CROSSBONES!

Long time since a post. Had to go to Denver for some work conference thing. Nice trip I guess, got me out of the store for a bit so that's cool, but I'd rather be home with the Wife and the bird ya know?

Anyway the title of this post relates to a topic I've been think about posting about since before I started this thing. Pirates. Not the cool kind with the wooden leg and the parrot, but the online variety. Yes online piracy has been big news lately, due to the recent conviction of The Pirate Bay 4. The Pirate Bay is a bit-torrent tracking site that allowed users to search and find torrent downloads for all sorts of thing, but mainly got known for illegal, bootleg movies, like the new X-men: Wolverine that was released illegaly online weeks before the official premire and long before it hits regular theatres.

Away from movies for a second, as a musician(sorta), piracy effect us in very noticable ways, sometimes for good and other for bad. So here it is. I'm firmly 100% totally against online piracy in all forms. Take that!

So there are a few excuses given by the pirates for why they feel they are not doing anything wrong. The first and most used is that the music is there, so why not. Pretty simple yes, but also incredibly juvinille and stupid. The reason is that since these sights exsist and the media is there ready to be downloaded, why shouldn't they. They probably won't get caught and if they do, slap on the wrist and right back too it. So what's stopping them right? As of right now, not much. The RIAA and other media groups are lobbying for stricter punishments, but honestly the size and scope of the piracy so big they're right, they probably won't ever get caught. This excuse is slippery because it can start to be applied to everything, digital or physical. Go to the grocery store, pocket a pack of gum. Will you get caught? Probably not. If you do, will you be arrested and convicted? Probably not. Does that mean all gum should be free because it's easily steal-able? Hell no!

The second (and weirdest to me) excuse is that somehow these pirates hav a god given right to this pirated media. Somehow it has gotten into some peoples heads that music and movies cannot really be "owned" and that once it's made it's become a part of the fabric of the world and belongs to everyone. Don't ask how they rationalize this, because I've honstly heard a good explanation of this belife. I assume most people are like me (rational), and feel that when something like music, art, or ideas are created by a person or people, they belong to those people. The free exchange of ideas is certainly a large part of what made the 20th century so fast moving and productive. But the free exchange of music, movies, writting, and thought should be VOLUNTARY. I belive that is the actual God given right. If I sculpt a statue in my apartment, it's mine. Music and movies are art in the exact same way, whether physically in cd/dvd/film form or purly digital. You don't have a RIGHT to them.

The last excuse, and certainly my primary reason for opposing piracy, is that the record and movies execs., actors, bands, etc. are rich enough. They aren't being hurt by piracy. This excuse is oddly pretty accurate. I don't belive that any CEO's, bands, or Hugh Jackman are losing anything to piracy. The problem is, that somebody is on the losing side of this. Those people are the truly "hardest working people in showbiz". The pages, assistants, folly artist, tour drivers, roadies, stun people, and the other masses of talented people involved in th making, marketing and production of every piece of pirated material. Not to mention the guys and girls at your local record stores, the kids working the concession counters at you theatre, and the independant film makers and musicians who see a very real effect on their paychecks. This is inexcusable. These are people who work 40-80 hour weeks, trying to make livings for themselves and families that are losing jobs and wages, becuase some backwards ass dudes on the interweb, can't wait an extra week to see Woverine, or just can't bring themselves to go all the way over to...A DIFFERNT WEBSITE, and just pay a buck for the new Kanye tune legaly.

Piracy is nothing more than laziness, cheapness, ignorance, and a dash of self dilusion. There is no reason to steal anything online, ever. If band or indie film maker wants to freely distribute their hard work, than that should be their right. At the same time, if they don't, no one should be allowed to take it from them.

There is so much more to this topic but it's just too long and rediculous to spend more time talking about it. If anyone ever reads this thing, just please pay for what you want, support the little guys who make it happen, and don't play with guns.

YA!

The Dan