Piracy, the Trove and how they affect the Hobby

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I haven't looked at previews in ages. I gave up because there was no point and then forgot they existed.

I usually find the best source about games is forum discussions, because then you usually find people who've played a game for a while, rather than reviewers who have just got it.
 
Anyone interested in the roots of copyright in the West who wants it in a reasonably readable format should read Orlando Figes The Europeans.

It is very much focused on the great Russian writer Turgenev and his professional and romantic life but covers much of the cultural history of 19th century Europe and copyright in extensive detail as Turgenev was very active in getting copyright for artists passed into law across Europe in that century.

Before copyright even very successful authors, most painters and composers of opera and other music struggled mightly to just make a living. The era of mass production led to widespread piracy of their work, even as many the creators lived in poverty (even someone like Turgenev who lived off a small noble family trust struggled). Businesses were making fortunes while the creators of the work were broke.
And before that, even when artists found patronage (and the Sistine Chapel has been mentioned) that comes with its own drawbacks. Having successful artists funded by the Church and aristocracy certainly influenced what art was made in the first place and even more importantly what wasn't.

That's even the case with a lesser extent with crowdfunding. Overall, I definitely consider it a net positive. But a simple look at the currently Kickstarted boardgames shows that it's had a definite effect on trends. What's in is KS friendly boardgames; visually stunning, high production values, lots of minis. All geared towards an instant "wow" factor rather than long term playability. And the associated high price point that comes with luxury items. I certainly don't begrudge those and there's a place for them. But they're drowning other games out. (This isn't the only reason for the shift, obviously).
The artists pushed for copyright to include their lives plus 25-50 years later so their children and spouses could be taken care of after they were gone. Still sounds like the best solution to me.
Personally, I'd rather it was like broadcast (at least in the EU and UK) and it was a set figure. Otherwise, you end up in the awkward position where artists dying young doubly punishes their families. 30-50 years after publication feels about right to me. I also think there should be much broader fair use/fair dealing exceptions. Possibly in exchange for a flat percentage of royalties for the (Work like Negativland is a good thing. And it's not like there isn't precedent with cover version licensing).

Voros said:
I think the real issue is that a law that was created to protect artists has been used by corporations for their own ends (surprise!) and to often screw the artist out of the fruits of their own labour. But that isn't solved by indifference to artists desire to make a decent living from their labour or by returning art strictly to the realm of the independently wealthy.

And we've seen what happens if you let the corporations come up with a "solution". You get Spotify, which is even worse for artists than most people realise. (Not only are rates low, smaller artists don't even get paid properly for the streams they do get because of how it's worked out.)
On a side note, I haven't done an extensive study but it is interesting how many of the great writers of the 19th and 20th century came from middle class background, formerly it was mostly the wealthy who could afford to write. Mass production and copyright changed that. I suspect mass production and copyright had a similar impact on the development of popular music. It was a dispute over copyright administration that contributed to the rise of country and blues music as commercial forms for instance.
It gets worse. We're returning to the old situation.

This data is from 2010 but if anything I suspect it's got worse since then. (It's also UK specific)

In 2010 60% of chart acts went to private school compared with 1% in 1990. Around 6% of kids go to private school. Pop and rock used to be one of the ways for working class people to do well for themselves. I'm not saying that piracy is the only issue there, but I don't think it's helped.
 
For another model, I suggest people have a look at Resonate.

Notable things about them:

They use a "stream to own" model. That's pretty innovative so it's worth getting into.

Listeners buy credits.

The first stream is very cheap; less than a cent. It then doubles after each stream, until you hit 9 when you then own the song and can stream it free from there on. Fully owning a song costs about $1.41.

Of that money, 70% goes directly to the artist, label or other rights holder. (Realistically, Resonate is mostly DIY artists with a handful of tiny indie labels). That's direct, there's no pool system. 30% goes back to Resonate.

It's worth noting there's no adverts or other interruptions.

