It was a hard decision not to watch all kinds of pirated material. Two decisions lead me to decide to watch a pirated copy of Alan Doyle's Boy on Bridge documentary when it eventually appears. It is increasingly frustrating trying to do the right thing and watch legal material.
This week I went into a DVD store to buy a new series of one of my favourite television series. I was told it would not be available until next year. But they are already three seasons ahead in the US I tell the assistant who looks at me unsympathetically.
The second has been explained in the previous post. As the Great Big Sea fandom buzzes with excitement of Alan Doyle's documentary being shown on Canadian television, me and a lot of other fans including Americans can't watch it so I am going to watch a pirated copy.
I am on a journey into the world of pirated material and looking for reasons as to why we should watch pirated material whether it be music, movies or television show.
“In our culture today people think they deserve their entertainment, not that it's a perk” by Devin Faraci of Badass Digest.
In the article “Top 10 Reasons People Use To Justify Pirating Digital Content (And Why They’re Wrong)” Rob W. Hart provides readers with ten reasons why people engage in piracy. He obtained this quote from the Twitter page of Devin Faraci of Badass Digest “In our culture today people think they deserve their entertainment, not that it's a perk. An eBook is a luxury, not a right. If you can't afford it, too bad, but that's life”. While many of his comments apply to e-books they can also be applied to piracy in music and bootlegging live concerts.
For a brief moment in a past blog post I became very disillusioned with always doing the right thing and watching legal material. I live in a country where Alan Doyle’s documentary Boy and Bridge was not being shown during November. While I do not begrudge Canadians with access to CMT and others who obtained access to a paid movie channel watching the documentary, I can now understand why people turn to piracy, in particular when musicians and artists sign exclusive contracts not to have their content distributed. But it is not a reason to pirate as the author explains and digital content is a luxury not a right.
The other day on the train I talked to nice young guy about a favourite television show. (I knew he was interested because he was decked out in memorabilia from the show). I mentioned something about the television show not being available on DVD and he replied just go over to Bit Torrent and download it. He had no issue with downloading a pirated copy. I was kind of horrified at the thought of the producers not making some money out of it. On the other hand he was prepared to watch the latest episode on pay television. The distribution methods do suck but are improving for example, many countries are now receiving the latest episodes from series like a Game of Thrones directly after the US. Digital content on pay television and music streaming provides immediate access but is expensive and the costs can add up. But digital content is a luxury and not a right.
People like Lyndahere or Lynda Elstad who pirate and bootleg have different objectives than the musicians and artists themselves. While musicians and artists want their music to be heard they also want to make a living. I agree with the author’s comments that because a person has a copy of material in one format then they are not entitled to a copy in another format. For example, while many Great Big Sea fans have purchased CDs it does not mean they are entitled other content for free for example, illegal bootlegged recordings or free digital downloads from sites as provided from Lyndahere content. From my own experience free material such as bootlegged videos on YouTube do not lead to sales of CD’s or music in other forms from sources like itunes.
I did not watch a pirated copy of Alan Doyle's documentary Boy and Bridge.
“Top 10 Reasons People Use To Justify Pirating Digital Content (And Why They’re Wrong)” by Rob W. Hart August 31 2012 (no copyright intended).
1. If you're a writer, you should just be happy to write.
...”Expecting people to forgo payment because you wanted something and didn't want to pay for it? You're an asshole. And if you're an artist, you're an even bigger asshole, because you lack empathy for fellow artists. But, look, if you're utterly convinced that artists should just be happy to create, I'll make you a deal: I'll do my job for free, but you have to do yours for free. We'll circle back in a month and see how that went”.
2. We already own the book/movie/show in another format.
If you have an eBook, you can't go to a bookstore and take the paperback version, claiming that you already own it anyway. I'm heartened to see that some publishers and movie studios are including digital copies with physical media--I'd pay a few extra bucks to get eBook versions of the physical books I buy--but until that's a common practice, this is the system we have. Buying something in one format doesn't give you the right to other formats.
3. We live in a different country so we don't get movies/books/shows until months later.
Distribution methods are not ideal--far behind the capabilities of technology. It's frustrating, and distributors should absolutely rethink how media is disseminated in our global cultural landscape. But it still doesn't give you the right to steal something. Again: Digital content is a luxury, not a right.
4. Everyone else is doing it.
There are a lot of examples of mainstream acceptance of pirating, but the most recent (and troubling) example comes from David Pogue, the technology writer from the New York Times. He wanted to get The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum for his son, but he discovered the eBook wasn't available because of a dispute between Ludlum’s estate and Bantam. Instead of downloading any one of a million other eBooks, Pogue downloaded a torrent and cut the publisher a check for $9.99. Except if the books aren’t available, the estate probably still has the rights, so the check should have gone to them. And he used the biggest and most respected paper in the world as a venue to justify a selfish, petty, and illegal act. Shameful.
5. What about libraries?
Libraries purchase the large majority of books in their collections through wholesale retailers like Ingram and Baker & Taylor. Money changes hands. Authors get paid. All this argument shows is you don't even care to check your facts.
6. We would pay for it if we just had access to it.
This is bullshit of the highest order. Some people would, sure, but you know what? Both season 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones are available on DVD, and through a variety of digital download services, and it's still pirated at a huge rate. If this was true, as soon as something was available for sale in another format, it wouldn't be pirated ever again. It's ridiculous for people to pretend they'd be noble, if only the circumstances were right. (As someone pointed out in the comments, season 2 of Game of Thrones is not available yet. Plenty of digital content gets pirated even though its for sale elsewhere, so the point remains).
7. Digital content is too expensive.
I will acknowledge that pricing on eBooks is not ideal, but pricing is a different conversation--you can't just take what you want, when you want, because you disagree with what's being charged. If you go to Target and they have a flatscreen television you like, but you can't afford it, can you just take it? No. Same rule applies.
8. The distribution method sucks.
Just because you don't like how something is distributed doesn't mean you can steal it. Game of Thrones is pirated at a huge rate, and sure, getting HBO shows can be tough--if you don't have cable and a subscription, you have to wait until the show is released on iTunes or Amazon Prime or on DVD. People like to say, Well, if they just offered HBOGo for $15 a month then I would pay for that. Except that doesn't work. HBO is an exclusive service for cable customers--if that service is no longer exclusive, cable companies might not carry it. HBO may be "leaving money on the table," but it's not.
9. Authors already have a plenty of money.
J.K. Rowling may not notice a loss in income, but what about the self-published author? What about the author who’s counting on a royalty check to cover the rent? Publishing a book isn’t a path to fame and fortune. There are plenty of mid-list authors, or authors whose books are out of print, who don't see a dime from their work. And it doesn't help them if their books are pirated, obviating any need to buy them. enough money to justify losing the support of cable companies. Then they won't have enough money to make Game of Thrones.
10. We're only hurting big business.
Say you steal a book published by Random House, a company owned by Rupert Murdoch. Yes, Murdoch has a lot of money, and I bet it's satisfying to take a few fractions of a penny out his pocket. But here's who you're really hurting, besides the author (which should be enough): The editors, the layout people, the marketing people, the cover designer... hell, even the maintenance staff in the building where the book was put together. Those are the people who are getting paid from the cost of the book. It takes a village. Murdoch isn't sweating the loss; the people who brought the book to market are
