technoculture314-09

Piracy is probably one of the most hotly contended issues surrounding the development of the internet. Personally I have no firm position regarding internet piracy since I am in the uncomfortable position of both pirating music whilst feeling that it is wrong to deprive artists of the earnings they deserve to get for their creative output. I used to download music illegally at least once a month until I began getting it free through legal means. Had my circumstances not changed I would almost certainly still download illegally, though I find the idea abhorrent. The problem I found is that it is quite difficult to pass up the opportunity to get something for nothing when the likelihood of being held accountable for your actions is so low. The issue does not end there though. I always purchased an album if after listening to it illegally for several months I found that I liked it. And while I think piracy is wrong I feel justified in doing this because as a consumer it makes sense to only pay for a product you find satisfactory, something a music consumer cannot fully know without listening to the entire album. I think perhaps record companies need to recognise the logic behind this kind of downloading and try to adapt the sales process to suit such consumers who from anecdotal evidence seem to represent a number of people. Perhaps a time limited licence with an expiry date could be given to consumers free or for a small charge, with the option of renewing the licence permanently after the set period in exchange for the consumer paying the full price for the album. In any case I think that the problem of piracy does not rest solely upon the shoulders of the pirates but also the record companies who have tried to keep the same business model they used prior to digital advances, in an age that is becoming ever more digi-centric.