It's run as a co-op with anyone who wishes able to pay 10 Euros a year to join, so it's joint owned by listeners and musicians. Policy is decided on One Member One Vote.

If there is any overall profit (and I'm not sure if there is; they're still pretty small) 30% of that is taken. 20% is put in a rainy day fund and 10% pays for the interest on supporter shares. Then the remaining 70% is split. Profit distribution is 45% musicians, 35% listeners and 20% coop workers.

There's other things I could say about Resonate (they're very hot on giving people control over how their personal data is shared as an example), but that's a decent overview.

Obviously, music isn't directly translatable to RPGs because of the different formats. But it does make me wonder what the possibilities could be with RPGs, especially creator owned ones. Maybe something with time limited access to PDFs?
 
You get Spotify, which is even worse for artists than most people realise. (Not only are rates low, smaller artists don't even get paid properly for the streams they do get because of how it's worked out.)

Yeah, streaming services are awful for musicians, especially if you're not in the top tier. Gary Numan recently commented that one of his songs had gotten over a million plays on Spotify... and the payoff for that was a whopping £37.
 
I've been watching a fair number of classic Wuxia films lately. What seems to be the case is that a lot of them are available on Netflix USA or Amazon Prime but not licensed for Australia.

This reminds me of the bad old days when Australia was a world leader in piracy. Nothing makes me more uncaring about observing legalities than the whole regional thing which leads to my part of the world being left out entirely, presumably because it's not deemed a large enough market to bother with the necessary licensing.
I am subscribed to Prime, Netflix, Stan, Funimation, AppleTV+, Binge and Kayo. And I still find stuff that simply isn't available legally to stream in Australia, even if it's available elsewhere. The most frustrating thing is when I'm willing to actually pay outright for streaming access (I bought all seasons of Person on Interest on YouTube), but often even this isn't available as an option.
 
I am subscribed to Prime, Netflix, Stan, Funimation, AppleTV+, Binge and Kayo. And I still find stuff that simply isn't available legally to stream in Australia, even if it's available elsewhere. The most frustrating thing is when I'm willing to actually pay outright for streaming access (I bought all seasons of Person on Interest on YouTube), but often even this isn't available as an option.
Prime doesn't even let you access US material with a VPN. You have to be registered with a US credit card as well.
 
For another model, I suggest people have a look at Resonate.

Notable things about them:

They use a "stream to own" model. That's pretty innovative so it's worth getting into.

Listeners buy credits.

The first stream is very cheap; less than a cent. It then doubles after each stream, until you hit 9 when you then own the song and can stream it free from there on. Fully owning a song costs about $1.41.

Of that money, 70% goes directly to the artist, label or other rights holder. (Realistically, Resonate is mostly DIY artists with a handful of tiny indie labels). That's direct, there's no pool system. 30% goes back to Resonate.

It's worth noting there's no adverts or other interruptions.

It's run as a co-op with anyone who wishes able to pay 10 Euros a year to join, so it's joint owned by listeners and musicians. Policy is decided on One Member One Vote.

If there is any overall profit (and I'm not sure if there is; they're still pretty small) 30% of that is taken. 20% is put in a rainy day fund and 10% pays for the interest on supporter shares. Then the remaining 70% is split. Profit distribution is 45% musicians, 35% listeners and 20% coop workers.

There's other things I could say about Resonate (they're very hot on giving people control over how their personal data is shared as an example), but that's a decent overview.

Obviously, music isn't directly translatable to RPGs because of the different formats. But it does make me wonder what the possibilities could be with RPGs, especially creator owned ones. Maybe something with time limited access to PDFs?
I like solutions like these that reduce decision friction. Pricing seems too low to me but I don't know what quality of content is on there.
 
I like solutions like these that reduce decision friction. Pricing seems too low to me but I don't know what quality of content is on there.

Average album has eight songs. At $1.41 each that's $11.28 for a full album, minus the physical media and bonus content.
 
