Death of a Pirate

This isn't about a band or directly about the local music scene. However, it is about music and how it's consumed today. So I'm going to take a minute and talk about it.

Between the push SOPA got last month, the arresting of MegaUploads founder Kim DotCom, and last weeks shutting down of over 300 sports streaming sites; the digital seas of the internet have never been so rough on a modern day pirate.

DotCom's arrest for the general public shouldn't be too much of a heart break. He was, by all accounts, a dirt bag. He was recently denied the ability to purchase a New Zealand property for failing a "good character test". And his arrest wasn't soley based on 'piracy'. There is also chargesof laundering and racketeering for him to deal with. But the shutting down of the streaming sites and the number of potential internet regulating bills that could lead to black listing certain cites and or consumers is troubling.

I have been around music downloading since my introduction to Napster some 13 years ago. Over the last year or two, my participation in downloading has dwindled down, not because of a fear of repercussions, but due to a lack of time. Also, I have a number of friends who participate enough in that sort of thing that If I wanted an album, it seemed easier for me to have someone burn me a copy as opposed to me scouring the web for it.

But I have gained from the act of downloading. And I have seen a sporting event streamed on an unauthorized website. And now one of them is gone, and the other is threatening to leave. And following a conversation I had with an avid pirate a couple days ago, I don't care if I CAN still download music, I wouldn't even think about it now.

The other day I wondered up to my buddy (I'll keep his name at Buddy for purposes of this blog) and asked him if he had a copy of a recently released album. His response was more than a little shocking.

"Bro, I'm done with that sh*t. Too dangerous now." He responded. After asking why, he followed up with a long winded rant about having police track his internet usage or losing access to the net all together wasn't worth the trouble. I hadn't realized the penalties of grabbing an album were teetering on becoming that harsh. I wouldn't dare put myself in that kind of potential trouble, let alone someone friendly enough to give me some music. So I'm out. From now on, it's iTunes only.