There isn't always a studio behind a videos release. Sometimes the only remaining copy of a show is found in somebodies VHS collection and its filled with static and audio pops. These often get a standard 'as-is' release and then somebody in the community will clean it up, upscale the video, and fix the audio for a 'proper' release. Same goes for audio, sometimes its a old bootleg tape of a show that gets digitized and cleaned up.

This is before even getting into 'fan edits' where people will re-add cut scenes, or do other edits to films. For an example of that, search for 'Topher Grace Star Wars Prequel'.

> For an example of that, search for 'Topher Grace Star Wars Prequel'

A funny detail in The Obi Wan series are the prequel lookbacks that, if you don't remember how bad they are, make them seem like mediocre movies instead.

But in most of those cases I wouldn’t really speak of „official“ versions.

For a great example of fan edits, compare Harmey’s Despecialized Editions of Episodes 4, 5, and 6 to the butchered final copies that George tried to make be the only available versions; the Despecialized versions are astonishingly superior in content and audio/video quality.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmy%27s_Despecialized_Edit...

In the case of software removing DRM and shitware either bundled with the product or necessary to use it. In the case of music it's less clear but I would suggest curation and completeness.

Sometimes they further optimize it for a goal, or maximize it to have everything. Sometimes organize it, provide additional material that fans might appreciate, add commentary. Port it to a platform where previously it was inaccessible.

For examples, an artist's discography is sometimes neatly organized in folders, by year, and the files are tagged with metadata. In case of anime, fans improve or outright provide subtitles. They often do extra things like including karaoke for the opening and ending, color coding subtitle lines to match the speaker's personality or design, and provide stylized subtitles for signs and other letterings on the screen. In case of movies, they are often optimized to a specific kind of usage, for example to be able to be viewed on every phone, or to have a minimal file size. Sometimes, especially older releases, are digitally cleaned up and enhanced. Games install easily and is packaged in a way that it just works, without faffing about with the launchers and things like that.

Well. No unskippable ads for shows I don’t care about.

No FBI warnings.

But, I think theoatmeal sums it up best:

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

I am into Jazz, and would like to buy Ella Fitzgerald's discography. No website will easily let me do that. Pirates do.

Same, and what's the thing about those old records - there are either streaming services which have some of it (but streaming services are garbage so I don't consider those) or you can buy the original records one by one, if someone has a copy to sell. Sure, there are CD compilations and whatnot but usually out of print and they aren't sold digitally.

Sooooo..... soulseek and friends it is:)

I share that attitude, but you assume that “discography” is an existing product that should magically appear for you to choose. I don't even mean tangled distribution rights, and other legal problems, someone has to do significant about of work to compile such collection. And it's no different from other media. If I decide to collect all books from some author (and it's not a superstar money maker who gets fancy limited edition collected works printed each couple of years), I have to do some research, an understand that Book X has not been reprinted in 15 years, Book Y has a single really questionable translation (or some horrible cover, or a completely delusional editor's preface that the author would never accept), Story Z was only published in some journal, etc.

“P2P discography” is more like a personal collection, personal library shared with others. That person still has to do the similar amount of work to make sure it's not a smoking pile of data. Sometimes they do understand it, sometimes they don't.

If you want to watch Lord of the Rings without either a weird color cast or janky AI upscaling artifacts, you need to get a version that pirates have fixed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkNFZkUHeKQ

Streaming services show unskippable ads for their other shows before your stream. Amazon showed an ad for a violent war movie before a kids movie my family wanted to watch.

With pirated copies, you can often get subtitles that were not available with the original (fan-subs)