Average album has eight songs. At $1.41 each that's $11.28 for a full album, minus the physical media and bonus content.
Ah I read it as an album. Price is too high then my mind. I tend to buy things used for around $3-5 and album/dvd/blu-ray.
 
Ah I read it as an album. Price is too high then my mind. I tend to buy things used for around $3-5 and album/dvd/blu-ray.
However, realistically I think only a minority of people are going to be buying new albums anyway; most people want individual songs. Also, I'm not sure you can compare it to used. I think this one is mostly that prices have been forced downwards by Spotify. This is cheaper than your average CD in the 90s. Largely I don't think a site like this is going to appeal for people where price is the dominant factor; I suspect it's aimed more at the kind of people willing to buy more for fair trade coffee etc.
 
As a longtime Apple Music subscriber, I’m feeling guilty about my lack of support for artists. Despite having access to millions of albums, I tend to cycle through the same few dozen. Some which I always listen to from start to finish.

Is purchasing an album through Bandcamp a viable way to support an artist?
 
Is purchasing an album through Bandcamp a viable way to support an artist?
Yes, Bandcamp is easily the best option after buying directly from the band.

With the qualifier they've just been bought out by Epic and nobody knows how that one's going to turn out.
 
However, realistically I think only a minority of people are going to be buying new albums anyway; most people want individual songs. Also, I'm not sure you can compare it to used. I think this one is mostly that prices have been forced downwards by Spotify. This is cheaper than your average CD in the 90s. Largely I don't think a site like this is going to appeal for people where price is the dominant factor; I suspect it's aimed more at the kind of people willing to buy more for fair trade coffee etc.

I think you are right that songs rather than albums are where things have moved. I am a bit sad about that as a great album is like seeing a great movie or reading a great book.
 
I always look at the previews. If I can see what I'm looking for, they help make a sale. If they show the title isn't what I'm looking for, I don't waste money and move along. If the preview isn't conclusive, I weigh my options and usually don't buy unless I respect the author or publisher or I'm making a purchase for a specific purpose that the product description strongly suggests the title will be good for.
That's pretty much exactly how I do it as well, which pretty much parallels the way I would have done it in a bookstore with a physical copy (but with limited pages available to skim read).

The idea of a curated preview, in whatever form, would be incredibly useful to me, and possibly other folks who do check out the reviews.

For other folks who do that as well, what would you like to see? I do like having the ToC as one of the pages of the preview, but what else.

I actually enjoy a short designers' notes page as well, especially if the designer is taking their mechanics in an unusual direction (which I may love or detest, depending on direction, but something I'd want to know before spending money).
 
I think you are right that songs rather than albums are where things have moved. I am a bit sad about that as a great album is like seeing a great movie or reading a great book.
For sure. Rare is the album that I like enough to listen from start to finish each and every time. Basically that's the criteria if I ever get into buying records (to rationalize the crazy prices).

The Cure's Disintegration is one.
 
The idea of a curated preview, in whatever form, would be incredibly useful to me, and possibly other folks who do check out the reviews.
I definitely agree that a curated preview is always more useful (and better for the seller because it can directly convince me to purchase something).

Like, include the Table of contents, a few pages from character creation (not all, obviously) and a few random pages of rules or antagonists.
 
I think you are right that songs rather than albums are where things have moved. I am a bit sad about that as a great album is like seeing a great movie or reading a great book.
I think albums were very mucha product of their time. It cost X to make a music storage item (vinyl,8track,cassette,cd) and there was always some space to be filled. You have maybe 3 good songs on a lot of albums but if you put 8-10 on the album you could charge for 4 no matter how bad the not great songs were. Now people can buy just one song and a musician can release just one song more easily.
 
The main issue is that there are a bunch of choices each with consequences and trade-off from the viewpoint of the author/artist. It is possible for an artist to setup their own app and streaming service. An author can setup their own webstore. It not trivial but it is straight forward.

