Finally able to navigate past the WhatCD’s homepage—a mysterious login screen that read, “Beyond here is something like a utopia”—I familiarized myself with their textbook-length list of rules, and spent countless hours combing through everything the website had to offer.
A world where people read Da Rulz is still possible
Napster and Gnutella were the ones I used back in the day. All my music is still in mp3s today, and I've never had a single reason to regret not using streaming services so far.
Same for me, + limewire and IRC channels, then torrents. There was a golden age in the 2000s where you'd see new albums and movies get released before they even came out, and in relatively good quality too.
This is anecdotal, but everyone I meet born after 2000 has no idea what torrents are, or how to share media, and many of them are paying for like 3 streaming services. They have no idea all this stuff is available for free without much effort, and with better quality.
Oh yeah forgot about limewire. :) And I've been noticing the same trend, a lot of people don't really know how to torrent things anymore. It really is a strictly superior user experience. Once you have a file then nobody can take it away from you, it doesn't expire, you can play it on whatever device you want whenever you want. The fact that people accept streaming along with all the limitations is really crazy to me. Even outside the question of cost, it's just a shittier overall experience.
If you have any of the releases from those days or even scene releases form the before times, or can rip and upload, they are still desired on red and oph.
Music piracy will come make a comeback eventually. Its already coming back with movies.
Paying for music is in a blip of being better than piracy for most people and the "morally correct" argument is very dominent right now.
But the contradiction between consumers wanting cheap convinient music and streaming cites wanting as much money as possible can't last like this forever.
Also, I think people are starting to understand that streaming isn't actually owning, and that anything that's not a file on your machine can just be taken away from you on whim.
People have definitely noticed that with movies. But music streaming is pretty good with having 99% of what most people need and songs don't just dissapear nearly as often, we'll see how that changes though.
15 Comments
marcie@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 31d
soulseek is still jamming bros. download nicotine+ from flathub
manuallybreathing@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 30d
A world where people read Da Rulz is still possible
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 30d
i miss the times when paying for music was considered cringe
pineapple@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 29d
It still is here!
dessalines@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 31d
Cool article, I wasn't on any of these private trackers, but I remember them getting shut down.
yogthos@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 31d
Napster and Gnutella were the ones I used back in the day. All my music is still in mp3s today, and I've never had a single reason to regret not using streaming services so far.
marcie@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 31d
ive literally never opened a spotify link. i am clean and in my prime
yogthos@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 31d
dessalines@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 31d
Same for me, + limewire and IRC channels, then torrents. There was a golden age in the 2000s where you'd see new albums and movies get released before they even came out, and in relatively good quality too.
This is anecdotal, but everyone I meet born after 2000 has no idea what torrents are, or how to share media, and many of them are paying for like 3 streaming services. They have no idea all this stuff is available for free without much effort, and with better quality.
yogthos@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 31d
Oh yeah forgot about limewire. :) And I've been noticing the same trend, a lot of people don't really know how to torrent things anymore. It really is a strictly superior user experience. Once you have a file then nobody can take it away from you, it doesn't expire, you can play it on whatever device you want whenever you want. The fact that people accept streaming along with all the limitations is really crazy to me. Even outside the question of cost, it's just a shittier overall experience.
whatiswrongwithyou@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 31d
If you have any of the releases from those days or even scene releases form the before times, or can rip and upload, they are still desired on red and oph.
pineapple@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 29d
Music piracy will come make a comeback eventually. Its already coming back with movies.
Paying for music is in a blip of being better than piracy for most people and the "morally correct" argument is very dominent right now.
But the contradiction between consumers wanting cheap convinient music and streaming cites wanting as much money as possible can't last like this forever.
yogthos@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 29d
Also, I think people are starting to understand that streaming isn't actually owning, and that anything that's not a file on your machine can just be taken away from you on whim.
pineapple@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 28d
People have definitely noticed that with movies. But music streaming is pretty good with having 99% of what most people need and songs don't just dissapear nearly as often, we'll see how that changes though.
yogthos@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 28d
yup, good news is all the files are out there, and not going anywhere :)