Friday, November 18, 2011

Hidden Agendas and other Government Policies

Ask not what your country can do for you...but who can you screw in your country....or something like that.

Have you seen the new "anti-piracy" bill floating through congress all clandestinely and what not? The quotes are intentional. That the bill's intent is different from its title is probable. That its effects are far-reaching is definite.

Several websites have been shut down already by the Department of Homeland Security for piracy violations. Piracy is illegal. Yes. I get that. The Department of Homeland Security though? Really? And people want to discuss government waste. An entity created to protect our country from terrorist threats (don't pretend that you had even heard of a Homeland Security prior to 9/11...B? yeah you B...stop it) is now monitoring sites (mostly hip hop sites seemingly although i don't think it's an "anti-hip hop bill) looking for the nefarious international pirates who are selling unauthorized music.

Look, I know the music climate has changed. I also know that the labels are struggling with low record sales (partially because of piracy, and partially because a lot of this music does exactly what a Kirby vacuum was designed to do). But this bill is heavy handed and will impact the artists who are creating their own buzz online. Destroying the very nature of how we share and discover talent. How many of you would have heard of Drake without Myspace? Oh..."they're not targeting social networks". Gangbangers in drive by shootings aren't targeting innocent civilians, either. But how often do you see the news story about a a child caught in the cross-fire? The hype? Do NOT believe it. The bill is poorly written (surprise!) by people who wouldn't know a search engine from a diesel engine. That the creators of many of the websites with the most traffic are opposed to this bill gives you an idea of who wrote the bill. Youtube? Yeah...they could get shut down. Not because the people behind YouTube are posting illegal music, but because someone like you or me might post some copywritten material to share with others (with no intent to profit). Make no mistake, this is as much about money and lobbyist as it is about anything else.

It's also about freedom. The internet is a global community. If you come to my house and I play a CD for you, that's not piracy. If you go to my youtube page and I post that song...same thing. Now...if I sell you the song, that's illegal and I should be prosecuted. This bill prevents the latter AND the former. You're going to far, now. This is like responding to a slap with a gunshot. But hey....I guess it doesn't matter until you go to your favorite site and get that "404" message. Let's not wait until congress rapes our rights to occupy common sense (we've allowed the Patriot Act to go unchecked for a could happen). Let your congressman know that you want the government to address the budget, debt, foreign policy, jobs, and other REAL issues. SOPA? Stop it B.

P.S. for those of you who may think this is somewhat "self-serving"...perhaps. But ask yourself, would you have heard of me if it weren't for WSHH or GBTV sharing my content (without my consent mind you)? I didn't complain then because, as a new artist, I appreciated the exposure to different markets. A LOT of new artists feel that way. This bill would end that. Think about it....

1 comment:

  1. My nicholas, I should've known you were up on this way before today. I found out about it 'round the same time. Just shared this to my FB page. [work=Love]