Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Word About FLACs and MP3s

One of the readers of this blog decided to help out the Magma fans who do not have access to DIME, and he re-posted the Alhambra show on Rapidshare, but in MP3 format.

The original taper contacted me and asked me to remove the link to the Rapidshare archive. He said that it was OK to post the show on Rapidshare, but he specified that it MUST be in the original FLAC (lossless) format.

I know that many of the file-sharing services like Rapidshare have a limit of 200MB for a single file. Unfortunately, Emehntehtt-Re is a 54 minute song, and it is over 300MB alone. So, it is impossible to put this file on Rapidshare unless you split it into 2 pieces.

Many people who upload their works to DIME are very adamant about retaining the lossless quality of their work. So, if you decide to repost a concert on a file-sharing service, and you need to post it in a lossy format because of size limitations, please try to contact the original taper and ask for his permission.

This has been a Public Service Announcement from your friends at magmasystems.

23 comments:

  1. http://megeaupload.com allows files up to 1 GB

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  2. Should have been http://megaupload.com

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  3. there is no need to post lossy format for audio. megaupload allows up to 1GB.

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  4. I find it ironic that someone who posts a FLAC file that is, in effect, an illegal copy of a concert, will complain about someone else posting an MP3 version of their ILLEGAL BOOTLEG RECORDING!!!!!

    If you are going to steal from the artist, don't complain when someone else reposts or modifies your STOLEN file.

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  5. Many bands allow live taping of their concerts. If the artist doesn't want taping and distribution of bootleg recordings of their concerts, they won't allow taping at their concerts. Plus dime will pull any artist's music who specifically says they do not want bootlegs on the site. The reason this taper is so picky about lossy format is that audio analysis of many classic magma concerts has revealed much lossy "dillution"

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  6. Whenever I DL a bootleg whose taper is extremely vocal about NEVER, EVER converting it to a lossy format, I convert it to 192 kbps MP3 and share it on Soulseek just to spite them. Bunch of whiners.

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  7. Yeah they should really just stop whining - they have the audio as they desire it, there's nothing they can do to stop it from being distributed as others see fit. They didn't create the music, they just helped move it. They have no place to be making demands.

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  8. @Anonymous + navitatl: Do I get this right: Someone takes the time to record a concert, puts it up on Dime to make it available for all of you - and you slap him in the face and tell him to stop whining about audio quality? Unbelievable - and so sad...

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  9. MetroCube has kindly posted the file here:

    http://tracker.lossless.fr/torrents-details.php?id=2417

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  10. "Many bands allow live taping of their concerts. If the artist doesn't want taping and distribution of bootleg recordings of their concerts, they won't allow taping at their concerts. Plus dime will pull any artist's music who specifically says they do not want bootlegs on the site. The reason this taper is so picky about lossy format is that audio analysis of many classic magma concerts has revealed much lossy "dillution""

    I'm sorry; wrong answer. Copyright violation is copyright violation, and there is nothing in either American or global copyright law that requires a copyright holder to opt in or out to protect their copyright. This comment is pure horseshit, sorry. No one has to ask that their work not be copyright violated. That would require universal policing, and would require bands to take efforts that would effectively prevent them from working. The true response here is that posting a conert on DIME or anywhere else is itself illegal, period. The people who post are not in position to make any claims on how their illegally posted material is then used. What are they going to do, sue the user? What utter crap.

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  11. If you play your music on a PC and plasticloudspeakers, 192kbps is ok, but if its a good recording there is an audible loss if you make it worse than FLAC, and it doesnt sound very good if you burn it to a CD and play it on a decent stereo.

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  12. SanktPauli, I don't want to slap anyone in the face and I don't believe I did. But when people make demands about how we should treat a batch of data that they've made publicly available, I think a slap in the face might wake them up. It's completely childish and unreasonable to expect to retain any degree of control once they've posted the data. I think these guys are old fellas who don't really know how the internet works.

