This is a splendidly informed debate, incidentally. I'm enjoying it.
On 1/31/07, Stephen Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Media groups tend to equate a download with a (potential) lost sale. This is just not the case. Many people who download, especially cross borders may discover television from other countries to which they had no access.
Example: The Daily Show was sold to More4 as an exclusive purchase for within the territory of the UK. The production company is selling something that commands a good price because it is selling the rights to exclusively show this programme in the UK. If the majority of people were watching it via BitTorrent et al, then the value of the show to the More4 is much less. This is the problem. Not a missed sale; but a very badly harmed value of a product. Many other people who download are of course unable to afford the vast
majority of what they download. They may be getting something for free, but still are not lost sales.
"I nicked it because I can't afford it" is an interesting claim when talking about downloading via computer and broadband connection (two luxury products), and it still doesn't recompense The Daily Show for lost value for its product, or More4 for lost advertising revenue. Remember, More4 and their advertisers are paying for the programme, so you don't have to. Sadly, it is rare that media institutions are forward looking, nor wish
to reconsider their current policies to take into account recent technological developments. What makes this worse is that a large number of people within their companies are likely to be 'illegal' downloaders, and there will be some that also know distribution protocols such as bittorrent, and the necessary economics to distribute in this way. I doubt however, any such people would find it advantageous to reveal this to their employer, unless they already held a large amount of influence in the company.
Well, all media institutions have people that research new technology within them. I'm paid to do that. I have used BitTorrent, Kazaa and Napster (all of which are/were possible to use legally, incidentally); I have hacked subscription television; and have done a variety of other entertaining things on and offline. I expect (and hope) the rest of my team have done so as well. Blimey - imagine what you'd be saying if we didn't bother to research? [I ought to point out that I haven't, though, shared any substantive amount of other peoples' material; because I don't own it.] Finally: you claim media institutions aren't forward looking. If you've not realised, you're arguing with someone who works for a commercial radio station, on a mailing list run by the BBC for developers to mash-up their content. Excellent. ;) -- http://james.cridland.net/
