I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of p2p file sharing. I'd like to think I have a widespread collection of music on my laptop and iPod, thanks to Limewire. I'm aware that this is illegal downloading, however; I always justified these actions by figuring that the music artists make enough money as it is.
I started thinking about music artists who have publicly spoken out against piracy, and I remembered a PSA that Kid Rock did from a couple years ago. Here is the link to the PSA, sarcastically entitled "Steal Everything".
Kid Rock points out that yes, he is a rich man...but if you are going to steal one of his songs, why stop there? Whatever you want, whether it be a laptop, car, gas, etc. - you should steal it. My reasoning for p2p music downloads doesn't seem as strong anymore.
On the other hand, "Would the Bard Have Survived the Web?" points out that some believe that "copyright impedes creativity and progress" and "if we severely weaken copyright protections, innovation will truly flourish".
I was intrigued by Lessig's description of Walt Disney's "idea sharing", if you will, from Buster Keaton's "Steamboat Bill" into his own "Steamboat Willie", and also the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales into various Disney movies.
"In all ofthese cases, Disney (or Disney, Inc.) ripped creativity from the culture around him, mixed that creativity with his own extraordinary talent, and then burned that mix into the soul of his culture. Rip, mix, and burn." -Lessig-
It is amazing to see what Disney created from building upon the ideas of others and adding to them. Lessig points out that many creative individuals base their work off one another - actors perform adaptations of existing works, scientists use formulas and research from other scientists, etc. Feeding off of one another can result in a positive outcome. However, if I were Buster Keaton, I believe I would feel very differently.
From my own personal experience, I know that p2p has introduced me to different artists, songs, actors/actresses and films that I do not know if I would have had the opportunity to experience otherwise.
I agree with you about Buster Keaton. Not only was he robbed financially but Disney stole from him a legacy that should be associated with his name. I do not believe that taking other's ideas and adding your own twist to them is ok. It doesn't, in my opinion, make you very creative.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting quote from Kid Rock, and he makes a valid point. But I think the difference in stealing online music and stealing a car is this: bytes of data can be freely copied at no cost. When stealing a car, for example, the original owner of the car no longer has possession of it. If stealing a car were like stealing music, then you would make a clone of the car and take the clone.
ReplyDeleteI think artists also overlook the fact that not every person that pirated their music would have bought it had they been unable to pirate it. If this is the case, it really isn't costing them anything. They either would have gotten $0 from getting it pirated, or $0 from not getting it purchased.
I'm sure you don't need me to lecture you, but I guess I'll do it anyway (sorry lol). Be careful attaching your full name to confessions of "crimes" online. I know p2p is generally pretty common, but it is still a crime. If an angry record company saw your blog (or your local police), that might be enough for a search and seizure warrant of your computer, followed by possible prosecution! I know prosecution of music piracy is extremely uncommon, but you don't want to be the 1 in 100,000 person that gets charged $20,000 per song because you admitted to it! Okay, again, sorry for the lecture :(
Oh, maybe that isn't your full name, I don't see you in the wiki! Good :)
ReplyDelete