diablo. Your "counter-example" to my point is not.
"But companies have shown they would rather restrict the game with drm and even change their entire development strategy by moving to consoles than put up with piracy."
That only demonstrates that the heads of the companies in question view piracy the same way you do. I can come up with counterexamples there, too, if you'd like.
"I'm sure we can keep coming up with examples/counter examples. But so far d3 has had 0 piracy and sold 8 mil units."
And The Sims 2 has piracy up the wazoo and has sold 20 million. Asking whether or not something has been pirated is entirely the wrong question. Given the sales of Diablo 2 and 3 being the most anticipated game in the history of humanity, I would've expected its sales to be in that range. The 0 piracy is a red herring; those sales are because it's Diablo.
"I mean look at witcher 2, they released it without drm to be nice and it was pirated 4.5mil times for 1mil in sales."
In short: they sold one million units. Good for them.
"Are you betting companies would risk giving their game away for free when they see the piracy rate of the witcher 2 the success of drm laden d3? People will still buy drm laden games."
People still buy games that can be pirated too. The "risk" is almost entirely imaginary. If you go through this list, you'll note that almost every one of them is easily pirated. You can find the top one here.
No, I'm still not keen on having to put up with server lag in a single-player game.
"Imagine, people paying for digital copies! Some kind of magical wonderland."
If this kind of thing was actually necessary, Diablo 3 wouldn't be losing to Half-Life and Minecraft wouldn't have earned a dime. Imagine, people buying things without being forced to. Some kind of magical wonderland.
"Maybe I'll just go download his music and not pay."
You could at least watch it on his YouTube channel and contribute to his ad revenue. It's not a big deal, though, because half a million of his fans are better people than you.
"Is Blizzard trying to push cryptic drm onto the masses in order to sell 0 value digital copies for $59.99 each?"
Yes. They haven't actually been successful in keeping people from pirating the game, but they're trying.
"If there was a way for the music industry to restrict access like this, they would."
It's been tried.
"All pirates are not necessarily customers, but some customers are pirates given the choice."
Anyone who wants anything electronic has the choice to pirate it. No DRM scheme yet used has prevented that. Those eight million Diablo 3 purchases are because eight million people chose to buy it, not because they didn't have another option.
"But the incessant whining about how you can't use other people's property to the extent you feel as though you should be entitled (even though in fact you aren't) just gets old."
Except I am entitled to do what this guy was asking permission for. Parody is fair use in America, which means that I can do this without fair of retribution:
Bad laws, bad laws, bad laws, bad laws
They cripple innovation, they make singing a sin
If you aren't a corporation then you just can't win
They need evaluation, but so much money's coming in
A heinous crime? Rewriting songs,
Unless you suck EMI's dong
Bad laws, bad laws, bad laws, they're bad
Electric and Musical Industries is watching so beware
There are no parodies that they will let you share
So just pay them and say please,
Or you will know true fear
They're lawyered up, they'll find your flaws
There's no saving you
Signed, bad laws.
See that drivel I just whipped up in half an hour? That's what Huge was trying to do. It's what he was being asked a thousand dollars for the honor of doing. If this post had been written by an Australian, they could be taken to court for this, but it's cool since I'm posting from the other side of the ocean. That doesn't seem the least bit silly to you?
Except that this isn't "just like everything else in the world". Parody is fair use in the part of the world I live in. No one in my portion of the world needs to ask permission to make "If I Had Soup" and upload it to YouTube.
"Anyone notice how all those old school rules are really about maximizing label profits by screwing over the artist?"
Actually, I hadn't noticed that. How does refusing to sell things in Australia until they're not cool anymore maximize label profits? I see your explanation of "billing the artist for each release", but that seems weak.
But if people are allowed to give away waffles for free, pretty soon there won't be any waffles left! Who will make new waffles if no one can make money off of them?
You do realize that anywhere that lots of people go qualifies as a "shooting gallery", right? Malls, schools, restaurants, department stores, airport security lines, and lots of other things all qualify as shooting galleries. Not supporting them would be beyond impractical.
"If someone is just randomly running around naked and gets arrested for indecent exposure, what treatment prior to them stripping could they point at to say they were protesting?"
I've often considered doing just that in protest of public indecency laws. If I'm ever in Oregon I now know the first thing I need to do.
I can always talk to the people around me, but do you have any idea how limiting it feels to even think about having that as the only good option? If what you seem to be getting at came to pass, I'd be cut off from almost all of our culture and have to make do with whatever the people who happen to live in the same geographical area as me come up with. Why would I ever want to be restricted to talking to whoever happened to buy a house near my parents or go to the same college I am? How could segregating society in such a manner possibly be acceptable?
Only big businesses are able to dispute the validity of a patent in under three pages? Or is that impossible for everyone, and only big businesses have $180?