Ideally folks would just like to focus on making their content, a place to place their work, and be given the revenue that it generates.

But if you leave it up to a third party business to provide that then that is an immediate source of tension as now the revenue has to be divided.

Then there is the issue of how consumers are going to get the content. For them the ideal is one place with a reasonable means of searching, purchase what they want. Whether it is a one time purchase of a copy, or periodic fee but you can access anything you want while you are current.

If you leave the above to a third party business that yet another source of tension.

I think the key is education. What out there, what are the trade-offs, and how one goes about taking advantage of them. If an artist has that education and opt for a traditional record deals then so be it. That their choice. For example I think some artist would be better off with something like a patreon because while they have a small fanbase, they are dedicated fans and can be relied on to support the artist's future project.

NextI think anything that is performed, songs, films, shows, etc. Should go into a national registry. Any business (or individual) can access the content for a fee. That the revenues minus a modest fee are handed over to the artist or artists whose work it is. That this occurs after a period of time where the artist and their agents have exclusive control of distribution. Two to five years, something reasonable.

The registry is meant as an archive, not meant to be a Netflix replacement. Business like Netflix would still exists and be able to access all the context on the registry with whatever value added interface they add, along with it being mixed up with the content they have rights to use that are still within the exclusive window.
 
So, I do like the curated preview as a substitute for thumbing through a hardcopy at a bookstore. Not a perfect translation, but a pretty good solution to be further explored.

Now, next question; what would be a good substitute/parallel to a free public library, and how could it be done?

(In ages past, I always wished that libraries had more gaming books. Perhaps they sometimes do now. It would have been very helpful to me, especially when looking into the old, near-precursors to RPGs. Sometimes, I just want to read something for research reasons. If I want to play it, I will buy a copy to have on hand at home).
 
I think albums were very mucha product of their time. It cost X to make a music storage item (vinyl,8track,cassette,cd) and there was always some space to be filled. You have maybe 3 good songs on a lot of albums but if you put 8-10 on the album you could charge for 4 no matter how bad the not great songs were. Now people can buy just one song and a musician can release just one song more easily.

They were a product of the time and medium. I think I just prefer consuming music that was made for that medium. I always liked albums, especially when they feel like a cohesive whole. True, it is rare you will have 10 catchy number ones on an album that has 10 songs, but that doesn't mean the ones without catchiness are bad. They often are songs that take more time to enjoy (frequently becoming songs I like better than the higher ranked songs on the album). I also like the album as a structure: whether the musicians are just giving us a window into where they are during the course of making it, or whether they are going for a theme. I think songs on their own can be great too. And I think many songs are meant to be written without thought to belonging to a bigger whole. But I really enjoy an album that gives me a more complete experience and that I can go back to and read into more.
 
For sure. Rare is the album that I like enough to listen from start to finish each and every time. Basically that's the criteria if I ever get into buying records (to rationalize the crazy prices).

The Cure's Disintegration is one.

The best albums are good beginning to end. Those are more rare. Some the whole album gets better the more you listen as well. But it isn't just about the song quality, it is about the album structure, the journey from one sound to another, and the contrast that creates. I think on youtube, listening to music, people often get very accustomed to hearing that one sound that goes straight to some center in their brain. But an album experience requires a little more work as a listener (especially if the artist is trying to say something specific with it). A great song is a wonderful experience. But a great album is like going to see a great movie.
 
I have ripped my CD collection. I listen to whole albums. There are a few albums I will repeat a few specific tracks immediately. There are other albums where I will repeat the whole album. One album I almost always listen all the way through, then replay the 2nd half, then replay the whole album again. Sometimes when repeating a favorite track, I get absorbed and replay the whole rest of the album.

