Downloading Communism

I don’t think charging for online content is problematic, or revolting in of itself. What concerns me is the fact that if both the music & film industry executives have their way, they’ll grossly overcharge for their products and in the end it’s the consumer that suffers, mostly in the wallet.

And these companies already overcharge us through their current established distrubution outlets, i.e. movie theater chains and record store outlets. So with the internet, why do I want them to rip me off anymore than they already do everywhere else?

I think the real issues the RIAA and Hollywood have with digital distribution is how they can best assure their piece of the revenue pie, and at the heart of it all is greed. That’s what pisses a whole lot of other people off including myself. People that are more than willing to pay for their music & movies… just not at a %600+ markup. And because they fear a lack of control via an internet distribution model (i.e. they can’t horde gross profits for themselves while simultaneously underpaying the artists) that’s why most of these law suits get filed in the first place.

Limiting the outlets of all distribution methods makes it easier for these companies to price fix across the board, so no matter where you shop they got you cornered and to me that’s where the real problem lies, the lack of choice & flexibility for the consumer. Most of the record and movie companies are now under the fold of just a few conglomerates so any real competition of production & distribution is non-existent. If we as consumers feel disatisfied with the quality, service and price structuring of a given companies products then we need to boycott their goods. Certainly this seems to be the best way respond to the issue in general.

Pirating ditigal content, although often starkly painted as old fashion stealing, is more complicated than that; It’s also the face of the boycott response to these big companies. You don’t have to be a professional haggler to ask yourself why you should pay more for a product or service than you have to? Pirating, although ethcially debatable, offers an alternative. Not that the end justifies the means, nor am I advocating stealing in of itself (which I do not), but one must consider the reality that when you disenfranchise people long enough they get desperate and find other means, right or wrong, to address their needs. In this case I feel it’s simply the fair pricing of music & films at retail.

All in all, I think it’s sufficient to state that people, regardess of the distribution method, simply don’t want to get stuck with having to pay an arm and a leg for their music and films.