Despite all the overkill judicial counterstrikes and the stalinesque rhetorics, piracy is peaking. Although there seems to be a shift from movies and music to games, there can be no doubt about it: The war on piracy is a complete failure.But then again, it has been a ridiculous campaign from the very start, destined for its very own Waterloo at some point. The music lovers of the world have never accepted the basic argument: As long as nobody comes running to tell you that you are going to jail or be heftily fined for borrowing a car from a stranger (at your own and his/hers risk), e.g. in an emergency or just by a friend's recommendation, nobody in their right mind is willing to accept the greedy arguments of the music and movie corporations. You wanna lend your lawn mower or your book to someone, it's your own damned business. You buy a product, and it's yours. Simple as that.
That point may be coming now. Figures from the U.K. tells us that the revenues from CD sales are finally being surpassed by that of legal downloads.
If the recording, gaming and movie industry had realized that they had the world's greatest marketing tool at their hands in the first place, it would never have come to this. And the hypocricy has been blatant. Everybody who's ever been to a torrent site knows that it actually has been used in clandestine marketing operations from the majors - or left to music managements or some other pilatic smart-ass. E.g. Fergie was massively promoted on "illegal" sites, by whom we will probably never know.
President Obama has realized that the war on marihuana is just as stupid as the Prohibition: All the ban on alcohol ever did, was promoting organized crime. People kept on drinking, because they did not accept the ban. For the millions of people, and I for one, who enjoy the pleasures of marihuana and hashish, it has always been only a matter of time before the paranoiacs and the pietists would succumb and do the Canossa waltz.
To the gaming industry, I can only say: Check your price tags. The publishing industry is grudgingly accepting that an eBook simply cannot cost the same as a paper hardcover book, so face the music. They are not going to stigmatize us all, like you have done. Greed does not pay.
To the Swedish authorities, I can only say: Drop the charges against The Pirate Bay, and do it now. Or you will look like fools in 10 years time. Do the Google thang, let the greedy autocrats sail their old old-school waters. Because the pioneers of Pirate Bay, eMule and all the other piracy sites will for ever be our heroes, champions of the freedom of the consumer's right to a product we have legally bought, just as we damned well please; champions of the free float of information, champions of the future.
Posts
I agree on the main points, Morten.
ReplyDeleteYet the basic argument is flawed (what concerns the online turnover vs the cd turover): Because, as long as cd sales keep falling and legal downloads keep increasing, the graphs must meet at some point. (both in absolute terms, and as now that the increase in online revenue matches the decrease in physical revenue).
One could just as well argue that the first wave of piracy comprised those who don't care if artists get paid or not; while the second wave comprised those who do, but are pissed because the labels DON'T SUPPLY DOWNLOADS (in a reasonable fashion).
The development of new platforms + better stores (etc.) could now have transformed a lot of the downloaders from the "second wave", plus of course generated new downloaders who never considered piracy in the first place.
HOWEVER i agree with your bottom line: The labels lose money because they DON'T SUPPLY.
Now someone (else) has understood that people want ACCESS. we are willing to pay for availability, speed, quality and sequrity. But people are now embracing the obvious model: subscription.
Give med access to "all" of the music i want, on any device at any time, and I'll name a price.
But asking me to pay 100$ if I want to listen to 100 different songs any given week, and 1$ if I want to hear the same song on repeat is obviously ridiculous.
Nice post!
Yeah! Sharing of culture is no threat to culture!
ReplyDelete