February 09, 2008 by sharky
Here’s a few tips that just might set you on the right path to ‘warez’ enlightenment.
Find a ‘Niche’
The scene is already over-saturated. You need an asset, skillset, or an angle.
The first thing you have to do is ask yourself this, “What do I have to offer?”. “What could I possibly have that a warez group would want or need?”. Can’t think of anything? Well then we’re sorry - go back to BitTorrent websites and Lamewire.
You need a ‘niche’. Something small that’ll open even the slightest door.
Warez groups are always looking for new connections. As long as you have something to offer. Here’s a few examples of how to bust into the piracy scene:
You can always start out as a ‘warez trader’.
Got a little extra time on your hands? The scene always has room for good warez traders. You’re gonna need a little extra time, though. Scratch that, a LOT of extra time; like 12 hours+ a day extra! Either quit your job or quit sleeping, because if you go this route, you’re gonna be eating, sleeping and sh*tting FTP. Hey, but at least you get to keep what you trade! Learn PFTP and glFTPd, and learn them well!
Start up your own private BitTorrent tracker. And make it good!
Got a little extra bandwidth on your hands? Firing up your own private tracker can be a great way to attract some high rollers. If you keep it cool and build a good rapport with some of your more elite members, it’s likely that one of them will have a decent “scene” connection to a torrent board, topsite or FXP to supply you with good pre’s.
Know your code? Got any programming background?
And more particularly, cracking skills & reverse engineering. Nothing too serious to start, perhaps some basic C programming, or Assembly language skillsets. This can really get the ball rolling, depending on your skill level and how much dedication you have to “tweak” your existing knowledge a little! Dis is where da respect comes!
How about money?
If time is tight for you, or you just don’t feel like learning a new language (computer language, that is!), then money is a great way to get in. And we’re not talking about those Pay 2 Leech sites, either (but that works, too - except you’ll never see your name in an NFO file).
Try to crack into the scene as a supplier. Warez groups always need those. Start out by purchasing software (retail) and sending it to a release group, or by submitting your working serial number for it. Do this a few times, once they get to know you, maybe you’ll be sending them computer components such as hard drives, server hardware and other valuables. And take requests - don’t head on down to your favorite Best Buy tonight and pick up last year’s Adobe Creative Suite 3 - this won’t get you anywhere. But if you can supply the latest softwares, for your troubles, you’ll get leech access to good sites at the very least.
Have any connections?
This is big. The scene needs one thing more than any other - new material. Anything that can be found before retail level is King. Examples:
— If you purchase CDs, records, you may be able to find access to promos, or even ‘advances’. These are golden on the warez trade.
— Maybe you know someone who works at a CD/DVD manufacture plant that can ‘donate’ you misprints, or defective disks - or things thrown out in the trash bin.
— Knowing someone who works in game/software development, that can “lend” you advance games in beta version. Or someone who works at a retail software store that can supply pre-releases of games.
Get into a ‘movie’ release group.
— Many release groups are looking for people who are talented in advanced audio/video applications. Good ’synchers’ are hard to come by. Another sought-after commodity are people who have a technical ability with anti-watermarking procedures; specifically Cinea protection employed by major motion picture companies.
— Do you have any movie connections, specifically projectionists. (The key here is knowing someone in a smaller/privately owned theatre. Most larger chains have a tight leash on who gets access to the booth). This will allow you to at the very least to get good telesyncs from the projection booth, with an inexpensive video camera. Combine this with an expensive Telecine machine (we’re really stretching here) and you’ll be the toast of the FXP board! Don’t have a camera? Just snag the audio through a direct line - audio sources are always needed.
— Even just knowing someone who can simply supply DVD Screeners, perhaps someone working at a video store.
Be Persistent
Above all else - be persistent! Hang out in IRC channels run by release groups. Can’t figure that out? Go to www.nforce.nl and make a note of the proper groups listed there. IRC is a great starting place - search through the names of IRC channels that match the groups’ names. Not all results will be official, but some will be.
Many warez groups (especially smaller ones) have a contact email address in their NFO files. If you think you got what it takes to get into “the scene” then try emailing them, explaining what it is you have to offer. The smaller groups are the best way to start out.
Larger warez groups are a little more under-the-radar. It’s not to say they can’t be found; most have their own IRC channel. Do a little sleuthing and scratching in the dirt - they aren’t impossible to contact.
Learn The Scene
Some interesting reads…
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/topsite.html - A very interesting article on the internals of the piracy scene.
http://suprbay.org/showthread.php?t=2232 - A small article on the scene.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/05/14/help-key-the-essential-guide-to-piracy/
http://theminiblog.co.uk/archives/ - Pirate scene ‘hierarchy’ explained.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scene - The Scene explained, by Wikipedia.org.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet - Leetspeak - a “scene” language.
Do your homework. Get to know how the scene operates before going in. The last thing you want to do is sound like a NoOb - and if you are, don’t act like it. Here’s some “scene” websites that have all sorts of information:
http://www.scenereleases.info - Read the “Interesting Info” pages to the right.
http://www.jtpfxp.net/ - Various “scene” tutorials on FXP (File eXchange Protocol), filling, scanning and proxies. Older site but the exact same procedures are still used today.
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