Aye, me hearties!
It's a pirates' world out there.
What happens if you miss the Ugly Betty episode of the season and no one has remembered to record it? You go online and see if it is up on the website, but what if it's not? Chances are, you either bite the bullet and wait for it to be released (fat chance, hey?), or you search for it online and within an hour it's saved on your computer and you're ready to go! Thing is, you've just become a pirate. And not the Keira Knightly or Johnny Depp kind either.
Online or Internet piracy can be simply defined as the act of stealing or illegally distributing content, such as software or music, using the Internet. It all started with the launch of a file-sharing computer program called Napster in 1999, which condemned the media industry to a war against the inevitable frenzy in digital downloads. Music and television are particularly hard hit, with small file sizes and as good quality as if you'd bought the CD in the store or watched the show on TV. Pirated movies, which are often of lesser quality and much larger in size, are also affected. Between 2005 and 2006 the number of illegal movie downloads doubled in the US, movie piracy, despite their size, becoming more popular than ever. Although Napster was shut down a year after its release due to legal issues, it had already set the stage for online file-sharing, resulting in the emergence of hundreds of programs such as Limewire, Ares, BitTorrent, and eDonkey.
In recent years the rise in file-sharing computer programs have encourage more piracy, which has in turn been increasingly putting pressure on media industries, the music industry even considering raising digital-music prices. In some cases, online albums now cost more than physical CD's. However, wouldn't raising prices of content spur additional illicit downloading? In fact it does. Mid-2007 The Australian published an article stating that illegal downloading of tracks had increased by 7% between 2006 and 2007. This follows a previous article in the same newspaper, regarding Australia as one the biggest market for pirate downloads, arguing that the "Internet offers a bootleg" for impatient fans who are not willing to wait for US shows to air on TV in their country months later.
Funnily enough, it is believed that movies uploaded onto the web are leaked from inside the industry. These movies were either on the Internet before its actual release, had text indicating they were copies of a pre-release DVDs, or showed evidence that they were yet to be edited. It's enough for anyone to proclaim "shiver me timbers".
In my opinion this online piracy revolution was inevitable. Increased accessibility and ridiculously overpriced CDs and DVDs have made downloading content very attractive. I feel this is a threat to the media industry that if not looked at properly, could be the downfall for some. In my opinion the media industry needs to reinvent itself to adapt to new media technologies within the 21st century. I'm not saying CDs and DVDs are the past, however companies need to reformulate their original structures, incorporate the Internet, and stay lucrative for them, the artists, Johnny Depp, and the fans. Savvy?
It's a pirates' world out there.
What happens if you miss the Ugly Betty episode of the season and no one has remembered to record it? You go online and see if it is up on the website, but what if it's not? Chances are, you either bite the bullet and wait for it to be released (fat chance, hey?), or you search for it online and within an hour it's saved on your computer and you're ready to go! Thing is, you've just become a pirate. And not the Keira Knightly or Johnny Depp kind either.
Online or Internet piracy can be simply defined as the act of stealing or illegally distributing content, such as software or music, using the Internet. It all started with the launch of a file-sharing computer program called Napster in 1999, which condemned the media industry to a war against the inevitable frenzy in digital downloads. Music and television are particularly hard hit, with small file sizes and as good quality as if you'd bought the CD in the store or watched the show on TV. Pirated movies, which are often of lesser quality and much larger in size, are also affected. Between 2005 and 2006 the number of illegal movie downloads doubled in the US, movie piracy, despite their size, becoming more popular than ever. Although Napster was shut down a year after its release due to legal issues, it had already set the stage for online file-sharing, resulting in the emergence of hundreds of programs such as Limewire, Ares, BitTorrent, and eDonkey.
In recent years the rise in file-sharing computer programs have encourage more piracy, which has in turn been increasingly putting pressure on media industries, the music industry even considering raising digital-music prices. In some cases, online albums now cost more than physical CD's. However, wouldn't raising prices of content spur additional illicit downloading? In fact it does. Mid-2007 The Australian published an article stating that illegal downloading of tracks had increased by 7% between 2006 and 2007. This follows a previous article in the same newspaper, regarding Australia as one the biggest market for pirate downloads, arguing that the "Internet offers a bootleg" for impatient fans who are not willing to wait for US shows to air on TV in their country months later.
Funnily enough, it is believed that movies uploaded onto the web are leaked from inside the industry. These movies were either on the Internet before its actual release, had text indicating they were copies of a pre-release DVDs, or showed evidence that they were yet to be edited. It's enough for anyone to proclaim "shiver me timbers".
In my opinion this online piracy revolution was inevitable. Increased accessibility and ridiculously overpriced CDs and DVDs have made downloading content very attractive. I feel this is a threat to the media industry that if not looked at properly, could be the downfall for some. In my opinion the media industry needs to reinvent itself to adapt to new media technologies within the 21st century. I'm not saying CDs and DVDs are the past, however companies need to reformulate their original structures, incorporate the Internet, and stay lucrative for them, the artists, Johnny Depp, and the fans. Savvy?
4 comments:
I will be awaiting this blog, it sounds interesting
Katty, I was right, this one was interesting. I agree with you, on most points. The industry loses millions upon millions of dollars each year to pirating. and the interesting thing is one file sharing site falls and 10 more pop up in its place. It would be interesting to know what is the BIGGEST form of file sharing at the moment. If I had to take a guess I would say torrents. But I could be wrong.
Kads
I like that you mentioned the fact that it is thought that sometimes media is leaked from within the industry. Have you heard or thought about Promotional Piracy. See http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showPdf?submitPDF=Full+Text+PDF+%28102+KB%29&doi=10.1111%2Fj.1752-5209.2007.00012.x&cookieSet=1
The it is claimed that the band, The Arctic Monkeys have the success of their first album to thank because of
this. Their music had been recorded at gigs and posted on the internet. Recordings where copied and posted etc. When their album launched everyone knew of them and BANG!!! instant success.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1752-5209.2007.00012.x
Promotional piracy
Try that link...sorry
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