Comin' to the BBQ?! Great, we'll be by to get your pig.
I love this issue. And have been on both sides of the fence. Here is a good analogy. I don't do drugs. And don't mind industries implementing drug testing policies for their workers. I'll pee in your cup if it makes you happy. On the other hand, in the eighties when I partied like a rock star, drug testing was a total infringement of my constitutional right to privacy! I was totally against drug testing.
I am currently against downloading and file sharing. I personally know an artist, Sia, whose fourth album is coming out in the next few months. A month ago she announced that the album was finished. Not to days later, on her website, someone started a thread with the title, "Sia's new album is leaked!" About a dozen of the ipod/text message/download crowd posted that they had went to the link and downloaded the album, as well as telling their friends about it........Someone told Sia and she posted that she was really disappointed that people would steal her music like that.
The downloaders were stunned. Stealing music is usually a faceless crime where no one gets hurt. Yet here was their favorite artist telling them she was deeply hurt that they would do this to her. It became personal.
Sia is on the verge of making it. The downloaders always point to the evil record co's taking all the profits and the poor artist is getting ripped off.
Sia is doing her third world tour. She plays small to medium venues. The record company pays for everything. She could not afford to do this without financial backing.
The pirates always misdirect in this argument. Free content is their right, and they will take it as long as there is no consequence. What if any of you went to work tomorrow and your employer gave you a paycheck 50% of normal and said some strangers had stolen your weeks work so you were only getting half a check? Ah, then it would be something to talk about.
Everyone wants to go to a free BBQ until it is their Pig on the spit.
