Game Music

What is the legal status of video game music remixes?

Are video game music remixes, such as those found on ocremix.org, illegal? I know downloading OST’s (official soundtracks) is illegal, but what about derivative works, remixes, etc?

Also, what do you think of the ethical aspect of downloading music that, while copyrighted, is not availible for purchase anywhere? If I have exhausted all my search attempts to purchase a music soundtrack legally, would it still be unethical for me to download it?

The remixes are legal. They aren’t being sold for a profit, and it’s a free service. The money made off of merchandise goes towards bandwidth. It would seem to fall into the same sort of category as fan fiction.

For the second question, I would say that if you were willing to give them your hard-earned cash for the music, and yet it was still unavailable, I see absolutely no problem with downloading it. It’s their fault. However, there may still be avenues to purchase the music you want that you haven’t tried. For example, you could find which company owns the music, and call them and ask about purchasing it.