by Steve R.
I categorize Pirates into three types. At the top of the list are companies that publish something without permission, then come people that make copies of things solely to make a quick buck, and lastly there are copies that you or a friend made, usually out of convenience.
The Tarantula CD of The Final Countdown soundtrack is a perfect example of a company stealing material. Casablanca Records published the LP of the soundtrack legally, but then they published an illegal CD through Tarantula without paying for it. I bought a copy of the Tarantula CD before I knew it was a pirate, and I have to admit that the quality is superb. The LP (which I also bought, see the Adventures page) just doesn't have the resolution to truly appreciate John Scott's soundtrack.
Fortunately, it looks like we'll soon be able to buy an even better (and legitimate) CD. I've included details on the Soundtrack page. It'll have another 16 minutes of music, and I plan on buying two, so I have one for the car. The casual Pirate is almost as bad. They are the people who make a bunch of copies of something in order to get as much cash as they can. Quality is usually questionable. And what makes you think you can trust a thief to give you your money's worth? But what really burns me are those guys who don't just sell the copies -- they AUCTION them on eBay! (Here's an eBay hint for you -- watch out for the ads that say "Cover art in a plastic case" or "Artwork in a plastic case." They also like to think they can get around the wrath of eBay by saying "Sold collector to collector," "collector copy" or "convention copy." (Conventions apparently being known for selling large numbers of pirate copies.) I feel the last category of piracy is really a gray area. That's when you own a legitimate copy, but you make a copy out of convenience. For example, I own a Betamax copy of The Final Countdown, but I copied it on to VHS so I don't have to hook up another player every time I want to see it. Check out my Adventures page to see the kind of trouble I went through to get a that legitimate copy.
Oh, and there's also having a friend make a copy of something for you. We like to assume that it's because the item just isn't available, and that the friend is not getting paid to do it.
But you know that when the DVD comes out I'm definitely getting more than one. Just in case.
