Image by The House of Commons
This is the first that I’ve looked at copyright and “piracy” to this extent. It’s a problem that I’m thankful not to have to solve because it’s deep and complicated beyond what I had anticipated. Good Copy, Bad Copy was an interesting movie to watch because the producers were interviewing all types of personalities in the business but at times it was a rather satirical portrayal of them. For example when they would hold the shot after the subject would stop talking and during the pause play a music segment or just hold the shot long enough for the subject to talk, thinking they were off camera. I wasn’t quite sure how to read that aspect.
The issue of copyright is far deeper than I had imagined and I was unaware of the Techno Brega culture of Brazil or the statistics regarding Nigeria and the amount of films they produce each year. I’ve been thinking a lot about the segments on Nigeria regarding respect for copyright and patrol of piracy in the local markets. They seem to have an effective handle on and view of piracy but when compared to the United States, my opinion is that it just comes down to pure capitalism, and that we as individuals and corporations are solely fixed on making money. That is why this issue will go on forever and ever because we don’t like to share. It seems that in the other cultures that were featured, the artist is more interested in being recognized, rather than making money. Though I’m sure there are many artists out there who share that view, I don’t think that would ever be the majority of artists in the U.S. because of the music labels and production companies. I’m not saying that I agree or disagree with that idea but change is a tough pill to swallow when it means less revenue. A revolution is certainly occurring as we speak.
Hey Dena, well said! I agree that a revolution is certainly underway regarding "sharing" and copyright infringement and it will be interesting to see how it pans out. I also really enjoyed watching Good Copy/Bad Copy and thought a it was interesting to see the film makers show perspectives from multiple cultures around the world. It was neat seeing how other cultures used copyrighted material, such as Brazil with the Techno Brega and the Pirate Bay in Sweden.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I feel about it all either. While I'm certainly all about sharing music and not having to pay the big corporations, I also feel that, if any artists in the film made it big... they'd flip their minds on the idea of sharing their work for free.
It'll be interesting to see how the big corporations continue to handle this.
You know, Dena, you make a great point about capitalism. I took a film class a while back, and it was amazing to learn about history of the big studios and how they were mired in corruption as everyone tried to "own" the business. I can't help but think that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
ReplyDeleteI work at residential college, which is an easy target for the RIAA and the MPA as they try to crack down on copyright violations. I wonder how long it would take if those organizations directed all the time and money spent on policing content into finding viable profit models in the digital age?
Dena, I think the top down model of control that is practiced by the major labels and film industry is on the way out. Look at the incredible slump in record sales over the past few years. The independent film, Winter Bone was nominated for several Oscars including best picture. Granted the majors will be with us for some time to come given their ability to raise the huge sums of cash to produce blockbusters in both film and music, but the writing is on the wall. With the spread of the internet and the access to inexpensive tools to create rich content, capitalism will have to learn to adapt quickly if it wants to survive in the world of art.
ReplyDeletegreat summary and observations, it is a tough subject that we need to have a basic understanding of. I hope that the info serves you well. BTW, love the poster/image. If it's from the turn of the previous century, as it appears to be, the US was notorious for stealing ideas and media from Europe and England... interesting.
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