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  13. "Copyright violation is copyright violation, and there is nothing in American or Global copyright law that requires a copyright holder to opt in or out to protect their copyright."

    That is not the issue. We are not talking about a studio or live recording that is intended to be released commercially. We are talking about an audience recording using taping equipment. The band has the right to allow or not allow taping equipment at their concerts. Bands that allow taping have the attitude of "once the music is played we are done with it." So while the music on the recording is obviously the band's by copyright law, the recording is not theirs. At this point they could choose to say that this recording can not be posted anywhere because it is the band's music, but they cannot choose to claim the RECORDING as theirs. Therefore i think the taper should have the right to say that he doesn't want his recording distributed in lossy format.

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  14. "I'm sorry; wrong answer. Copyright violation is copyright violation, and there is nothing in either American or global copyright law that requires a copyright holder to opt in or out to protect their copyright"

    You are getting on my nerves with your crappy comments, mr.anonymous who does not have the courage to put a signature at the end of a message.
    You are showing your total ignorance around the topic. In any case if you really think that what we're doing is illegal and you wanna be the good guy, simply do not download and listen any of the recorded shows, so your soul will be saved for the rest of your life.
    It is because of people like you that Magma will be blacklisted from my uploads list.

    ldb (metro_cubo)

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  15. It is well known that Stella and some of Magma read this blog. They also read the Zeuhl and Beyond blog, where live recordings are routinely posted. So, Stella definitely knows about DIME.

    If Stella opposed the live recordings, and she wanted Z&B and Dime to stop propagating live concerts, she would have made her wishes known by now.

    If anything, I think that the availability of these live shows have brought new fans to Magma.

    Metro_Cube, please try to reconsider your stance on not sharing Magma. You have a large number of appreciative people out there who would love to hear some of your other recordings.

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  16. What I can say for the moment is that in my view Magma hasn't been so creative and at this creative peak for many many years. The show at Alhambra was simply outstanding and - as written on my notes on DIME - Stella's vocals are still so incredible.

    Those who have been following my series on DIME may know that I listen music on 360°, spanning from pop to rock, to bossa nova, heavy metal, jazz, progressive, fusion, folk, classical so I cannot be really considered a Magma 'die-hard' fan with some kind of subjective taste (no offense of course to die-hard fans!) that's why I really see Magma's current work one of the most inspiring and innovative of today's music scene.

    metro_cubo

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  17. @ Metro_Cube
    Yes, I was at the Alhambra on the Saturday and Sunday nights (travelled all the way from Scotland for the shows!) and I have to say both were totally incredible, the best two Magma concerts I've seen (and therefore the best two concerts ever in any genre!). I'd really love to hear your recording, but unfortunately I can't seem to access Dime or this other site you linked to, for some reason it won't let me register. Can anybody help?!

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  18. My name is Cory Thompson from Washington State. I wrote the two posts about how a band's taping policy determines whether or not bootleg recordings are legal. I didn't want it to seem like I wasn't willing to stand behind my posts i just do not have a username on this blog. I don't know who brought up copyright law, but his post was quite mean spirited and I don't think he understands taping policy.

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  19. Strange...I don't see the taper's policy against mp3 anywhere on the torrent page or their profile...only the comments they made after the fact. Maybe they should have been more upfront about their wishes to begin with.

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  20. ok guys, i re-upped the concert in original FLAC version for those who can't connect to DIME, hope the taper will change his mind about me ...
    new link :
    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4OTHBTM0

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  21. Thanks Barfix, and the taper :)
    Much appreciated!

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  22. I have to agree with the guy who said that what we do is illegal, but the law is old, was not conceived with this situation in mind, and will probably change in the future. The purpose of the law is to defend what is to defend, and Magma doesn't need this kind of defending; as Marc said, the band would have already asked people not to spread bootlegs if they wanted to. So let's leave this now and talk about more interesting things.

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  23. i totally agree with the last post

    so where are the recordings from the other nights... and you know my taped shows have all been going to dime...

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