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Not too long ago, a well published songwriter wrote an open letter to the file sharers of the world. In it, he said:
What is becoming increasingly clear is that the great majority of you truly feel no guilt about the "sharing" of what I have created and own -- my music.
You have lumped together many professions (artists, songwriters, engineers, producers, publishers, etc.) into one big ugly corporate caricature -- a rich and corrupt industry that can be stolen from remorselessly. Additionally, in your "yes, Virginia, there is a free lunch" mentality, you have unthinkingly devalued songs to the extent that you perceive them as trifles -- something of little value to be partaken and enjoyed at no cost. Moreover, you have unfairly condemned me and my record industry peers for bringing the law to bear against you. In classic "blame the victim" reasoning, you lay the responsibility for my losses at my feet, saying, in essence, that the problem is not your theft, but rather my inability to prevent it.
Well, file-sharers, I righteously say "bull." I, songwriter/publisher, labored for years to create those songs, and I really do legally own them. I -- not you -- have the right to control what happens to them, a right your technology does not trump. You are dead wrong to simply give my songs away and undermine my only chance to profit from my creations. Don't tell me that I should gracefully pardon your hand in my pocket. Don't insinuate to me that, because your thievery is so facile, perhaps I should find some other way to make a living. Your "hobby" is taking the bread off my table, and I have every right to use any and all legal means possible to discourage your destructive practices.
There are a some details in his letter that aren't quite completely right (as an example, he doesn't actually own the songs, but he does own the copyright to them), but I am rather sympathetic to his position. He has worked hard on his craft, and he should be compensated for his efforts. Having said that, it's my opinion that the musical marketplace is undergoing a sea change. His letter rings of a complaint that the world is changing and he has not been able to/is not able to adjust to the brave new world in which we find ourselves.
However, a little bit of hypocrisy rears it's ugly head when it comes to his past. It seems that he was arrested for carrying a loaded revolver onto a airplane in January of this year. Maybe that's what he meant by the means to discourage destructive practices.
Personally, I only find this lightly hypocritical. His error in judgement regarding being armed on a plane does not compromise his position on flie sharing. If he had been prosecuted for plagerism or music piracy in the past, then that would be massive hypocracy. This is just some egg on his face during a public moment.
Thanks to Eric for the tip.
Posted by Casper at April 6, 2004 01:05 PM