07-15-2009, 09:14 PM
(07-14-2009, 05:12 PM)pluralone Wrote: Which brings me back to the original topic, sort of: I have the same aversion to commercial radio that I have toward commercial television, so I don't often hear the new music that's available, so I don't develop a perceived 'need' to either buy or pirate it. While I think the way the music industry functions is truly ugly, I don't see piracy as an appropriate vehicle for change. Just as I would not sneak in to a sporting event on the basis that it's wrong to pay players such an exaggerated amount of money for, really, just playing a game - no matter how good they are or how entertaining it may be - I would not use the unethical practices of the music industry to justify unethical behavior on my part. Again, that's just me. I absolutely do not hold negative judgments toward those who view this differently.
Well said!
I'm the same way about commercials. I always mute the tv whenever there's a commercial! When tv went digital recently, we lost it since we don't have cable. So now we just watch stuff on hulu if we occasionally want to watch something. It's great - the commercials are only 5 seconds! (or maybe 15 seconds, I forgot - but they're a lot less than on tv.)
For the record, I have never pirated anything in my life. So if my comments have appeared to support pirating, I apologize for the misunderstanding! I definitely don't think it's a solution, and I'm not advocating pirating. But, as plural said, neither do I hold judgment towards it because I see a lot of gray area here, not the least of which is the issue of 'goods' vs 'intangibles.' And, neither do I refuse music offered by others until I've ascertained how they came by it. If I were financially wealthy, I'd probably buy every cd I liked, just to support the artist. As it is now, there are a few artists who can count on me to buy their new album.
To further clarify my previous post: Where do we draw the line? Is the value of a book in its paper? No, it's in the content. There are now EBooks, which have no material worth whatsoever, but are sold for their content. Ideas and concepts may be considered 'intellectual property.' How is music any different?
Yet, ideas are freely exchanged. What about EBooks (no material worth as a 'good') that contain useful knowledge or even marketable secrets? Is it stealing if someone shares that knowledge with others?
I don't know the answers to these questions. Technology has surpassed our ability to ethically utilize it.
I just saw part of the new Zeitgeist movie, which posits that the money system is the root of all evil. I think that's an oversimplification. But, it may be partially true. Perhaps putting a dollar value on goods and services does cheapen them, as well as open up a can of worms to deal with. If there is any truth to this idea, then it's doesn't look hopeful that the problem will be solved as long as we have a monetary system. I really don't know. I just know that it's not so simple, because we are dealing with intangibles, which is very different from selling material objects.
I envision our SMC in which knowledge, music, art, etc. are freely exchanged, and everyone is prospering.