The losses that the indian music industry incurs due to audio piracy amount to millions of rupees every year. The popularity of the MP3 format among masses has led to an exponential increase in piracy. Mediums for playing MP3 files are easily affordable. DVD players that support MP3 are available for as low as Rs 1,200. Even a sub-Rs 2,500 cellphone plays MP3 files. If you want a pocketable MP3 Player, you can pick a Chinese one from the roadside for less than Rs 1,500. You don't have to spend much to pack these devices with songs of you choice-an MP3 disc with over a hundred songs costs a mere Rs 30 ate roadside shacks.
Even though the songs might be encoded at a low bit rate or even ripped from an audio cassette, they are good entertainment for those who don't care for sound quality. What keeps piracy going strong is the choice of compilations you get right under your nose. Be it the hits of Kishore Kumar or all Bollywood movies of 2009, it wont be hard to find. Such compilations aren't available on original CDs, so pirated MP3 discs are hot favourites of the aam janta. That's just a picture of what sells on the road. Whats on the internet is even more interesting. It's possible to download just anything off the web. P2P and Bittorrent are no longer unheard of. Where else on the planet would you find entire discographies of Elvis Presley, the Beatles or Micheal Jackson for free? Bollywood music albums are available on the web even before CDs hit the stands.
One reason why people don't hesitate about buying or downloading pirated music is that unlike pirated software, there's a very low risk of getting infected by viruses and Trojans. Plus you can get high quality or lossless audio CD rips of albums too. Some Bittorrent websites also publish description of music albums so that you get a fair idea of genre of music and artist's background. Music companies have tried several methods of protection to prevent the disc from being ripped using audio CD rippers, but there has always been a way out. Plus there are lossless audio formats that guarantee CD quality output. Nothing comes close to original audio CDs when it comes to audiophile quality output, but there are music pirates who are audiophiles. You even get ISO images of audio CDs along with high quality cover art so that you can print them and use them as CD inlays.
In several countries, recording associations have sued music downloaders. The same doesn't appear to be happening here, and there is no fear of it starting anytime soon.
Even though the songs might be encoded at a low bit rate or even ripped from an audio cassette, they are good entertainment for those who don't care for sound quality. What keeps piracy going strong is the choice of compilations you get right under your nose. Be it the hits of Kishore Kumar or all Bollywood movies of 2009, it wont be hard to find. Such compilations aren't available on original CDs, so pirated MP3 discs are hot favourites of the aam janta. That's just a picture of what sells on the road. Whats on the internet is even more interesting. It's possible to download just anything off the web. P2P and Bittorrent are no longer unheard of. Where else on the planet would you find entire discographies of Elvis Presley, the Beatles or Micheal Jackson for free? Bollywood music albums are available on the web even before CDs hit the stands.One reason why people don't hesitate about buying or downloading pirated music is that unlike pirated software, there's a very low risk of getting infected by viruses and Trojans. Plus you can get high quality or lossless audio CD rips of albums too. Some Bittorrent websites also publish description of music albums so that you get a fair idea of genre of music and artist's background. Music companies have tried several methods of protection to prevent the disc from being ripped using audio CD rippers, but there has always been a way out. Plus there are lossless audio formats that guarantee CD quality output. Nothing comes close to original audio CDs when it comes to audiophile quality output, but there are music pirates who are audiophiles. You even get ISO images of audio CDs along with high quality cover art so that you can print them and use them as CD inlays.
In several countries, recording associations have sued music downloaders. The same doesn't appear to be happening here, and there is no fear of it starting anytime soon.
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