Watching videos/listening to music online

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Kathrin

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I have been watching the videos of a group I really like online, listening to the songs… not downloading anything, just listening, watching. Is that wrong? How do I know if it is legal? It seems that everybody is saying something else. For example on YouTube - is it legal? And if not, how can I listen to this band legally? Especially since I need to practice one of their songs for a little matinee at a rehabilitation center next Sunday (if I can’t get a CD in my country, for example.)

Kathrin
 
I very much doubt such activities are illegal in Switzerland, but I’m not sure.
 
Legality is one problem that is wise of you to consider. Morality is a different one. Legality, as previously pointed out, has to do with the laws of your country plus international law. I would go to a law forum for the best advice.

Regarding morality, you need to make sure you are not stealing from a group or using illegally obtained versions of an author’s work. That would violate the intellectual rights accorded to an author and amounts to theft.

How can you be sure? Go to the author’s official web site. Feel free to use material on that site to the extent the author allows or find contact info when seeking available work elsewhere. Going to mainstream commercial sites like a movie rental place or pay-per-download site has a reasonable shot at being legitimate. Going to youtube to watch videos posted by someone other than the author is probably illegitimate.

[The golden rule applied to this situation] If you were an artist trying to make a living off your work, how would you feel about people stealing your property?

It’s probably very tempting for people to steal in this way since it’s so easy, but try to do the right thing, even if it takes a painstakingly long time. Your heavenly father, who knows everything you do, will not fail to reward you.
 
Wow so I may have committed a great sin by watching those videos that I love so much? I have stolen???

I am intending to buy a CD anyway because I like that band so much (especially because it is connected with very dear memories for me, that’s why i enjoy it so much too). I feel bad now. And not much chance for confession these days either because everybody seems to be on vacation.😦

And it’s difficult to find an official website for this band… maybe there are websites where you can pay for a song as you said, i need to look into that…

As for morality though, if i was the author and knew of my particular situation and how much I enjoy their music, I wouldn’t be mad at me.😉

Kathrin

p.s. What about lyrics?
As i said, i need to learn one of the songs because we are doing a souvenir hour for patients at a physical rehabilitation center (and is that not legal either???). Can i learn from the lyrics I find online?
I need to find the song legally though too so i can listen to it!

p.p.s. This is a terrible thing for a scrupulous person like me! Now I am fighting thoughts that say things like: This music has tempted you to sin so it is bad for you and you shouldn’t listen to it anymore.
And does it make all the good memories connected with it bad now too???😦 😦 😦 I hope not!!! HELP!!!
 
Ok I think that was a scrupulosity attack and it wasn’t ALL that bad? Or am I wrong, I hope somebody really can help me here…

Anyway I have decided to make another effort to try to find that song I am working on somewhere in a shop around here… if it is available, it is from another country and almost totally unknown here.
 
Considering the record labels of bands usually post the music videos of their band’s singles on youtube, I couldn’t imagine it being illegal.
 
IMO some Catholics are very, very, very harsh when it comes to online media content. I do not, in any way, see how these matters are black and white. For one, the laws are vague in many countries. Secondly, as already mentioned, many artists openly or discreetly (depending on the artist) distribute their work online. There are also other factors to consider. Is it wrong for a friend to lend you his or her CD? If so, why? If not, is downloading a copy of a CD your friend already owns morally wrong? (Assuming it’s not illegal to do so in your country). I just don’t see how it’s black and white. I really think it’s a case by case matter. Let’s say I enjoy a foreign TV show that is not available commercially in any form in my country. I know that my relative owns it and would lend it to me if I was closer. Would it be wrong to download this TV show? Again, if it’s not illegal (which it wouldn’t be in many places) I have a hard time seeing how that would constitute theft.

That being said, there are relatively cheap ways to obtain most music legally now-a-days. Itunes is a great service…99 cents a song :).
 
twf said:
That being said, there are relatively cheap ways to obtain most music legally now-a-days. Itunes is a great service…99 cents a song :).
Click to expand...
Working on it right now. :-)))))))))
 
I think if the posting of music videos or music on Youtube were illegal, It would either be much more difficult to actually post videos on Youtube or Youtube and other sites like it would have to be shut down. Plus, Youtube even allows full episodes of shows such as America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway to be posted and that’s been going on for quite some time. I always suspected that the site would have deleted those videos and suspended those accounts if posting episodes of such shows were actually illegal.

