STOP! Read this important message before exercising your privilege to share your thoughts:
Have you ever wondered why you can listen to amazing, high-quality mp3's, but you never see any similar technology available to record yourself and junior banging out fresh original music on the tuba and dulcimer in your own basement?
Choice of performance aside, the technology to record and distribute your idea, although obviously in existence, it is difficult if not impossible to acquire in the public, household consumer market.
With the advent of High-Definition Television, have you ever been inspired to make your own video-media production just for fun? Maybe you're extraordinarily charismatic, and you even desire to some day stage a home-production of your very own public-broadcast television show (in the spirit of Wayne and Garth), dreaming to demo it on your neighbor's new High-Definition television?
Before you go any further, you had better read this documentation of an Educated expert on the subject of technology and copy protection, titled What's Wrong With Copy Protection
Please, in the unlikely event that you are reading these words, if you do take the initiative to follow the link above, then when you're finished reading, i hope that you decide to come back and provide your own commentary on this subject. Your words could do more for the future of freedom than you might thinkรขโฌโ and that's worth the effort! (isn't it?) I urge you to speak now, while you still have the freedom to do so. It's easyรขโฌโ i've even taken all of the hard work out of it by making this public venue available for you.
Should you choose to dismiss this issue altogether, i beg you to ask yourself in earnest the following questions:
- Can you step away from the computer right now, go out and buy a device (for your own private use) to record and reproduce in ultra-small media format the same ultra-high quality audio available in commercial mp3's, and other similar consumer audio media?
- Can you cite any available technology for recording and duplicating High-Definition video-media for private distribution and private viewing (as you might have duplicated a VHS video of your parents' wedding) ?
- How might the aforementioned technology be used by public Educators, news media, or any other public servants which have a need for distributing duplicate copies of informational material?
- In our comsumer technology market, why are we not subject to the advertising of audio and video gadgets which implement a similar ultra-portable, and ultra-duplicable technology to that of mp3's as we once were, for example, with the analog technology of the VCR, the รขโฌลcamcorderรขโฌย, or the รขโฌลdouble cassette deckรขโฌย?
2 responses to “Are you an aspiring Independent Film Producer; a Singer, Musician, or Songwriter? Then show us your Stuff!”
I agree with the author’s (John Gilmore) comments to an extent but I think there is a bit of conspiracy theory and conflict of interest in this story as well. Gilmore has an interest in promoting several technologies that copy protection stifles. Iรขโฌโขm not saying he is a money hungry entrepreneur that wants to break away from the oppressive corporation in order to make a profit; itรขโฌโขs just obvious that he values shared and open resources. I realize this is a bit of an ad homium argument so Iรขโฌโขll try to support my statement somewhat. I think that copyright protection has evolved into a more strict (and sometimes scary) control mechanism because the methods for controlling human behavior (laws in this case) have been insufficient to keep up with the technology. It is the manufactures of digital equipment that have seemingly now conspired to limit the consumersรขโฌโข ability to copy information. Why would they do that? In the case of Apple, one of the companies mentioned by name, I think the answer is clear, because the equipment maker has a stake in the content. Similarly you can probably draw the same conclusion with Sony. The reason why I contend that Gilmoreรขโฌโขs conclusions are a bit conspiratorial is that Appleรขโฌโขs market share can hardly be considered one that could รขโฌลdrive competitors out of the marketรขโฌย. In addition, in the case of a company like Sony they would have to unilaterally redefine standards. Granted not impossible for Sony but suggesting that the FCC would make it impossible for a non-US corporation to produce equipment capable of recording HDTV seems a bit far fertched. In addition, the author suggests รขโฌลbut where are the stereo MP3 recorders?รขโฌย as if they are hidden from the all seeing eyes of Google. One can buy stereo MP3 recorders and their availability is probably determined more by demand than fear of litigation. Overall, I think we are living in a time when information is more freely available, to copy legally and illegally, than it ever has been before and the sense of restrictions that I see from Gilmoreรขโฌโขs article reflect a sense of entitlement that probably has more to do with his ideals of sharing and community than with industries desire to control.
Hey Cavotta– thanks for your reply! i can always count on you for a little clarity, if not at least a counter view-point to liven the argument.
for the record, the piece from the original text which inspired me post the article was the bit about the stifling of scientific research. sounded a bit scary– and i being one to enjoy the defiance of power, as a matter of course, naturally i enjoyed posting the article. :)
i’m hearing you though– did i mention that i did no research before posting this either? as a musician (granted, not a young, on-top-of-tech musician, but i must remark that i don’t recall much hype over any mp3 recorders which you’d think would be popular among guitarists and songwriters for capturing those creative moments while away from the home-studio. doubt i’d ever use one, but i think kids should have the same chance at that kind of fun as we did w/ cassettes… i can’t think of any other way to do some of the fun-with-audio other than to copy and reproduce stuff– doesn’t have to be broadcast, but it’s fun for playing at home with stuff like, for example, twisting the words of a well-known speech, or twisting the words of your friend, etc.
as for HDTV, heck– i’d be happy to own an old hi8 camcorder, and a new DVD player that’s not gummed w/ nicotine gunk! i’m still bothered by the idea of actually ADDING stuff to tech to force degradation– reminds me of a kid running w/ scissors just cause someone told him not to– someone’s eventually going to poke an eye out! and then who’s gonna be laughing!
;)