this post was submitted on 07 May 2025
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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I wanna listen to a particular song by an artist who has recently turned pretty nazi. As I generally use Spotify I now refuse to listen to his music in there, esp as it generates earnings. I kinda wanna pirate the music somehow…I’m not gonna as I’m not gonna down a song or two and then store it on my phone like it’s the year 2000. But short story is this me justifying piracy to myself.

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[–] [email protected] 92 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago
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[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Ripping off Jeff Bezos is a moral imperative.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Why so specific...

Deny all parasites profit and engagement as much as possible where ever possible.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Similarly, I have pirated The Sims 4 multiple times. Not because I plan on playing it any time soon, but rather because stealing from EA Games is always morally correct.

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[–] shadshack 39 points 1 month ago (1 children)

My wife refuses to let me pirate books for her. She wants to support the authors she reads, which is fair. But she decided she wanted to try the Harry Potter books, and asked me to pirate them for her to make sure JK Rowling didn't get a penny out of her.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Now that's a keeper

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Yeah I pirate all the games that:

  • Require an internet connection
  • Use Denuvo
  • Require a dedicated launcher
  • Require a connected account

If you're going to make the paid experience significantly worse than the free one because you want to implement anti-consumer BS, go fuck yourself

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[–] RvTV95XBeo 23 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Honestly there's so much wonderful art out there not created by Nazis, I don't know that it's worth the energy to pirate Nazi music.

I totally understand the moral pirate argument, I just don't have time to enjoy all of the games, movies, and music from artists I support. To waste what time I have engaging with content from people I find morally repugnant is just not where I'm investing

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I periodically delete my Metallica collection so I can re-download it for no other reason than fuck Lars.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If it can't own my media, I'm certainly not going to pay for it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Corpos think we are stupid and they gonna be able to use the big dick of daddy Sam to force us into compliance...

These idiots don't understand who the back bone of piracy communities are 🤡

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Eh, it's kinda down to personal perspective. In mine, absolutely a reasonable way to handle things if you love the art, but don't feel morally comfortable supporting the artist.

I recommend people pirate Enders Game, because fuck Orson Scott Card.

[–] AlligatorBlizzard 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I was a newly out queer teenager when OSC started running his mouth about gay marriage. At the same time I was a big Harry Potter fan.

Fuck Orson Scott Card, but he doesn't seem quite so bad anymore.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I view it like the "discomforting uncle versus outright hateful aunt". I still really don't want to support him, but equally, fuck her, she's out here on the fucking daily with her shit.

Plus, at this point, telling someone to pirate anything Rowling is like telling someone to breathe. You're either doing it, or okay with the outcome of your actions.

[–] underline960 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Basically, don't invite either of them to queer Thanksgiving.

[–] Kernal64 5 points 1 month ago

I wouldn't invite either to straight Thanksgiving either. Who wants that kind of toxic shit bag hanging around? Fuck those assholes and the hateful garbage they spew.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Honestly, after seeing billionaires buy the US gov and then learning that Spotify is owned by a billionaire and artists are terribly compensated, I have been planning to once again fly the pirate flag. I want to pay the artists, but fuck the current options unless there is a different way idk about.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Bandcamp is decent. If you wait for Bandcamp Fridays, all of your money goes to the artist.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

A system that allowed one to pirate corporate American made or distributed content while being able to give back directly to creators would be nice.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Nobody is stopping you from pirating

Many musicians are set up to accept cash

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

When I wanted to revisit Harry Potter via audiobook, I pirated the books, and I will do it again someday.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

See, that’s the thing. I don’t listen to music by Nazis.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You have commitment issues with subscriptions.

I despise rent seeking behaviour.

we are not the same.

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[–] Imgonnatrythis 8 points 1 month ago

Downloading and listening can still indicate an indirect form of support. Up to the individual, but I lean towards this guy being as canceled as possible, recommend rerouting any efforts to listen to this towards searching for some new exciting music.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

I never needed any moralistic reason to pirate.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yes I do this all the time for games

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

They tell us we don't own the game, only a license to play the game that they can arbitrarily revoke.

If you are going to hold my right to play something I paid for hostage, you can bet I am going to reclaim what I lost if that access is taken away from me (this does not apply to you selfish assholes that hack games to cheat then get banned).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You should download it to a personal media server and stream it to your phone if you want to enjoy piracy the modern way.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I've found navidrome, tempo, and beets to be a pretty solid combo for that. Jellyfin technically has support for music, but I was not impressed with any of the players or library management that had to go with it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Absolutely. Chris Brown is a prime example. I quite like some of his collab tunes, but I absolutely refuse to give any money - a percentage or not - to that wifebeating spunktrumpet.

In fact, the fact that I'm actively screwing him out of money makes me enjoy the song more.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Yup, if you use Denuvo for your games, you can fuck right off

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Personally I won't even download it, I even deleted music ive had for years because the artist went maga. And let my daughter use the CD in some arts and crafts, because I can't listen to it anymore.

That said, yeah, I'd prefer to download over buying if I didnt want the company or artist to get the money for it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

My piracy is probably equal parts sticking it to greedy corpos and me just not wanting to pay when I can get it for free.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

You don't have to justify it, really, but it does feel satisfying when you do.

Which song of his out of curiosity? Just use Soulseek. (nicotine+ on desktop or Seeker on Android)

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

I'd make backups of my purchases and share them with love for preservation and promotion of their authors hard work. "Piracy" was already shown to increase sales, not reduce them. If you really want to do something against an artist you no longer align with, dont consume their products. Don't purchase, don't download and don't share their stuff. Just look around for other artists you do align with, get hooked to their art and support them instead.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

I am the High Priest of Kopimism. Download from where you want, and go in peace my child.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Nah I'm just poor

If I had a better situation though, I would pirate for moral reasons

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I would rather own my files on my phone like it's the year 2000 than my devices becoming useless whenever $streaming_service shuts down or changes policy like it's the year 1984...

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Of course. By giving a big corporation money they then turn around to pay lobbyist groups to advocate for shittier copyright laws that favor big corporations. Why would I pay them for this "privilege?"

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If he has turned Nazi then I probably wouldn’t bother to listen to them anymore.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Yeah. I refuse to give cuts to amazon, spotify, netflix etc.

If I pirate something from a not super rich artist and I really enjoy it. I’ll send them an email and propose to transfer them some money to support them. I don’t want spotify or amazon or google taking a cut.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I mean free is nice but I seed because fuck the system and upload stuff because it's suppose to be available to all.

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