Piracy?

[Tonus]

Hey I pay for it when I have the money. Your thoughts?

If you put it that way, then my reply is "then don't use it until you have the money."

Music/movie piracy has become an issue because it's so easy to do and usually is consequence-free. That makes it very difficult to pass up, and very easy to rationalize. There are a few other issues that muddy the waters, though:

- we've been able to record music and movies "for free" for many years. I understand that both the music and movie industries warned of dire consequences any time a new method of recording was introduced (recordable cassettes will kill the music industry! recordable video tapes will kill the movie industry!). But that never happened. Still hasn't.

- the primary "victims" are large industries that are seen as exploiting both the talent that produce the media as well as the consumer. There are many tales of just how shabbily musical talent is treated by the companies that make billions of dollars from their efforts. And you don't have to be that old to remember when you had to buy a $12-20 CD for the one or two songs you actually wanted to hear.

- the arts weren't always a huge money-making enterprise, and it's hard to make the case that it's necessary for them to be. Nor do I believe that the arts would disappear if people were unable to make money from them. I don't see that happening, but I do see the arts becoming more affordable and more convenient for the audience. And I don't see that being changed back. I, for one, welcome my $7.99/month movie-on-demand overlords.

That said, I agree that it's theft. If a person or company produces art with the intent of selling it and there are legal protections in place, then you're stealing it if you download it instead of paying for it. I am much more ambivalent about it than I used to be, because I see it as part of a large-scale change that will ultimately be for the better. I think that a lot of the on-demand/instant-access technology that we enjoy today is a direct result of the realization by media companies that they could not stop piracy, and that there had to be better ways to provide what people wanted while still making enough money for it to be worthwhile.

And it seems to be working very well.