p2pnet special: This past week I discussed the recent rise in TV shows (old and new) available on DVD, sometimes appearing on store shelves before, or even while, a series is broadcast where I live. I also wrote about the shortened waiting time between when a movie or TV show is released in the US and then to overseas markets. This is also true of DVD releases of movies.

The MPAA and American TV networks and producers are starting to give us what we want, almost when we want it. Bram Cohen’s BitTorrent company will soon provide the mechanism – to the tune of US$8.5M – for the networks and movie producers to break into the realms of P2P, equipped with DRM-infested and restrictive low quality video files. More like the “realms of fantasy” if they think they’re going to get a lot of suckers to turn from free filesharing to their own brands. It’s not enough, and it’s not what we want.

There are twelve families in my apartment building, most of whom have young children. We’re all of different nationalities and backgrounds, with only a few who are actual natives of this country.

Where we live, filesharing is not illegal as far as I’m aware. In fact, my ISP counts on – and encourages – filesharing in order to compete with rival companies for customers, which has recently lowered my internet costs by one-third. I’ve often discussed different P2P programs and sites with my ISP’s reps and have never been told to stop.

Presently, I enjoy the fastest cable internet connection available to private customers here, and I make full use of it. Unfortunately, many of the families in my building either don’t have a computer, or they can’t afford the same service I can and just aren’t very computer-literate or P2P-savvy. They have other obligations and responsibilities which are more important than P2P.

But theirs and their childrens’ happiness and enjoyment of information and entertainment is one of those obligations. Anyone with children at home knows this to be true.

The cost of a movie ticket here has skyrocketed in recent years to at least US$15.00, the last time I checked, so these parents can’t afford to take their young ones to each new film that comes out. Nor can they afford the high cost of buying or renting a DVD.

Copying a DVD is also not illegal where I live, as far as I know, and the shops are filled with DVD copying and production programs.

My neighbours know about my filesharing and computer hobbies: they sometimes ask me to try and download a film or TV show in their language, or they ask me if they can either borrow a DVD from me, or even if I’d copy one of my DVDs for them.

I don’t mind at all. I spend a lot of time at my computer anyway, and I’m very glad if it makes them and their kids happy. And I don’t accept payment of any kind from them.

No one here is stealing anything and no one here is profiting from filesharing or copying DVDs. No one here is a pirate.

I know these parents would love to take their kids to every new film they wish. I know they’d love to be able to buy them each new Disney or Pixar DVD. But although the availability and release dates have improved greatly in the past few years, the price is still much of an obstacle for these hard-working middle-class families whose higher responsibilities and obligations don’t include worrying about Hollywood fat-cats’ already-bulging wallets. They worry about paying their bills, putting food on the table, clothes on their kids backs, etc. Real life.

And where we live, peoples’ voices speak louder than any company’s or politician’s.

My apartment house is a microcosm of the world and what’s really going on and how ordinary people think. And as we’re mostly all from different countries, I asked them if they think or believe that filesharing or copying a DVD or CD is theft and should be illegal and/or punishable by hefty fines, and/or jail time. Not a single one answered in the affirmative.

Not one! And why? Because of all of the reasons – and more – that I described above. Besides offering high-quality films, reasonable, affordable pricing is the key to getting more people to go to the cinemas, and buy or rent more DVDs and CDs.

The RIAA admits that only the top 5% of their artists are successful and make any substantial profit. The reasons are numerous, but the ones that make headlines underscore the corruptness of the industry. Record companies promote their “stars”, lavishing every luxury on them as long as they keep appearing on MTV and in gossip columns, while the record companies own the recording and performance rights, thereby earning more money than the artists themselves.

Independent bands and performers are routinely shut out of any possibility of having their works heard by large audiences. Record company executives have been found guilty of paying bribes to NY radio stations to play their music, and more lawsuits in other markets are sure to follow.

The movie industry isn’t any less corrupt. “Lord of the Rings” producer and owner of the trilogy, Saul Zaentz, http://p2pnet.net/story/6093 successfully sued Time Warner’s New Line for US$20M in unpaid royalties, which had been calculated using illegal bookkeeping procedures. Peter Jackson, the director of the trilogy, has his own pending lawsuit against New Line for unpaid royalties from box office receipts from the first film, as well as from DVD sales, computer games and other merchandise and toys.

The MPAA admits that more than 80% of their profit comes from DVD sales and rentals. Just think how much more they’d earn, and how many new and repeat customers they’d have, as well as how many more happy entertained children there would be, if only the price were reasonable!

Ordinary people turn to filesharing for ordinary reasons – to save money, to rebel against unreasonable pricing and illegal business practices, and to show their dissatisfaction with inferior-quality entertainment which isn’t worth paying for.

These ideas are not approaching the “realms of fantasy”. These are the facts, and the sooner the TV, music, and movie producers wake up to it, the better.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, December 10th, 2005 at 6:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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