Piracy has been around for a long time. While there are still ‘pirates’ that roam the seas, there are other types of pirates that are unbelievably common. Your mother, your aunt, your cousin- even the sweet old lady at the corner that gives you peppermint candies and Werthers Originals- could be a pirate.
People that download music, videos, and other types of digital media illegally are considered pirates. The record companies fear and hate them, most of your geeky teenagers are them. The record labels, book publishers, and movie studios do everything in their paths to stop them, and punish the ones that they can catch.
But in todays world, in the ‘new’ economy, are pirates a bad thing? Are some people closed-minded because of what they’ve heard about ‘pirates?’
Stealing has always been a terrible thing to do, and there is no doubt that it is stealing. But, is it really?
Regardless of what you’ve heard, I assure you that piracy is a good thing. I’m not saying that people have the right to get access to whatever they want, without any regard of paying the people that create the content. But in todays world, piracy is better for business than anything.
Record labels, until recently, protected their music from being copied (called DRM, or digital-rights-management). Unfortunately, this only hindered the honest, paying customers; the pirates either bypassed the DRM, or just pirated the music.
People like Jonathan Coulton and Radiohead have the right idea. Give the music away, let people decide what’s fair. If people like the music and feel the artists deserve money, let them buy or donate. If not, it’s no big deal. People pay for what they feel deserves payment (usually).
Recent studies show that people who pirate buy more music legally than those that only get it legitamently. Pirating makes money, it doesn’t take it away.
Because, let’s face it. A lot of pirates download music that they wouldn’t pay for otherwise. And a popular comment, that I actually agree with a lot, is that they only want to give money to people that feel deserve it. I would like nothing more than the give Jack Johnson, the Fray, or Jonathan Coulton money for making such creative, wonderful works of music. Then again, if I want one track from Britney Spears, should I give her money that I personally don’t think she deserves?
I don’t pirate, but I don’t look down on those that do. In the new economy, so much is changing. Money is made by giving things away. The old business-like, money-focused market doesn’t really apply here. People pay for what they find valuable. Not only is it great for the economy, it’s great for competition and keeps people honest.
If record labels don’t want people to pirate, then they should put out music that people enjoy and appreciate. That means more Beatles, less Lady Gaga. That also means a larger profit.
And everyone lives happily ever after.
A few words for thought, think what you will.
As always,
Nathan.