Downloading

Copyright and illegal downloading is such a big issue in todays society. The internet has provided people with limitless opportunities in pirating, copying, downloading and stealing. Movies and music can now easily be downloaded and accessed before the cinema release. Because it is free and easy to get, it is so tempting and frequently done by a majority of todays culture. When many are faced with the choice of downlaoding movies/music free versus purchasing them and paying to see them at the movies, the obvious decision would be the cheaper one. As it basically proposes no risks either.

I am proud to say I am a non-downloader. A strict purchaser of music via Itunes or by buying CDs. Much of the music market rests on these loyal followers of bands. This is the reason that CD's and concerts are still surviving. Dedicated fans are still going to be willing to pay for CDs and to see bands live. The novelty of owning a hard copy of a CD has not worn off. It is a lot more enjoyable flicking through Real Groovy that simply downloading off your favourite music site. Although I think the illegal download of music is inevitable and cannot be stopped, i do not think it will overtake the industry. Mp3s may be dominating the market but there is still a substantial amount of society who are considerate in what they download.

The increase in downloading music can also have its advantages as it applies more pressure to the bands to perform live. This is one aspect we cannot complain about. Mp3s and downloading may be the way of the future but there are so many aspects of music that will live on forever - i hope.

Civil disobedience or internet blackout?

Downloading music, movies and TV episodes which have not been paid for is illegal. This, we know. Yet this law is systematically broken by huge percentages of the population, because it is nearly impossible to enforce. This is especially bad in New Zealand simply because our broadcasting outlets arent given access to, and cannot afford, to buy TV episodes as soon as they are released in America.

In New Zealand, suggested amendments to the Copyright Act are intended to make punishment for movie piracy and music downloading easier to penalise. In theory. Punishments for breaching the new amendments will include fines of up to $15,000, or the 'termination of a users' account.'

Not only are these laws impossible to enforce, but if a law enforcement official were to somehow stumble upon an illegal downloading den, the enforcement of a blackout of someone's internet access is basically impossible to ensure.

The problem is, in a society where getting internet access is as easy as spending five dollars at a coffee store, how is an enforced internet blackout even feasible? It only costs $130 to buy a totally anonymous 3G capable vodafone from your friendly neighbourhood electronics store.

The National Business Review argue that illegal downloading can be morally justified, and this sentiment is apparently shared by a substantial chunk of the population.This is why civil disobedience has continued despite the cheesy FBI warnings at the start of movies, and despite attempts from parliament to outlaw these actions. People are still downloading, and many are unashamed in doing so.

So for now, dowloading is illegal. But for how long? Impossible to enforce laws have a way of being ignored (as anyone who has been to Albert Park will know), so maybe Lessig has a point. The laws will eventually change, we just have to ride it out.

Music: Digital Vs. Analogue

The discussion about copyright and the matter of illegal downloads got me thinking about some other aspects of music that get lost through the mediation or digitization of online downloads through the web. I, myself am an analogue freak, and especially when it comes to music I like the good old way of consuming my favorite bands albums - through the analogue format of the Vinyl record. You know, those big round, usually black plastic disks that require the archaic use of a mechanical piece of equipment to play them on. Well, they are making quite a comeback in today's world of digital everything. Many artists stress the importance of the vinyl record, its a direct, tangible piece of work that you can hold and interact with, collect and sell - something you can't do with a digital file that is stored on iTunes or another media player. Its quite a hobby to collect records for some people (including me), just walk up Queen Street to Real Groovey to see at times many avid collectors of the ultimate physical medium of a bands work. Many records include quirky aspects that break the normal conventions of the stock vinyl record, making them a collectors item as they are often pressed in limited numbers. These include multi-colour discs, picture discs (album art printed onto the actual record), unreleased bonus tracks, etc. Jack White, guitarist of the White Stripes and owner of Third Man Records is a strong influence in pushing the vinyl medium in the ever-increasing digitized world with many vinyl exclusivity's.

Music plays a huge part in our social and cultural identities, it always has and probably always will, but it feels that with the increasing amounts of downloads, we are treating artists work as a disposable effort that has no true value, an opposition to a physical product. I myself also use digital versions of bands work when listening to my iPod, much of which comes from a free download card that is issued with the LP, giving you the best of both worlds, music on the go and music as a collector piece. The life of compact disc is dying out with emergence of the download but there is also a strong revival of the Vinyl record that could be seen as a reaction to loss of real world translation of a piece of art that is otherwise lost somewhere in cyberspace or somewhere in your computer.