I am of a mind to make a mix of my favorite tracks for listening to in the car, but currently in the car I listen to whole albums, mostly replaying my favorite album, and sometimes replaying one or two tracks off other albums. One album just has a few tracks because that's all I could squeeze onto the CD-ROM I play from in the car.

iTunes made a mess of my ripped music. I am slowly fixing issues with the ripped albums...
 
The best albums are good beginning to end. Those are more rare. Some the whole album gets better the more you listen as well. But it isn't just about the song quality, it is about the album structure, the journey from one sound to another, and the contrast that creates. I think on youtube, listening to music, people often get very accustomed to hearing that one sound that goes straight to some center in their brain. But an album experience requires a little more work as a listener (especially if the artist is trying to say something specific with it). A great song is a wonderful experience. But a great album is like going to see a great movie.
There was that whole period in time where albums as a full cohesive thing was very in vogue. My first experience with that was 2112. It's cool and has it's place but I'd say 99% of music is not that so for most of it it seemed artificial.
 
There was that whole period in time where albums as a full cohesive thing was very in vogue. My first experience with that was 2112. It's cool and has it's place but I'd say 99% of music is not that so for most of it it seemed artificial.



I am not familiar with Rush very much so I am not sure how conceptual that album is, but I don't mean a concept album, or even an album that is melodically linked, but albums where there is thought put into the organization, thought put into what songs go onto the album, etc. Concept albums are great too. And albums that are part of a cohesive idea (like Rehearsals for Retirement, Rust in Peace, a Night at the Opera, or something more conceptual like Days of Future Past) are also great. Even albums like In Rock or Sad Wings of Destiny, where it is more about things just feeling like they fit. Even albums that don't have that depth, still have some simply because of the demand of the medium I find (i.e. we can only fit 8-10 songs on this thing, and we have to organize those songs and choose which ones make the cut). The linkage can be thematic, it can be in terms of overall sound, etc. Generally I just find I enjoy the experience of an Album rather than just getting a single. If there is more thought put into the album, great, but the degree of thought put into it can vary (In Rock was essentially just "if it isn't hard and heavy, it doesn't belong on the album"). For me, listening to Seventh Son of a Seventh son from beginning to end, for example, is a much more rewarding musical experience than just listening to my favorite track, or just listening to a single off the radio. Or as an example, Master of Puppets, Battery and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) are great songs (and still seem to get some radio play) but if you only listen to those songs and don't listen to them in the context of the album, I think you are missing out on a more rich experience (at least that is my experience if I just listen to those three and don't sit and listen to the whole album).
 
Or as an example, Master of Puppets, Battery and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) are great songs (and still seem to get some radio play) but if you only listen to those songs and don't listen to them in the context of the album, I think you are missing out on a more rich experience (at least that is my experience if I just listen to those three and don't sit and listen to the whole album).
As someone who listened to that album hundreds of times as a moody teenager, I agree with you 100%.

I still think it’s their best album of all. It has some pretty intense, cathartic moments.

It’s like One but extended into an entire album.
 
I am not familiar with Rush very much so I am not sure how conceptual that album [2112] is, ......
SHOCK! You can't get much more concept album than 2112, perhaps even more than Tommy. 2112 is a concept album as in the songs tell a single overarching story, like an opera, but better.

Older albums, back before even CDs were even a thing do deserve to be listened to in order. Groups often put effort into the arrangement, less intense songs between the intense ones, to convey a feel. Also some songs when "extracted" lose a lot because they melded one into the other. Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin come to mind.

Then there are albums where you swear the timing and song order had psychedelics in mind....or the one that syncs up with the Wizard of Oz. :smile:

Also very important, listen in stereo (stereo headphones work well) as several bands worked hard at having the sound move round, from ear to ear, or as if approaching from one side and leaving the other...or even where it sounded like one singer off to your right the other your left. Stereo was king, and getting your speakers set up right important.
 
SHOCK! You can't get much more concept album than 2112, perhaps even more than Tommy. 2112 is a concept album as in the songs tell a single overarching story, like an opera, but better.

