Comments | evilhippo: On Black March

evilhippo

On Black March

Jan 21, 2012 10:17

I'm going to sopasoapbox here for a second guys, sorry. But I keep seeing posts about Black March, and while I agree with it in principle, I can't imagine it having any significant effect on the MPAA, RIAA, etc. Why? Because while we are still part of the demographic that everyone courts... most of us don't spend a lot of money on our ( Read more... )

thinking

Comments 3

apple_pathways January 21 2012, 16:37:36 UTC

In terms of media consumption (and certainly, media consumption I actually spend money for) music is the overwhelming bulk for me. And in that case, I do my best to spend money in support of the artists I enjoy. (Yet don't necessarily feel compelled to shell out any bucks to get Beyonce's latest single that has just happened to worm its way into my brain ( ... )

evilhippo January 21 2012, 17:17:41 UTC

I'm not saying the boycott is a bad idea, or that people shouldn't do it, I'm just suggesting that there are other ways to supplement it that will help make more of a difference. These companies already know we're unhappy, but it isn't going to stop them from doing what they're doing, because they're convinced that they can't make money if people share things with each other or try them out for free before they buy them. Boycotts mostly work if they actually make a dent in profits, which I don't think will happen if we only take a month off. If we framed it as a way of proving that we do spend money on these things and aren't just pirates, it'd probably be more poweful, but we're not framing it that way. (I have a lot of issues with how the actual Black March image is worded, actually, especially the half-quotes around "piracy" and "conspiracy" in regards to megaupload. Has no one read about its founders? Has no one used megaupload? This is not a thing we should be making into a rallying point, because it's one of the most ( ... )

apple_pathways January 21 2012, 18:57:11 UTC

You can say that about just about any bill being passed through congress: that most people haven't heard of it. :P

There's undoubtedly a lot of people out there who just want to continue getting their media for free, and couldn't give a damn about the underlying issues of censorship and lobbyist control of our government. Being a huge fan of television shows that are unavailable / not readily available in the US, I want to keep getting shows like Sherlock for free, without having to wait and then purchase the DVDs. (I don't think it's too much to ask. I may not pay a license fee, but with the amount of money I've shelled out for BBC merchandise over the years, I think I've made up for it ( ... )