The first issue of 2012 seems to be an appropriate time to look forward while taking stock of where the entertainment industry stands as a whole. Piracy has been an important catalyst to the changes we may or may not experience with the passing of SOPA, a bill targeted at anyone reusing copyrighted materials on the internet. If the “dollars that be” have their way, we’ll witness an unprecedented backlash of artists and futurists pushing the same ideals that will eventually wash us back onto the banks of free content and unbridled sharing. Everything is a remix, and eventually we have to embrace these intangibles as priceless capital rather than fleeting merchandise designed to break records and fill basketball stadiums.
Each artist Seeds has interviewed in the past year has been asked to sound off on piracy, and explain how, whether positive or negative, illegal downloads have impacted their careers. There are some varied opinions on the matter, including a few artists who feel they wouldn’t be able to exist within the public conscience without so many people experiencing their work through piracy. Others are appreciative that many of their internet “patrons” turn back to purchase concert tickets and merchandise, spending more than your daily Joe on a bi-annual compact disc.
There still remains the independent artist trying to put gas in the van to make it to your town, so if you appreciate these efforts as much as you say you do on your Tumblr page, show some love with your wallet and your presence. It’s imperative to nurture these forms of expression, otherwise they feel frivolous and eventually fade, leaving the rest of us to work on our table scraps and Rhianna remixes.
My stance on the issue may have become obvious to you by this point. Short of complete self-incrimination and a request for some haughty emails, I’d like to express how piracy effects the pirate. This debate rarely touches on the sort of sociological impact of exposing oneself to as much global content as possible. I can guarantee I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I’ve situated myself if it hadn’t been for the careful acquisition of these films and music to fuel my passions and broaden my field of view. Gigabytes of often useless information, flowing at an exponential rate to stomp out ignorance and originality. That’s where I choose to be.
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