For some reason, I've always had trouble getting into Rush. But I appreciate why people like them, and appreciate the craft when I do hear them.

Older albums, back before even CDs were even a thing do deserve to be listened to in order. Groups often put effort into the arrangement, less intense songs between the intense ones, to convey a feel. Also some songs when "extracted" lose a lot because they melded one into the other. Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin come to mind.

This is exactly the sort of thing I have in mind. I have trouble separating Zeppelin songs from their albums because the way I always listened to them was from start to finish. When I hear Immigrant Song, I visually picture the very beginning of my old Led Zeppelin III tape (and I visualize the full track listing). Something about knowing you are going from that to Friends and sensing Since I've Been loving you is not far off on the horizon, that makes a big difference to me). And Sabbath always seemed to do a good job arranging their music (and they had an overall sound anyways, but each album is pretty distinct). An album like their debut, as you point out has a lot of songs that blend into one another. An album like paranoid feels like a journey. You hear war pigs, paranoid and iron man a lot on the radio, but it is very different to hear War Pigs, then transition into Paranoid, then have that break from Planet Caravan (which is one of my favorite melodic Sabbath songs), before you get to the slow heaviness of Iron Man. And that is just one part of the album. Master of Reality is another one where hearing the whole album really makes a difference for me. Again, it feels like a journey. It starts heavy and with a bit of a groove with Sweet Leaf and After Forever, then you get a respite with little instrumental Embryo before it plunges into Children of the Grave. I realize albums sometimes have different organization and songs depending on where they are released, but that kind of experience is what I love getting from music. I love Children of the Grave, but it so much rewarding to hear when that side of the album has been building towards it.


Then there are albums where you swear the timing and song order had psychedelics in mind....or the one that syncs up with the Wizard of Oz.
:smile:


Also very important, listen in stereo (stereo headphones work well) as several bands worked hard at having the sound move round, from ear to ear, or as if approaching from one side and leaving the other...or even where it sounded like one singer off to your right the other your left. Stereo was king, and getting your speakers set up right important.

Psychedelic stuff can be a full body experience. But be careful lol. I had some bad psychedelic experiences with music (had a very bad trip listening to symphonic pink floyd's lol). I tried to do the sync up thing with that and could never get it to work. These days some of the doom metal and some of the 70s music I like is on the psychedelic side (I just tune out a bit when it starts sounding like fields of sunflowers and tie dyed shirts)

My hearing sucks now (almost deaf in my ear), so it is getting a bit harder to appreciate those finer details these days (some frequencies don't seem to register as well). But I agree speakers and headphones really make a difference. I grew up with speakers, book boxes, walkmen and headphones. Pretty much across the board, even if the quality varied, where the sound was coming from mattered a great deal in the mix. We had a record player in the living room with a headset when I was a kid and I remember listening to blondie and whatever albums my parents had.
 
As someone who listened to that album hundreds of times as a moody teenager, I agree with you 100%.

I still think it’s their best album of all. It has some pretty intense, cathartic moments.

It’s like One but extended into an entire album.

No argument from me. The album feels like they perfect what they are trying to do on Ride the Lightning (which is also a really good album and one I listened to front to back over and over again). Rust in Peace was another one for me when I was in high school. And some of the more obscure stuff had great cohesiveness. Beyond the Crimson Horizon by Solitude Aeturnus was a really great album for that. Forest Equilibrium by Cathedral too was one that i had to keep listening to over and over until I understood all the little details.
 
I much prefer listening to one artist, entire album. One reason I listen to vinyl moreso than digital music these days. I'm also too lazy to rip my entire CD collection.
 
I much prefer listening to one artist, entire album. One reason I listen to vinyl moreso than digital music these days. I'm also too lazy to rip my entire CD collection.
I keep ripping my stuff because I no longer trust I can find what I had on various streaming services. I feel like that change for movies is part of why I'm seeing a lot more Blu ray discs in thrift stores these days.
 
