I wrote a big long post...then looking for this video, I erased it all...so in short, there are a few people in magic video downloaders:
Those that are ripping people off, so they avoid being ripped off by bad videos with poor quality effects - they don't want to waste money. This argument only holds up if you are BUYING the videos from the ones they sample and life. Afterall, you are getting paid with their stuff - if you aren't sending that money back full circle, it is classless.
In music, people download tunes - I personally buy albums after I sampe them. If you don't, and we all download - CD stores lose money, as do the artists, they have to up their prices, less people buy so less music is made. This effects the music industry...but less so. Why? Well, one person in magic represent a larger percentage of the market than in music - but we do see the impact that websites that allow free downloads have.
Then we have guy 2 - the guy that is just taking and taking to build up his massive collection of videos? He downloads videos like someone is going to erase them all the next day, or the internet will make it illeagal - never giving money back to the artists whose material he does. This is stealing.
Which reminds me of this Chapelle skit on "if the internet was a real place" - it would be disgusting...people having sex with horses, pooping in a cup, stealing identities, and a bunch of magic nerds talking about ideas that nobody gives a cra....you know what, I got to go.
The point - if you download and the video sucks - you saved money - but if it is good - send the money back to the artist. I only say this because I would never have known about Hollingsworth, Asher, Fisher and a few others - if it weren't for a mix VHS tape a buddy made for me...yep, VHS, I am friggin old. However, I have put money back in every one of those artists pocket...especally Lee...he beats me up for my lunch money daily.
So, yeah...maybe we can't or won't stop downloading - I personally don't do it, but when I was young...it was a quick fix to not being rich neough to buy it all. However, the issue is beyond money - magic used to be a brotherhood - we bonded over sharing something important - the secret to something we found through earning the right to learn it from another, or finding something in print/video that not everyone could just click and take. Like I read in magic mag - we used to Oogle over magic...now we google over magic. It makes the secret less valuable - don't think so? Name one thing you are proud of you didn't work hard for? That is what I thought - nothing - so how is stealing a video working hard for the secret...or building the brotherhood by sharing? What is to bring us together? It seems all we chat about now is "presentation" because anyone that is on this forum can also steal magic from a million sources. Why would you want to take from an art you love, but never give back in support. Why? Selfish reasons are all that come to mind. When you buy something you aren't spending money - you are contributing to your art. Anyhow...this got long again...just copy and paste the Chapelle link if you haven't seen it...and imagine if he covered how we act on forums, youtube and torrent - cheers.
http://www.reallybored.net/videos/What-if-the-Internet-Was-a-Place-You-Could-Go-To