Comments on: The guilty party in the copyright game http://nigelaw.com/2009/04/the-guilty-party-in-the-copyright-game/ Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:54:15 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Jack Nicholson http://nigelaw.com/2009/04/the-guilty-party-in-the-copyright-game/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Jack Nicholson Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:54:15 +0000 http://nigelaw.com/?p=40#comment-10 I hear ya. And I completely agree that the digital move is a triumph of the market rather than the rise of a new breed of criminal. In fact, I strongly agree. And to add, I still think the labels are being far too slow to do anything about this "crisis", despite the whole thing exploding into life close to a decade ago.... they're still clinging to their outdated model. However I don't think if a reasonably priced alternative had been around at the time this wouldn't have dented the persuasiveness of piracy - but what's done is done and the only winners of the digital age are the ones to embrace it. That's been proven already with EMI almost in close collapse and with the only majors staying reasonably afloat are the ones backed by their alternative products (Sony with electronics, for example). Illegal downloaders at the time certainly weren't bothered by ethical considerations - I wasn't - they just wanted music. But that in itself doesn't make it OK to have "stolen" the music. We could continue but this debate isn't important. The important one is what we're going to do in the future. Some coherent and proven models are beginning to show and more and more people, including the majors, are opening up to the technology - last week EMI launched their own blog...! Not the most imaginative thing in the world, but it's a start. Perhaps the message that digital downloading isn't a bad thing is beginning to seep through. Well, one can hope. I hear ya. And I completely agree that the digital move is a triumph of the market rather than the rise of a new breed of criminal. In fact, I strongly agree. And to add, I still think the labels are being far too slow to do anything about this “crisis”, despite the whole thing exploding into life close to a decade ago…. they’re still clinging to their outdated model. However I don’t think if a reasonably priced alternative had been around at the time this wouldn’t have dented the persuasiveness of piracy – but what’s done is done and the only winners of the digital age are the ones to embrace it. That’s been proven already with EMI almost in close collapse and with the only majors staying reasonably afloat are the ones backed by their alternative products (Sony with electronics, for example). Illegal downloaders at the time certainly weren’t bothered by ethical considerations – I wasn’t – they just wanted music. But that in itself doesn’t make it OK to have “stolen” the music. We could continue but this debate isn’t important. The important one is what we’re going to do in the future. Some coherent and proven models are beginning to show and more and more people, including the majors, are opening up to the technology – last week EMI launched their own blog…! Not the most imaginative thing in the world, but it’s a start. Perhaps the message that digital downloading isn’t a bad thing is beginning to seep through. Well, one can hope.

]]> By: Nigel http://nigelaw.com/2009/04/the-guilty-party-in-the-copyright-game/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Nigel Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:05:53 +0000 http://nigelaw.com/?p=40#comment-9 Hi Jack, I would actually disagree. Ethically speaking, I don't think the bulk of downloaders at that point in time were trying to deprive artists of their due reward but were enjoying the benefits of a new technology. If a reasonably priced and legitimate alternative had existed at that point I don't think piracy would have become so pervasive. Perhaps they could never have reacted quite that quickly, but their actions since that point have exacerbated the problem rather than dealt with it. The oligopoly that the industry had enjoyed for decades was pulled from under their feet - using a market analysis, the industry had very uncompetitive prices just as a new competitor with very competitive (free!) rates came onto the market. It was inevitable that demand for their product would plummet. They have been very slow to do anything about it (probably because they are not used to acting quickly, having enjoyed their oligopoly for so long). In that respect I like to think of the move to digital downloading as a triumph of the market rather than the rise of a new class of criminal. Nigel Hi Jack,

I would actually disagree. Ethically speaking, I don’t think the bulk of downloaders at that point in time were trying to deprive artists of their due reward but were enjoying the benefits of a new technology. If a reasonably priced and legitimate alternative had existed at that point I don’t think piracy would have become so pervasive. Perhaps they could never have reacted quite that quickly, but their actions since that point have exacerbated the problem rather than dealt with it.

The oligopoly that the industry had enjoyed for decades was pulled from under their feet – using a market analysis, the industry had very uncompetitive prices just as a new competitor with very competitive (free!) rates came onto the market. It was inevitable that demand for their product would plummet. They have been very slow to do anything about it (probably because they are not used to acting quickly, having enjoyed their oligopoly for so long).

In that respect I like to think of the move to digital downloading as a triumph of the market rather than the rise of a new class of criminal.

Nigel

]]> By: Jack Nicholson http://nigelaw.com/2009/04/the-guilty-party-in-the-copyright-game/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Jack Nicholson Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:37:28 +0000 http://nigelaw.com/?p=40#comment-8 I think we can all agree that the mass of digital downloading around the time of the Millennium wasn't good or ethical. But it's here and it's here to stay. And there are major benefits to digital distribution. Now I'm just waiting to see who takes the opportunity by the scruff of it's neck and does something with the technology! I think we can all agree that the mass of digital downloading around the time of the Millennium wasn’t good or ethical. But it’s here and it’s here to stay. And there are major benefits to digital distribution. Now I’m just waiting to see who takes the opportunity by the scruff of it’s neck and does something with the technology!

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