filesharing, 1999-2012 RIP

chas_kit

G45 Legend
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Location
Hudson Valley, NY
Here's a list I stumbled on, don't know how accurate it is. Mediafire was always my favorite and I'd be sad to see it go. Interesting that Rapidshare isn't listed here.

Whatever one's views on downloading (doesn't keep me from spending $$ on new vinyl), this looks draconian! I'm sure China won't sign on to SOPA, but how long can Korea and Japan hold out?

The saddest stuff to me is losing blogs like Holy Warbles, and he didn't upload in-print CD and vinyl issues.

- MegaUpload - Closed.
- FileServe - Closing does not sell premium.
- FileJungle - Deleting files. Locked in the U.S..
- UploadStation - Locked in the U.S..
- FileSonic - the news is arbitrary (under FBI investigation).
- VideoBB - Closed! would disappear soon.
- Uploaded - Banned U.S. and the FBI went after the owners who are gone.
- FilePost - Deleting all material (so will leave executables, pdfs, txts)
- Videoz - closed and lockedin the countries affiliated with the USA.
- 4shared - Deleting files with copyright and waits in line at the FBI.
- MediaFire - Called to testify in the next 90 days and it will open doors pro FBI
-Org torrent - could vanish with everything within 30 days "he is under criminal investigation"
- Network Share mIRC - awaiting the decision of the case to continue or terminate Torrente everything.
- Koshiki - operating 100% Japan will not join the SOUP / PIPA
- Shienko Box - 100% working china / korea will not join the SOPA / PIPA
- ShareX BR - group UOL /BOL / iG say they will join the SOPA / PIPA
Japan, China and Korea said NO to the FBI and that even if laws are passed in the USA will nothave any value within the sovereignty of their countries!
 
I remember rapidshare (based in Germany I think) as being the first one of these in trouble a few years ago so they must've worked out some kind of deal back then. Sendspace is another early one that people started to dislike for removing apparent copyright violation uploads. Is there anyone here who really wants entire in-print discographies to be made available? Or even anything currently or recently available legitimately free to anyone and everyone on-line? Well, that is who has inevitably led to losing everything in some cases. I complained and then left a few places where people were uploading tons of available new CDs, where the heck was everybody else who cared about and valued accessing genuine rarities? Everyone for themselves is the opposite of a society, I guess they have all their trillion bazillian sicillian music files to stay warm with now? That is worth what they paid for it.

The pendulum always swings and the more something like file hosting was abused the more it is going to swing in the other extreme direction. You might add narod.ru to the probably untouchable list of hosters, but people in the American and Western Europe may find many of these addresses blocked at some point. I'm thankful for all the otherwise unhearable stuff I've gotten to hear thanks to yourself, Ed, Mark and some others! There will probably always be youtube and divshare where you can't recopy the music...
 
I've said this before, but people need to realize the free music / video download party will soon be over. It's inevitable, really.
Streaming content, provided at a cost to the user should help solve problems, provided a high percentage of the monies go to copyright holders - if "they" allow permission for uploading. Infringement will always be a problem, however, whether it is new retail product, or out of the mainstream "historical" content.
I don't know if there is a filesharing site that only concerns itself with content directly uploaded from copyright holders, a la musicians who wish to share their works with the public, but something of this nature should be allowed to prosper, whether free or for charge.
The cloud website based overseas that has just expanded the US, Spotify, uses the streaming file method at a charge to the consumer. I think it's a great idea, monies go to the label owners, etc, as they claim in their detailed fine print, and if the consumer wishes to download music, they pay a percentage based upon how much they wish to download. Problem solved.
 
From what I've read, Spotify pays pennies on the penny for music they stream. Which is why artists and labels have been pulling their music from it.

Without a doubt, Youtube is the hugest copyright infringer ever seen. Google/Youtube pays a lot of blood money to the majors and the publishing corporations for all the streaming they provide. None of which trickles down to the lesser-known artists and song-writers.

I had just been thinking how much of a reduction in downloading Facebook and Youtube have caused. After all, 99% of people won't bother downloading what they can just hear on the tube. I thought this would take the heat off downloading. These crackdowns are just herding people to Youtube, which is a lame.
 
I had a number of files on 4shared, some were synthesizer files that were my own creation, some were owner's manuals, service manuals, schematics for synthesizers that had their active manufacturer support dropped long ago, and some were simply miscellaneous articles usually from very old publications that were of no interest to anyone except owners of the synthesizers involved. While I certainly for the most part respect copyrights, I also see a lot of instances where it could be used as simply a way to keep equipment owners from having access to necessary documents to keep their gear up and running. Just some of my thoughts on the subject.