Pirates of the Cyber-bbean

Music piracy is on the rise like a high tide


When thinking of piracy the first image that jumps into ones head could easily be that of Johnny Depp cavorting around the Caribbean, commandeering boats, pillaging and plundering as the lead in the popular Hollywood movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Yet in today’s ever evolving New Media environment, piracy is a term that is no longer merely associated with the swashbuckling sea-faring types, rather it has seen its flag tied to the mast of a particular distribution channel for music through the internet. This is the unauthorised and illegal distribution of music known as online music piracy.

The issue of online piracy is one of growing concern as numbers of users who are partaking in these activities is on the rise. This can be attributed to various reasons, however an article in The Australian sums up matters quite well when it stated that, “Internet music piracy is riding at record levels and is set to rise as newly emboldened consumers revolt against high online prices and controversial technology designed to prevent digital bootlegging” (The Australian: Online music piracy hits records, 2007).

This digital bootlegging is a vicious cycle that strips the music industry of profits and royalties that would previously have gone into the coffers of artists and the recording industry as a whole. This impact not merely effects the established artists, but also the people behind the scenes such as sound techs and emerging artists who feel the pinch the most from these lost funds. The problem is compounded as there is a diminished avenue for the promotion that is provided by the recording industry to successful artists. This results in a reduced budget offered which was traditionally measured and handed out in relation to music unit sales.

The matter of music piracy looked to have come to a head in 2006 when one of the market leaders of online music piracy KAZZA, if that term can be used here, was ordered in a court settlement to pay a global settlement of US115 million dollars to the recording industry (for further details visit http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=76132 ).
Yet this seems to have had little impact on the flow of illegal music downloads with further peer to peer download options springing up, finding loopholes in which to operate.
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes and soaring to greater heights, music piracy has been given a boost by online communities and the nature of participatory culture in today’s ever-changing New Media environment. New groups and communities have formed and collaborated with each other to continue to bolster this illegal trend. This is helped by the changing culture of our nation, with children now being born into an age with an access to free music and it can be argued that many do not see it as a crime, rather a right to have free music.

The growing numbers involved in music piracy can be seen in a recent survey undertaken by Entertainment Media Research confirming what many in the music industry have long suspected - online music piracy is on the rise. As stated by The Australian: Online music piracy hits records (2007) , “this can be put down to high online prices for the music, controversial technology and in general the receding fears of prosecution...the survey stated, that 43 per cent of people said they illegally downloaded tracks, up from 36 per cent in 2006.”

To truly understand the scope of this issue which is currently plaguing the music industry, one must look at the evolution the music scene has undergone to reach this point. It isn’t too much of a stretch to say that music was originally focused upon live performances, then with the advancing technology in the recording industry and the realisation of the staggering amounts of money which could be made in the recording and distribution of music through varying mediums. E.g. radio, and more recently television mediums and CD’s and DVD’s. Looking at this evolution, one can see that the convergence of technologies and media has played a significant role in the creation of the issue of online music piracy. This has been created and allowed to flourish by the technological innovation of the internet and the platform for global distribution which it provides to consumers.

The result being that traditional medium of music has been juxtaposed and intertwined in a marriage with a new digital media that is capable of world-wide distribution, the internet. The phenomenon of the distribution of music online is an excellent example of the convergent culture. The focus of discussion when looking at the internet as a distribution platform should not be solely on the negative. There are several successful, legal online distribution channels such as iTunes and Amazon to name two. These legal online distributors to take advantage of optimal online delivery models which do away with the constraints of physical store space and have the ability to provide content that is from outside the conventional mainstream media content channel.

In conclusion music piracy I believe is a decidedly negative force that is impacting upon the music industry; however there are opportunities that exist via online distribution to tackle the problem and lessen its financial blow.

References

Online music piracy hits records: The Australian (2007) http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22164719-7582,00.html (accessed April 24, 2008)