Stealin' from the thieves...
They used to say the best things in life were free. These days though, it seems that free is a dirty word; gratis has become the eighth deadly sin. The entire world of big media has launched a war against free; movies, music, tv, text. Everywhere we turn, sales are down, revenues falling, heads rolling. Blame it on the kids, they say... the product is as good as it ever was... its gotta be the kids.
The problem sounds mighty one sided when you hear about the evils of free. Albums being stolen and movies watched by unpaying eyes! The legal pursuits of the content industry is depicted as a moral battle: the navy is chasing the pirates because the pirates have stolen the gold. However, when examined closely, a greater issue arises. A relative of free is at risk; the real war is on freedom. This is not freedom in a George Bush kinda way, but it is a type of call to arms. This is about freedom of choice and the lack thereof. When you balance the argument against free, with this war on freedom, the entire issue is turned on its head.
Where is this war on freedom, you ask. No one is telling me what to watch. I listen to whatever radio station I choose! This is, after all, the free world! Recent findings, however, paint a different picture. Just last week, Sony Music admitted to a pay for play campaign in major US markets. Sony representatives would pay radio stations, both monetarily and with incentive packages in order to boost the number of spins for Sony artists. Sounds like an encroachment on freedom to me. Poor Sony, business has become so bad that they must resort to these practices in order to better their bottom line. All because of the kids looking for something free. Well, this is called Payola, and it is illegal. Turns out, this isn't a rare occurance. It happens all the time. No wonder that song is stuck in your head. But wait, there's more! Just today, the same Sony was ordered to pay $1.5 million because of the use of a fake movie critic in their advertising for major motion pictures. This as well, is illegal. When the illusion of moral high ground is removed, the image of the virtuous navy fighting lawless pirates suddenly doesn't hold much water. It becomes apparent that the controlling tendencies of the content industry contribute more to the problem than those they are trying to fight.
I'll admit it freely... Bit Torrent is a friend of mine. The ability of a worldwide network of like minded music and movie fans dwarfs the power of any conglomerate, even one as massive as Clear Channel. With the radio turned off, we can tune out the static. With the TV turned off, we can filter the frequencies. Using our ears, eyes and brain as our tourguides, we truly become free to choose what we digest. When you find an artist you like, play it for a friend. Blog about it! Go see a show. Buy the album from the band. Listen and support indie podcasts for a true taste of free form programming. Word of mouth advertising is a great thing...better than any advertising agency could drum up. Its authentic. Its influential. Target marketed. Whats the word of the day? Oh yeah, its free.
The majors had it right though. The problem is with the kids. And it totally involves "free". People are tired of hearing the same song over and over... tired of seeing the same movie trailer every commercial break, and tired of realizing that their hard earned is going towards funding the very source of their irritation. The kids want something to be free alright; themselves.
The problem sounds mighty one sided when you hear about the evils of free. Albums being stolen and movies watched by unpaying eyes! The legal pursuits of the content industry is depicted as a moral battle: the navy is chasing the pirates because the pirates have stolen the gold. However, when examined closely, a greater issue arises. A relative of free is at risk; the real war is on freedom. This is not freedom in a George Bush kinda way, but it is a type of call to arms. This is about freedom of choice and the lack thereof. When you balance the argument against free, with this war on freedom, the entire issue is turned on its head.
Where is this war on freedom, you ask. No one is telling me what to watch. I listen to whatever radio station I choose! This is, after all, the free world! Recent findings, however, paint a different picture. Just last week, Sony Music admitted to a pay for play campaign in major US markets. Sony representatives would pay radio stations, both monetarily and with incentive packages in order to boost the number of spins for Sony artists. Sounds like an encroachment on freedom to me. Poor Sony, business has become so bad that they must resort to these practices in order to better their bottom line. All because of the kids looking for something free. Well, this is called Payola, and it is illegal. Turns out, this isn't a rare occurance. It happens all the time. No wonder that song is stuck in your head. But wait, there's more! Just today, the same Sony was ordered to pay $1.5 million because of the use of a fake movie critic in their advertising for major motion pictures. This as well, is illegal. When the illusion of moral high ground is removed, the image of the virtuous navy fighting lawless pirates suddenly doesn't hold much water. It becomes apparent that the controlling tendencies of the content industry contribute more to the problem than those they are trying to fight.
I'll admit it freely... Bit Torrent is a friend of mine. The ability of a worldwide network of like minded music and movie fans dwarfs the power of any conglomerate, even one as massive as Clear Channel. With the radio turned off, we can tune out the static. With the TV turned off, we can filter the frequencies. Using our ears, eyes and brain as our tourguides, we truly become free to choose what we digest. When you find an artist you like, play it for a friend. Blog about it! Go see a show. Buy the album from the band. Listen and support indie podcasts for a true taste of free form programming. Word of mouth advertising is a great thing...better than any advertising agency could drum up. Its authentic. Its influential. Target marketed. Whats the word of the day? Oh yeah, its free.
The majors had it right though. The problem is with the kids. And it totally involves "free". People are tired of hearing the same song over and over... tired of seeing the same movie trailer every commercial break, and tired of realizing that their hard earned is going towards funding the very source of their irritation. The kids want something to be free alright; themselves.
posted by sobe at
8:51 PM
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