Pirate game soundtracks! Check your discs!

[Fuyukaze]

wow. talk about a train wreck conversation!

back on topic, so far the only game soundtracks i've got are all legit ones. i'd like more but it's so rare that i even want to hear the music from a game. often times, even if i like something the particular song or background music wont even be on it. the jet set radio has been a favorite of mine though. wish i could have got the one for phantasy star online when it was first released.

[Aussie2B]

I take it you've been buying US releases? Yeah, they usually are "best of" soundtracks, which invariably results in good tracks being left off. Japanese soundtracks are almost always complete, though, even down to the little jingles and fanfares and other bits and pieces that most people couldn't care less about. I'd guess about 20% of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack consists of tracks that are under 10 seconds a piece. :P

[Narifia]

A question I don't believe has been pondered yet is this: What's the difference between buying a pirated copy of a soundtrack and using a computer program to rip the soundtrack from the game rom itself? Not to mention that the roms themselves are technically illegal.

As for me, I don't think any of my soundtracks are pirates, but if I found one in my (rather small) collection I doubt I'd get too mad. Sure, it's still a ripoff no matter how you look at it, but if it's bought it's bought. Especially if you got it off of eBay. I agree that they really seem to care less, considering how many pirated soundtracks get sold. Just think of how much revenue that generates for eBay. The sellers, after all, pay a percentage to eBay, so I can easily imagine them just silently "overlooking" some things while cracking down on others to keep their image looking good.

On a side note, I tend to find pirated/unlicenced *games* (Sachen!) somewhat interesting, from a hardware perspective anyway. Doesn't mean I condone them, but they're still interesting nonetheless.

[Ed Oscuro]

A question I don't believe has been pondered yet is this: What's the difference between buying a pirated copy of a soundtrack and using a computer program to rip the soundtrack from the game rom itself? Not to mention that the roms themselves are technically illegal.

It would be better to start with correct assumptions, which these aren't.

- Pirated soundtracks are not usually the consumer's fault. The existence of this thread shows that we take care to avoid them. A few years back people would probably have jumped at the counterfeit Tommy Hilfiger shirt on the basis of a lower price, but might not have been so pleased when it fell apart.

- ROMs are or aren't illegal, depending on the circumstances. I can make a bootleg game on which the ROMs are of course illegal. Downloading images of game data for a copyrighted title may well be illegal.

To answer your question: if the game's copyrighted, ripping music out of the ROMs is probably not one of your privileges as a user. The copyright holder can say "sure, you can make MP3s out of my game music," but this rarely happens.

More random thoughts (may or may not be wholly correct):
Many PC games store their music as Winamp-compatible MP3s (and, increasingly, OGG) that are either in an easily browsed directory, or maybe in an easily opened data file (such as Valve's GCF) for which there are indeed legal - as far as I know - viewing tools used by mappers, modders, and curious people like myself.

If move the music file from one part of the computer and put it elsewhere, you probably aren't afoul of any legal stuff, although the simple act of copying it might get you in trouble. The EULAs I've seen are generally "don't reverse compile our stuff" (which closes some doors), and "don't put it on another machine or medium," which you aren't.

I suppose it'd be possible to create an insanely restrictive user agreement, but at some point consumer protections or anti-monopoly rules will be invoked.

[Narifia]

Thanks for the answer! The question popped into my mind when I saw someone had mentioned he'd rather download the tracks than buy the bootlegs (page one I think).

I actually noticed that about one of my PC games, namely my Age of Mythology game. Interesting to see that they'd leave their music so unprotected, save for the statements in the EULAs (which, as far as I know, most people never read all the way through).

Getting back to the pirates, though. Honestly, I'd have to say I agree that ripping the songs from the ROMs for personal use are the lesser of the two evils when compared to buying a pirated bootleg. At least you're not spending money on a fake, and adding to the pockets of the pirates to boot. Still, I wouldn't do it unless the soundtrack in question were impossible to get any other way.

Thanks to this thread I'm going to learn to do a little more research on an eBay (or other) import soundtrack purchase before I actually buy. If any of the ones I have now are fake though, I guess I'll just have to deal with it :\

[Jumbo]

I take it you've been buying US releases? Yeah, they usually are "best of" soundtracks, which invariably results in good tracks being left off. Japanese soundtracks are almost always complete, though, even down to the little jingles and fanfares and other bits and pieces that most people couldn't care less about. I'd guess about 20% of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack consists of tracks that are under 10 seconds a piece. :P

Totally agree with this. Japanese OST's always sound better