[edit] Oh and bands and artists already do post up music videos of their songs through their Youtube accounts. Many groups such as Daft Punk already have accounts through which they post music videos and live performances and such.
 
It sounds to me that the types of videos you’re watching and where you’re watching them is probably not illegal.

Toodles.
 
I don’t think you have done anything wrong, Kathrin. Don’t let your scrupulousity get the better of you.

Most astist have a myspace page with their work as well. They distribute it freely on a listen/watch basis. Allowing you to listen to their music online is like broadcasting it over the radio.

As for the lyrics, you can get those from anywhere. It’s not secret or restricted information, they say it in their songs (even if it can be hard to understand).

I think the general rule for things like this is: listen, watch, but don’t download.
 
Thank you everybody.
I have really been going back and forth on this, and depending on who I ask I get all kinds of answers!
I am still wondering whether it’s ok to listen to that song again that I want to learn for next Sunday. Since it is so difficult to get here I probably won’t have much choice…
 
So I listened to part of that one song again because I want to do a good job performing it on Sunday, especially since it is in a foreign language.

Was that ok??🤷

I COULD order the CD online but that would take longer than till Sunday and I would pay almost as much in shipping as the CD costs.
Somebody I know will go to the country where the CD is from soon, maybe she can bring it for me. So since I intend to buy it I could listen to it now?

Sorry for making such a big thing out of this it’s just a dilemma for me right now.

Kathrin
 
I’m sure you are not doing anything wrong. If you really want to set your mind at rest, you could try contacting the artist and asking what he/she/they have to say.
 
Thank you so much for replying. Really.

It’s just so difficult if you don’t know who to ask.
(Priest on vacation too.)

I think it also bothers me because it is something that means a lot to me, is connected to beautiful memories too, and then I get these thoughts that it might be bad if it drives me to sinful behavior.
And since I have a big tendency toward scrupulosity I soemtimes don’t know whether those are just scrupulous thoughts or maybe not.😦 And then I am sitting here almost in shock after I could convince myself that listening to just a few bits would be ok… my mind making something really big out of this, like it was about masturbation or something, and temptation. And really I am not even sure if it is wrong.🤷 🤷 🤷

I have thought about trying to contact the artist (see this is another thing, I would never want to hurt an artist especially not one whose music is so special to me) but the related websites are in a language I am just starting to learn… see this is all stuff from another country and that’s why it is so hard to get to.

Kathrin
 
I’m always available to talk. 🙂

I see the problem with contacting the artist. :hmmm:

If it helps, I have never heard of a musical artist objecting to people listening to their songs online. One of the radio stations near me even gets permission from the artists to post their entire new albums on the radio station’s website in a listen-only format, before the album is available for purchase.
 
Kathrin said:
I have been watching the videos of a group I really like online, listening to the songs… not downloading anything, just listening, watching. Is that wrong? How do I know if it is legal? It seems that everybody is saying something else. For example on YouTube - is it legal? And if not, how can I listen to this band legally? Especially since I need to practice one of their songs for a little matinee at a rehabilitation center next Sunday (if I can’t get a CD in my country, for example.)

Kathrin
Click to expand...
Get the music from their website, if they have one. Most groups do, and let people watch music videos and listen to music, but only on their website. Also, if the Youtube video is obviously from the artist, go ahead. If you can’t find one directly from the artist on Youtbe, or if their website doesn’t offer music, then try AOL Music.
 
Well, a friend of mine is going to (if she finds it) bring me the CD! 🙂 🙂
I won’t have it in time for tomorrow of course when I am supposed to play that one song for the patients. Since I am planning to buy the CD I allowed myself to watch parts of it on YouTube so I don’t make mistakes.
Would you say that’s morally ok now? Since I am not doing it because I don’t want to buy the music, I AM going to buy the music if anyhow possible?
 
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