As I see it, there are no heroes here and neither side has our best interest in heart, just their own. There’s nothing inherently evil about that, it’s called rational self-interest, but I have to be a realist and see that the situation is much more complex than either side paints it to be. The record labels are not evil, The Pirate Bay is not a freedom fighter, the record labels are not wholly innocent in the situation and The Pirate Bay is about more than getting free stuff.

They see things as black and white, I try to see the shades of gray. I’m not perfect, but I at least try.

As I see it, there are no heroes here and neither side has our best interest in heart, just their own. There’s nothing inherently evil about that, it’s called rational self-interest, but I have to be a realist and see that the situation is much more complex than either side paints it to be. The record labels are not evil, The Pirate Bay is not a freedom fighter, the record labels are not wholly innocent in the situation and The Pirate Bay is about more than getting free stuff.

They see things as black and white, I try to see the shades of gray. I’m not perfect, but I at least try.

If the patient is dying of something (piracy), what caused it and what can we do to prevent it in the future. Some of it can not be controlled (human nature and bad people), some of it is environmental (how the product is consumed made it ripe for piracy) and some of it was based on actions taken by the patient (not setting up legal alternatives quickly enough).

Also, it’s not safe to say that, if we magically cured the disease that they would be in good health. The record industry has a lot of potential ailments eating at it right now and there is no guarantee that they would be “all better” if it weren’t for the piracy issue.

I’m not trying to blame the victim any more than I would blame a victim a serious ailment. I’m just acknowledging that these types of situations have complicated causes and many different factors.

The truth is that the music industry could have done more to prevent this problem, but failed to do so. Would it have stopped or even slowed the process? Hard to say, impossible to say actually. But if you’re looking to tell others what they can do to avoid a similar fate, you need to look honestly at everything that went wrong.

A one-dimensional view of the problem solves nothing and, frankly, I think that BOTH the RIAA and The Pirate Bay are guilty of that same sin.

Which brings me to the next question, I admit that we’re hard on the RIAA on the show but don’t mistake the humor and silly banter for political opinion. Granted, you’re not going to win any friends anywhere by suing single mothers for nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Such rulings haven’t helped their cause and could create new limits on the amount of damages other copyright holders can claim later due to public outcry.

However, I’m no friend of The Pirate Bay and I don’t want anyone to think I am. I’ve been hard on them in the past too reminding everyone that they don’t want to do away with the middle man, they want to replace him. There is a big difference. Still, I admit, I go where the jokes take me and the old comedic principle of jab at those in power seems to apply.

Perhaps I am a bit unfair but I do try to be equally hard on both. I certainly have no love for either side at the moment, though the record industry has at least been making an effort.

As for the fourth option, I think you have a point. I do need to add it and will. Still, as an option, it has flaws too, considering how limited many of the DRM-free catalogs are. Also, I did actually check emusic (they had an ad in my Netflix) but the registration requirements and confusing plans scared me off. I couldn’t even search without an account.

Amazon’s system is clearly superior and much more worth the attention.

If the patient is dying of something (piracy), what caused it and what can we do to prevent it in the future. Some of it can not be controlled (human nature and bad people), some of it is environmental (how the product is consumed made it ripe for piracy) and some of it was based on actions taken by the patient (not setting up legal alternatives quickly enough).

Also, it’s not safe to say that, if we magically cured the disease that they would be in good health. The record industry has a lot of potential ailments eating at it right now and there is no guarantee that they would be “all better” if it weren’t for the piracy issue.

I’m not trying to blame the victim any more than I would blame a victim a serious ailment. I’m just acknowledging that these types of situations have complicated causes and many different factors.

The truth is that the music industry could have done more to prevent this problem, but failed to do so. Would it have stopped or even slowed the process? Hard to say, impossible to say actually. But if you’re looking to tell others what they can do to avoid a similar fate, you need to look honestly at everything that went wrong.

A one-dimensional view of the problem solves nothing and, frankly, I think that BOTH the RIAA and The Pirate Bay are guilty of that same sin.

Which brings me to the next question, I admit that we’re hard on the RIAA on the show but don’t mistake the humor and silly banter for political opinion. Granted, you’re not going to win any friends anywhere by suing single mothers for nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Such rulings haven’t helped their cause and could create new limits on the amount of damages other copyright holders can claim later due to public outcry.

However, I’m no friend of The Pirate Bay and I don’t want anyone to think I am. I’ve been hard on them in the past too reminding everyone that they don’t want to do away with the middle man, they want to replace him. There is a big difference. Still, I admit, I go where the jokes take me and the old comedic principle of jab at those in power seems to apply.

Perhaps I am a bit unfair but I do try to be equally hard on both. I certainly have no love for either side at the moment, though the record industry has at least been making an effort.

As for the fourth option, I think you have a point. I do need to add it and will. Still, as an option, it has flaws too, considering how limited many of the DRM-free catalogs are. Also, I did actually check emusic (they had an ad in my Netflix) but the registration requirements and confusing plans scared me off. I couldn’t even search without an account.

Amazon’s system is clearly superior and much more worth the attention.

