vinyl rip

nathan_fr · Post by **nathan_fr** » Thu May 22, 2008 4:38 pm

hi !

I've got a simple question:

Is it legal to download a vinyl rip or a digital version mp3 if you own the original vinyl ?

Beside, don't you think that labels should give the mp3s to the people who own the original vinyl? (How to prove you have the original record, that's the question !)

Labels owner's opinions are welcome

PsyTox · Post by **PsyTox** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:05 pm

strictly legally speaking, any copy is illegal. Even the home copy is purely speaking not legal although everyone seems to think it is. You can't go out and play either with a vinyl rip of a record you own.

It's stuff like this that pisses off many people, and I'm sure most label owners aren't happy about it either. As long as you pay for the music, you should be able to do with it whatever you want -provided you use the copy for your own use... but that logic is a bit lost on RIAA, Sabam and the other mobsters.

But as a label owner: i've been thinking a lot about that one too. If I had the budget I'd put up a server where people who buy the vinyl get a unique code where they can download some extra tracks and the originals in Mp3 or something. Unfortunately, we don't have cash for Cubes etc

shypht · Post by **shypht** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:05 pm

From one perspective, if you have the Vinyl, you should be able to have an MP3 of it. You could just rip it yourself anyways given the right tools. (Legality of it is still up in the air, does it fall under Fair Use/etc? and depends on the copyright laws of where you live/etc)

However, the catch is

- Chances are if your downloading an MP3 from it, its from a P2P network, or some other source such as a website/blog/whatever
- Chances are, that source did /not/ get it legally, or if they did get it legally, they do not legally have the right to share it for download

While it would be nice if record companies gave you legal MP3s along with your Vinyl, its harder to accomplish as you cant exactly pop that Vinyl into your computer to pull an MP3 off of it

, and how do they distribute the MP3 otherwise without adding extra overhead/etc?

It's one thing to put an MP3 onto a CD or DVD (I was rather impressed with Hawtin putting a MP3 copy of Transitions onto the DVD), but its something that is a bit more complicated with Vinyl.

nathan_fr · Post by **nathan_fr** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:07 pm

PsyTox wrote:strictly legally speaking, any copy is illegal. Even the home copy is purely speaking not legal.

But as a label owner: i've been thinking a lot about that one too. If I had the budget I'd put up a server where people who buy the vinyl get a unique code where they can download some extra tracks and the originals in Mp3 or something. Unfortunately, we don't have cash for Cubes etc

Mos ferry used to do it.

But today, when more and more people are playing with final scratch or serato, don't you think it would be a good way to make this people going back to their records store ?

PsyTox · Post by **PsyTox** » Thu May 22, 2008 5:12 pm

well, to be perfectly honest, most people either chose vinyl or mp3. If they chose vinyl, they buy the record, if they prefer digital, they'll just buy it on beatport.
I get where you're coming from, but as I said, this would mean investing again in a medium which is -in my opinion - already on the decline as it is. And the alternative is already available: digital download stores. You must realise that most labels are not making money at all noawadays, especially if they do vinyl, so the money is not around to create these unique codes, get them included in every vinyl, maintain a server, build a website to handle this traffic, make sure the code isn't abused, etc etc etc.

Taylor Norris · Post by **Taylor Norris** » Thu May 22, 2008 9:39 pm

I have purchased serveral mp3's that I already own on vinyl. For me the $2 cost of the file is worth the improvement in sound quality over a ripped version. I think I will always prefer vinyl but digital....well you know the rest

Would it be to difficult for labels to throw in a CD with their albums? Im sure I would buy more vinyl if I knew I was getting a digital copy.

patrick bateman · Post by **patrick bateman** » Thu May 22, 2008 9:49 pm

Taylor Norris wrote:
Would it be to difficult for labels to throw in a CD with their albums? Im sure I would buy more vinyl if I knew I was getting a digital copy.

Of course it's a big cost.

I don't see any problems if people rip their vinyls to mp3 for playing out. They have already supported the label once.

Prozakace · Post by **Prozakace** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:58 pm

patrick bateman wrote:

I don't see any problems if people rip their vinyls to mp3 for playing out. They have already supported the label once.

For me a rip from Vynil has not the quality of vynil or digital.

This problem of legal copy joined the problem of the re-download possibility of digital release on website like Beatport...