I much prefer listening to one artist, entire album. One reason I listen to vinyl moreso than digital music these days. I'm also too lazy to rip my entire CD collection.
Originally I despaired ripping my CD collection. But I have a scheme for how I play my CDs that gets through the bulk of them. Originally, I just ripped the CDs that weren't part of that scheme plus a few favorites. Then I started ripping. And now my whole collection is ripped. Just in time because my CD drive is starting to crap out. Now I play from the digital archive, though I still take the CDs to my desk to maintain my play scheme.
 
I keep ripping my stuff because I no longer trust I can find what I had on various streaming services. I feel like that change for movies is part of why I'm seeing a lot more Blu ray discs in thrift stores these days.

Still lots of movies not available to stream but for most of the big films of the 80s on yeah I don't feel the need to keep them on disc anymore.
 
Still lots of movies not available to stream but for most of the big films of the 80s on yeah I don't feel the need to keep them on disc anymore.
See I felt that way and then they started charging me for something I bought in VHS and DVD. I figured if I couldn't trust it to be on streaming free when I wanted it I'd just rip my copy and run BunchFlix at home.
 
I rely on digital media for pretty much everything except rpg books these days. Hell, I usually read digital novels and comics even.

About 12 years ago, I was riding a bike on the beach at night, listening to an mp3 ofThe Dickies' "Stukas Over Disneyland" album, and in that moment, I knew physical media was more or less dead to me.

I don't miss it, really. It has changed the experience of listening to music for sure. I'm not as up on lyrics as I used to be, because now I usually listen to music when I'm working out or doing something. I don't sit and read lyric sheets while I listen any more.
 
Print of demand companies would be making lots of money from those who want a print copy of a book, having found the PDF for free somewhere...
*Looks at thread's topic*
Yeah. Somewhere:shade:.

I can, however, read them, give them to others, throw them in lakes, crack their spines, and cut out individual letters to write a ransom note. Most of my normal, expected book activities are fulfilled.


Physical media is gratifying because we feel like we do own it, for its most common purposes.

If the world ends, I want Moby Dick there next to me, as well as my PDF copy of FATAL.
Your definition of normal, expected book activities is wider even than mine:shock:!

Also, why don't you make a hardcopy of FATAL:grin:?
 
I rely on digital media for pretty much everything except rpg books these days. Hell, I usually read digital novels and comics even.

About 12 years ago, I was riding a bike on the beach at night, listening to an mp3 ofThe Dickies' "Stukas Over Disneyland" album, and in that moment, I knew physical media was more or less dead to me.

I don't miss it, really. It has changed the experience of listening to music for sure. I'm not as up on lyrics as I used to be, because now I usually listen to music when I'm working out or doing something. I don't sit and read lyric sheets while I listen any more.
Spotify recently added lyrics that scroll on your phone so that you can follow along as a song plays. It hasn’t been implemented on every track but quite a lot.
 
... An album like paranoid feels like a journey. You hear war pigs, paranoid and iron man a lot on the radio, but it is very different to hear War Pigs, then transition into Paranoid, then have that break from Planet Caravan (which is one of my favorite melodic Sabbath songs), before you get to the slow heaviness of Iron Man. ...
A man after my own Black Sabbath Heart.
One of the examples that sprung to my mind...then into Electric Funeral.
If there ever was an album for inspiring post-apocalyptic RPGs Master of Reality is It...with an escape to the stars at the end. :smile:
As I view Black Sabbath (the album) to inspire my fantasy RPGness.
 
One thing that drives my feelings about this is the fact that these days (and likely for the rest of my life), my gaming is online. With in person gaming, I can run a game with a single print copy of the game without any issue (and that's not like DVDs where technically showing it to your friends is not allowed) but online, everyone needs a copy.

Except it is okay to show a movie to your friends, even at a large gathering, as long as it's not considered open to the public. At least in the U.S.
 
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