One of the things that bugs me is when people believe that posting art, music or other media to their blog is somehow stealing. It is not. Let me explain.
Of course, I could use the tried, tested and true argument that copying isn’t stealing (it’s not), but that’s too obvious.
Sharing is caring
People fail to understand how the internet works. Can you imagine the astronomical bandwidth bills that Cyanide and Happiness would incur if no one shared their work with others? They would have to deliver and host their content all on their own. For the creators to continue making Cyanide and Happiness comics, would not be economical.
Not only would you have never heard or seen of the comic, but in order to find your favorites, would you have to dig through all of their comics. The Internet finds a way to fix this by relying on users to submit and share their favorites with the world. Without this amazing ability, the internet would be like cable TV.
Copyright can be oppressive
Introducing copyright, or more appropriately labeled copywrong. The problem with current copywrong models is that it somehow permits the creator to forbid you to hear or view the work. The plot thickens. Not only does this pseudo-right holder believe they can force you to not see or hear something, but that if you do, they can take your property away or perhaps put you in jail.
Can you imagine what the world would be like had you never been introduced to any pop culture references? If you had never seen a movie before. If you had never heard a copyright protected song before. If you had never seen a work of art that you didn’t pay for. Would you really want to live? I wouldn’t. To forbid someone from valuable and/or educational information, simply because they don’t have the money, is blatantly inhumane. When I think of this, I am reminded of article 19 of The Universal Deceleration of Human Rights:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
How can I continue to make art when they don’t pay?
Let’s be realistic here. Assuming you make a product or produce an art that I like, and I have the money, I am going to want to take that home with me and keep it forever.
Now, if you make crap and I have the money, I’m not going to buy anyway, am I?
If you make great work and I still don’t have the money, then I’m not going to buy it anyway. So what harm have I done to you by viewing your movie or listening to your song? You are not out one dime. Nothing has been stolen from you.
But you ask: If everyone knew that they didn’t have to pay, why would they want to pay? That’s a great question. How about you answer it for me. If my favorite bands and my favorite actors know that I could easily download the work and not pay for it, why do I continue to buy albums, movie tickets, concert tickets, merchandise, DVD’s? Why do I bother to stand in line so I can get an autograph of my favorite singer? Why do I bother to share that music with my friends, further increasing the potential revenue of the artist? WHY? I think these scenarios happen more often than those on the pro-copywrong side of the argument like to admit. I am walking proof.
If it wasn’t for “pirating”, I would have never been introduced to my favorite artists. And that’s just a fact. What I’m saying here is that “piracy” generates more revenue and only seeks to cut out the middle man — the filthy billionaires in the recording industry. See attached image.
Conclusion
So stop taking out your misguided frustrations on those who share work that does not belong to them. But instead, try to enjoy the fact that you would have never seen it had someone not shared it with you… “illegally”.
My advice for those who make art, but don’t want to have them shared with everyone without making a profit: Don’t put it on the internet. Don’t share it with anyone! It’s that simple. But anyone who does this should evaluate his own motivations in his art. This should illustrate to the so-called artist that he’s mostly a profiteer.
Sharing is caring. A life without art is not a life at all.