I understand why people point at the music companies, but I think they’re making the mistake of blaming the victim. As a quick example, imagine if I emptied my bank account, dumped the cash into a wheelbarrow, and then walked down the bad part of town singing the “Money, Money, Money” song. Sure, I’m putting myself in a bad situation by not protecting myself, but if somebody grabs some of my cash and runs away they’ve still committed the same crime as if they had grabbed my wallet out of my back pocket. Music companies aren’t acting nearly as irresponsibly as my wheelbarrow o’ cash example, but they’re treated as if they’re the primary cause of piracy.

I’ve only been listening to the podcast and reading your writing for a few months, so I’m sorry if this is a bad question… but I want to ask it: Do you come down on groups like the Pirate Bay as hard as you do on the RIAA?

As for your three options, the error wasn’t missing the Amazon website, it was creating a list that didn’t include all of your viable options. When I read your options I immediately thought “Or, 4.) you can buy the music DRM-free from an online store that sells it. Emusic, Amazon, or Napster perhaps?” Then I checked Amazon, and sure enough it was there. I think if you wanted to make amends for skipping over that option, you’d do more than buy an album from Amazon. Wordpress has an edit button, and you can still add in that fourth option to correct the original error.

I understand why people point at the music companies, but I think they’re making the mistake of blaming the victim. As a quick example, imagine if I emptied my bank account, dumped the cash into a wheelbarrow, and then walked down the bad part of town singing the “Money, Money, Money” song. Sure, I’m putting myself in a bad situation by not protecting myself, but if somebody grabs some of my cash and runs away they’ve still committed the same crime as if they had grabbed my wallet out of my back pocket. Music companies aren’t acting nearly as irresponsibly as my wheelbarrow o’ cash example, but they’re treated as if they’re the primary cause of piracy.

I’ve only been listening to the podcast and reading your writing for a few months, so I’m sorry if this is a bad question… but I want to ask it: Do you come down on groups like the Pirate Bay as hard as you do on the RIAA?

As for your three options, the error wasn’t missing the Amazon website, it was creating a list that didn’t include all of your viable options. When I read your options I immediately thought “Or, 4.) you can buy the music DRM-free from an online store that sells it. Emusic, Amazon, or Napster perhaps?” Then I checked Amazon, and sure enough it was there. I think if you wanted to make amends for skipping over that option, you’d do more than buy an album from Amazon. Wordpress has an edit button, and you can still add in that fourth option to correct the original error.

I would agree that the value of a CD is dropping fast, to the vanishing point perhaps, but I think there’s plenty of blame for that to go around. The labels missed many opportunities and could have at least prolonged the current crisis by a good while if they had recognized the signs of trouble earlier and tried a different. However, I have to admit, it is very easy to criticize in hindsight so I won’t say too much more there.

Suffice to say though that the music industry was crumbling long before piracy reached levels that drastically impacted the bottom line. Napster, for all of its legend was nowhere near as widely used as current technologies. However, the industry was already undergoing slowing growth at that point.

I do, however, agree about the problems this creates for the culture. It is a tragedy. I don’t see any new acts coming up to become nationwide phenomena. Most of the successful acts on the national stage that I read about are acts that were already doing well ten or more years ago.

Regarding the movie industry. They are scared and with good reason. But they have been a bit smarter. They have gotten decent legal alternatives out ahead of the curve and already have a user experience that pirates can’t match, the movie theater. They have some buffer and can fare better than the record labels. But if they keep releasing junk sequels I can’t make any promises…

Seriously, with the new Indy movie I think they are out of childhood memories of mine to sell out. Well, save for the Thundercats movie in production…

That is another rant though.

To summarize. I agree that the pirates have some of the blame but I think there is plenty to go around. Some people always have and always will pirate music and movies, the tipping point is when ordinary users start to do it…

I would agree that the value of a CD is dropping fast, to the vanishing point perhaps, but I think there’s plenty of blame for that to go around. The labels missed many opportunities and could have at least prolonged the current crisis by a good while if they had recognized the signs of trouble earlier and tried a different. However, I have to admit, it is very easy to criticize in hindsight so I won’t say too much more there.

Suffice to say though that the music industry was crumbling long before piracy reached levels that drastically impacted the bottom line. Napster, for all of its legend was nowhere near as widely used as current technologies. However, the industry was already undergoing slowing growth at that point.

I do, however, agree about the problems this creates for the culture. It is a tragedy. I don’t see any new acts coming up to become nationwide phenomena. Most of the successful acts on the national stage that I read about are acts that were already doing well ten or more years ago.

Regarding the movie industry. They are scared and with good reason. But they have been a bit smarter. They have gotten decent legal alternatives out ahead of the curve and already have a user experience that pirates can’t match, the movie theater. They have some buffer and can fare better than the record labels. But if they keep releasing junk sequels I can’t make any promises…

Seriously, with the new Indy movie I think they are out of childhood memories of mine to sell out. Well, save for the Thundercats movie in production…

That is another rant though.

To summarize. I agree that the pirates have some of the blame but I think there is plenty to go around. Some people always have and always will pirate music and movies, the tipping point is when ordinary users start to do it…