Google’s Sergey Brin has some comments to say about the entertainment industry, talking about hurdles to buy content and how they drive people away from buying. He also commented that as long as acquiring pirated content is easier than legitimate content people will continue to download pirated material.
This just echos what I have written about a couple times in the past. Why is it so hard to buy music and the fact there is only one territory for sales, the world. But… I also pointed out that the second the desire to buy is blocked, the first place you often go to find a download is Google. They may not be the source of the problem, but they are contributing to the problem… at least at this point. That could change if the hurdles to a legitimate purchase are removed.
He reserved his harshest words for the entertainment industry, which he said was “shooting itself in the foot, or maybe worse than in the foot” by lobbying for legislation to block sites offering pirate material.
He said the Sopa and Pipa bills championed by the film and music industries would have led to the US using the same technology and approach it criticised China and Iran for using. The entertainment industry failed to appreciate people would continue to download pirated content as long as it was easier to acquire and use than legitimately obtained material, he said.
“I haven’t tried it for many years but when you go on a pirate website, you choose what you like; it downloads to the device of your choice and it will just work – and then when you have to jump through all these hoops [to buy legitimate content], the walls created are disincentives for people to buy,” he said.
via Web freedom faces greatest threat ever, warns Google’s Sergey Brin | Technology | The Guardian.
So everyone understands the problem except the industry or do they enjoy playing the victim?
Stupid zone systems etc. Is as much to blame outside the US. Like Game Of Thrones season 2 in Norway. If your not willing to pay for the channel that have bought the rights, you won’t be able to see It legally before 2013.
Please, show me where i can bit torrent some google stock, Brin.
Imagine if you walked into Target to buy some clothes, stood in line, took out your credit card and they said no we will only sell to you if you live in our immediate town. Out of towners can’t buy from us. Does it surprise you that the major labels are in trouble when that is how they operate their business?
I have been saying this for years. It is about convenience more than theft. Make the paid product eiser to get to, more compatible, and higher quality, and people will pay. If I steal it, it has no DRM and I can play it on any and all my devices. If I pay I can only play it on the device I bought it for. And as Michael points out, sometimes the only way to get it is to steal it.
I can click in on Amazon and have it in one to two clicks. Not sure how much easier it can be.
Neil – I live outside the US and believe me it’s not that easy, I’m very familiar with the “not available in your region” “US only” notifications
Another thing that’s plain stupid these days are how difficult It is get physical media. Many people I know more or less download just because It’s almost impossible to get a CD, DVD etc. And they are not willing to wait for a couple of days shopping online, and really don’t feel streaming or digital files are worth paying for. The entertainment industry are very good at putting all their eggs in one basket.
I download 99% of my music because most music stores don’t carry what I want & that means importing & waiting anywhere up to 6 weeks or paying some exorbitant shipping fees. It’s not just music & movies only, having the same trouble with books
understood on outside the US, but pirating in the US happens. its one or two clicks to get an mp3.
Some people will pirate even if the legit files were handed to them in a silver platter, I think the US also has some issues getting music from Europe. Region restrictions need to be removed it’s that simple, shouldn’t matter where in the world you live
It’s also because very many people don’t feel that a digital file has any value…
Well I, personally, don’t think Google’s shares have any value. Can someone point me in the direction to get some for free?
Nils – I think it’s more that we don’t think we should pay almost as much for a digital file as for a physical copy. I Imported a CD from the US for $20 incl shipping, that same album on iTunes Aust was $18.99 WTF? I’ve even noticed with some Kindle books that they are more expensive than the paperback. I understand that it requires the same amount of work to put it all together but when there are no overheads, shipping, material cost, etc I can’t see why you would pay the same or more as the case may be