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In the contemporary world of today, there are a number of ways through which media is reaching the consumer. These mediums include CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray videos, video games etc. In addition to this, the consumers may easily download audio clips, video clips and other required material from innumerable sites that allow free download of such stuff. If truth be told, it was already envisioned that the users of the modern world will prefer digital delivery format instead of going to the shops and buying the materialized versions. In fact, there have been discussions that the digital delivery format will be the preferred consumer choice one day instead of buying physical versions (Siwek, 2007).
In today’s world, a user has an easy access to media that is now available at his/her fingertips. There are thousands of websites and other outlets that are providing unlawful access to media including music and videos. As far as my opinion is concerned, the copyrighting of such materials asks for consideration. I believe that websites that are hosting illegal media must be shut down and punished by law. This is because the downloading of illegal material can bring consequences that are not favorable for the user. Therefore, production companies shall have the right to shut down such websites that make users download free sound or video clips from their media/library (Siwek, 2007).
Downloading illegal media from sites can have many effects not only on the music industry that includes singers, lyricists, music technicians etc. but can also prove negative for federal, state and local governments. According to an estimate, downloading illegal media can bring a loss of over $422 million on an annual basis to United States only. Besides, tens and thousands of people have lost their jobs related to the mentioned fields (Siwek, 2007).
When people download pirated music, the one thing they ignore is that music or video downloaded from bootlegged sites is not free. Instead, there is always a price that has to be paid. In the year 2012, two popular file sharing websites i.e. Megaupload and Megavideo were shut down that consequently resulted in increasing movie studios’ online revenue. This is because when such websites are closed on a permanent basis, customers tend to purchase legal media through legal channels instead of the pirated one from bootlegged websites. According to a research, the shutting down of the two mentioned cyberlocker sites “led to more digital sales and rentals for two major movie studios in 12 countries including the U.S.” (Fritz, 2013). Just after the shutting down of the two sites, the sales and rentals of the digital movies increased dynamically. This was found out in a study conducted by two college professors, Brett Danaher and Michael D. Smith, whose studies did not include physical media sales (Fritz, 2013).
However, there are still thousand of cyber bootlegging services like Napster, TTD, Zomb Torrents, DIME, Audiogalaxy etc. due to which such a climate has been created “where consumers now expect to get music for nothing more than the price of a local phone call” ("Culture: Trusting Way to," 2002, p. 16). Internet is being used by thousands and thousands of people who easily link with fans who are on the same wave length and thus exchange CDs of favorite music albums or videos that are being burned at home ("Culture: Trusting Way to," 2002, p. 16).
Almost every studio is trying its best nowadays to develop Web and video-on-demand cable services so that the threat of a service like Napster could be avoided. Napster.com is that site which wobbled the music recording industry for the reason that it offered a free swapping service to music lovers. On the other hand, the savoir-faire Web users have already been successful in discovering ways for downloading and exchanging motion pictures. According to estimate, about 400,000 bootlegged films are exchanged on the Internet on a daily basis ("Online Piracy," 2009, p. 10).
Therefore, it is exceedingly necessary to encourage “increasingly tough action to curb the illegal downloading and bootlegging which has become rife in the wake of the digital and online revolution” (Sinclair, 2007). However, it is not at all suggested here that there should be a complete eradication of the ways through which people get some excitement and entertainment. The important thing is to define and draw a line to such activities so that people don’t get involved in illegal stuff. Thus, the piracy and downloading of pirated material must be checked as it can cause disastrous loss of earnings to the production companies.
References
Fritz, B. (2013, March 7). Shutdown of Megaupload and Megavideo Helped Hollywood - WSJ.com. The Wall Street Journal - Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News & Video - Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Retrieved March 23, 2013, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324034804578344551047272218.html
Sinclair, D. (2007, August 3). Frontier Lawmen ; If the Internet Is the Wild West of the Digital Age, Then Musicians Need New-Fangled Gunslingers to Protect Them. DAVID SINCLAIR Reports on a Self-Styled Web Sheriff. The Independent. Retrieved March 23, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1P2-7536742/frontier-lawmen-if-the-internet-is-the-wild-west
Siwek, S. E. (2007, August 21). The True Cost of Sound Recording Piracy to the U.S. Economy > IPI Issues > Institute for Policy Innovation. Institute for Policy Innovation. Retrieved March 23, 2013, from http://www.ipi.org/ipi_issues/detail/the-true-cost-of-sound-recording-piracy-to-the-us-economy
The Birmingham Post (2002, January 24). Culture: Trusting Way to Set the Record Straight; Andrew Cowen Is Impressed by a New Fast-Growing Label, HS Recordings, the Brainchild of Birmingham's Darren Scott. The Birmingham Post, p. 16. Retrieved March 23, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-82087463/culture-trusting-way-to-set-the-record-straight
