New Media and "Legal" Downloads

Shall the masses ever shift their ways of downloading software they do not own? Shall the big companies ever be able to make their software hack proof? The New Media field may be hitching a ride that will just make it more popular. Is it that people don't see stealing from big corporations as bad or just don't care anymore? New Media being downloaded on those servers that usually harvest illegal software is that boost that the new media community may need. What is the best way for an artist to become popular, getting noticed? Media projects showing up in those places everyone downloading from equals getting noticed.

An artist just out of college what to do next? Getting a good foundation can be the hardest for any artist. In any art genre you are either known or you are not. How do those big names get to where they are today? Well of course someone saw or heard of one of their pieces and then it started a chain reaction. One friend telling another friend, like magic they get known! Well your probably wondering why I'm talking about this well when you run your p2p software have you ever downloaded the wrong song but found out how much you love that artist? Has it ever inspired you to go buy their CD? It has for me many times! The same way for New Media artists, maybe they named their piece the same name as a big movie everyone is downloading right now and so someone tries to download that movie and they get your artwork.

They watch it for the hell of it and there you go you are one step closer to getting recognized in the art community! "The issue of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and music downloads gives rise to strong and differing opinions from record company executives, musicians, and the listening public. A conclusive study of the impact of P2P on the record industry proves difficult to obtain, and each side has manipulated sales figures to their advantage: while the RIAA present a worst-case scenario, others demonstrate that P2P does in fact encourage sales by introducing listeners to new material which is then purchased in CD format." (Miriam Rainsford 2003) Have you ever went out and bought a CD just cause you thought you liked the artist? I usually like to hear the artist before I buy their whole cd. This can work the same way for a New Media artist. Job opportunities if someone likes your work or just maybe they will promote your art for you because they like it so much!

"While the RIAA is complaining that P2P networks are cutting into their sales, independent labels say 2002 was the best year in their history." (Tim O'Reilly 2003) Maybe this is the death of big corporations that may already have too much money, the boost that independent companies have needed for so long. So does this mean that this is a rebirth of the artist side of the economy? When you get out on your own trying getting a start would you like to have big corporations stepping on you? This may turn the tables to help those independent artists make their first few steps in this cannibalistic world.

Does p2p have to be software that you download files with? Couldn't p2p be also the discussion boards and forums that artists join to get critique from peers? Peer to peer the name says nothing about software. Deviantart.com is a good example of peer to peer. You upload your art and the community critiques it. In near future wouldn't it be sensible for educational systems to use p2p to share resources? Companies to use p2p to sample pieces of art done by the people they are going to hire. Is it that p2p software will be the death of the internet and computers or is it that p2p will reshape our lives and how we do things "online"?

P2p gives artists freedom to use the expensive software at no cost. It also helps those open source software companies get known which helps keep downloads legal. What can an unbelievable artist do with paint? Well he/she can do good work with paint but if he/she were to have access to Photoshop CS2 then he would be able to make much better artwork. Well if you wanted to stay legal the artist could always use Gimp 2 but many prefer professional software like Photoshop. In Bobbie Johnson's article Legal Downloads are on the rise. He states that 40% of consumers pirate music off the internet while only 35% download legally. Is this because they have to leave their house to buy software? What if Adobe were to start a p2p network for their software for a price? I think many more people would download legitimate copies.

Open source a great resource for the digital artist with a low budget and likes to keep it legal. There are many programs that have an equivalent to them that are open source. Photoshop has Gimp as well as Myia has Blender and many others. P2p software is a great way for open source software to be shown off and so that people will know about it. Many programs are going open source added with those illegal downloads of any software you want the artist can get just about anything these days. The limits that are made are only the limits of the artist. New Media shall it be the death of big monopolies that make you pay big bucks for software you can get a illegal copy for free or an equivalent for legal download at no cost. I see New Media putting a bigger demand on these companies and in the long run putting a bigger strain on them too.

Is New Media going to be the killer of the internet and big companies? I think not. The internet is about to see a new era of artists and pirates. As we think of pirates we think of old sailing ships, stealing, killing, and scary looking guys. Is that all that much different in the new age pirating? Surfing the web stealing, killing, and those scary nerds that sit at the computer all day. Well the freedom of New Media is certainly being opened more every day. The future is not set in stone and is for us to decide. Shall we pirate the web or shall we make a name for ourselves using legal open source software and p2p communities to show off our art.

Bibliography

The Now Economy: P2P Traffic Measurement, (http://blog.commerce.net/archives/2004/10/p2p_traffic_mea.html), 10/17/05, Article on statistics of P2P and the traffic.

A Musician's Take on File Sharing, DRM, and Copyleft Licensing, (http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2003/06/10/musician_pov.html), 10/4/05, Article on p2p software and the musician's point of view.

Independent Record Labels and Artist Flourishing, (http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/wlg/3049), 10/4/05, Article talking about how the independent companies are getting a major boost from p2p.

Fuzzypeacock, Instant Messenger Interview, 10/17/05

smith.pdf (application/pdf Object), (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/filesharing/presentations/smith.pdf), 10/17/05, Article on how p2p is effecting the economy.

Legal downloads on the rise from Guardian Unlimited: Technology, (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2005/06/21/legal_downloads_on_the_rise.html), 10/4/05, Article on how illegal downloads and legal downloads are on the rise on the internet.