On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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Who am I to trust to make the more profitable decision?
The heads of major game companies or the heads of other major game companies?
On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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I'm not actually presenting counter-examples, which would mean saying no-DRM makes things sell better. I'm saying DRM is tangential to sales. Better games with broader appeal sell more. The Witcher fell short of Diablo because not as many people want that kind of game. The Sims is ahead of it because it's the best entry-level video game ever made. Diablo is selling a lot because it's Diablo. Your "counter-example" to my point is not.
"But companies have shown they would rather restrict the game with drm and even change their entire development strategy by moving to consoles than put up with piracy."
That only demonstrates that the heads of the companies in question view piracy the same way you do. I can come up with counterexamples there, too, if you'd like.
On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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And The Sims 2 has piracy up the wazoo and has sold 20 million. Asking whether or not something has been pirated is entirely the wrong question. Given the sales of Diablo 2 and 3 being the most anticipated game in the history of humanity, I would've expected its sales to be in that range. The 0 piracy is a red herring; those sales are because it's Diablo.
"I mean look at witcher 2, they released it without drm to be nice and it was pirated 4.5mil times for 1mil in sales."
In short: they sold one million units. Good for them.
"Are you betting companies would risk giving their game away for free when they see the piracy rate of the witcher 2 the success of drm laden d3? People will still buy drm laden games."
People still buy games that can be pirated too. The "risk" is almost entirely imaginary. If you go through this list, you'll note that almost every one of them is easily pirated. You can find the top one here.
On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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No, I'm still not keen on having to put up with server lag in a single-player game.
"Imagine, people paying for digital copies! Some kind of magical wonderland."
If this kind of thing was actually necessary, Diablo 3 wouldn't be losing to Half-Life and Minecraft wouldn't have earned a dime. Imagine, people buying things without being forced to. Some kind of magical wonderland.
"Maybe I'll just go download his music and not pay."
You could at least watch it on his YouTube channel and contribute to his ad revenue. It's not a big deal, though, because half a million of his fans are better people than you.
On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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Yes. They haven't actually been successful in keeping people from pirating the game, but they're trying.
"If there was a way for the music industry to restrict access like this, they would."
It's been tried.
"All pirates are not necessarily customers, but some customers are pirates given the choice."
Anyone who wants anything electronic has the choice to pirate it. No DRM scheme yet used has prevented that. Those eight million Diablo 3 purchases are because eight million people chose to buy it, not because they didn't have another option.
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
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Except I am entitled to do what this guy was asking permission for. Parody is fair use in America, which means that I can do this without fair of retribution:
Bad laws, bad laws, bad laws, bad laws
They cripple innovation, they make singing a sin
If you aren't a corporation then you just can't win
They need evaluation, but so much money's coming in
A heinous crime? Rewriting songs,
Unless you suck EMI's dong
Bad laws, bad laws, bad laws, they're bad
Electric and Musical Industries is watching so beware
There are no parodies that they will let you share
So just pay them and say please,
Or you will know true fear
They're lawyered up, they'll find your flaws
There's no saving you
Signed, bad laws.
See that drivel I just whipped up in half an hour? That's what Huge was trying to do. It's what he was being asked a thousand dollars for the honor of doing. If this post had been written by an Australian, they could be taken to court for this, but it's cool since I'm posting from the other side of the ocean. That doesn't seem the least bit silly to you?
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
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On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
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Yes, but it goes on without "If I Had Soup". A condition that would not apply if Huge didn't need to ask permission to make fun of someone's song.
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
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On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
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On the post: Alex Day Sells Half A Million Songs By Breaking All The 'Rules'
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Actually, I hadn't noticed that. How does refusing to sell things in Australia until they're not cool anymore maximize label profits? I see your explanation of "billing the artist for each release", but that seems weak.
On the post: When Every Practical Economic Idea Is Political Suicide, Something's Wrong With Politics
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hmmm
On the post: Pirate Party ALMOST Ejected From Festival For Giving Out Free Waffles After Vendors Selling Waffles Complained (Updated)
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Yes.
On the post: Pirate Party ALMOST Ejected From Festival For Giving Out Free Waffles After Vendors Selling Waffles Complained (Updated)
On the post: MPAA Points To Its Roster Of Crappy Online Services And Asks What We're Complaining About
Re: A cultural problem
On the post: Does Batman Need Copyright Protection?
Re: Re: Re: Once again for those in the cheap seats
On the post: Apparently Stripping Nude To Protest TSA Search Is Protected By The First Amendment
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I've often considered doing just that in protest of public indecency laws. If I'm ever in Oregon I now know the first thing I need to do.
On the post: Meet The Internet Defense League (And Join It, Too)
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On the post: Patent Office Releases Rules To Let Third Parties Provide Documents To Help Reject Patent Applications
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