NPR steals music

You know, I respect copyright.  I have downloaded content using means of questionable legality in the past, but now that I’m all grown up and make my own money and I have a bit stronger of a moral core, I purchase my music, movies, and games.  Hey, I even buy most of the books I read so that the writer will benefit, and I work in a freakin’ library.

So it saddens me when a person or organization so blatantly desecrates copyright, and in turn blatantly denies an artist–be they musical, visual, or literary–opportunity and payment.

I have no knowledge of Zoe Keating, but I recently read of her plight via the blog of Wil Wheaton.  You see, NPR used some of her music for All Things Considered.  I’m sure Zoe was very happy that such a popular program used her music, but there is just one problem: they didn’t pay here for it.  They didn’t even say give her attribution.

Wil (I should probably call him Mr. Wheaton, but it feels so awesome to call him Wil) explained it far better than I could, and made a far better case for this woman’s talent than I could hope to make–seeing that he actually has knowledge of her work.  This doesn’t mean that I am any less disheartened by it.  NPR is the kind of network that promotes such enlightened ideals as, I don’t know, promoting the arts and artists–you can hardly do so if you don’t take the time to say “By the way, the music you’re listening to is from this amazing one-woman band named Zoe Keating.  Check her out.  Her music is on iTunes.”

Really NPR, is it that hard?

Why don’t you all who enjoy cello music (not my cuppay, but hey) do the right thing and buy some of this young lady’s music?  I might just as a show of support.

EDIT: Zoe may be getting paid for her music after all.  As was pointed out to me, if she is a member of ASCAP or BMI, then she will receive payment for NPR using her work.  The issue of attribution, however, is still there.

In other news, Wil Wheaton commented on my blog.  Say again: Wil Wheaton commented on my blog.  \m/

PRO-IP Act becomes law. Lars Ulrich nods approvingly.

Today, President W. signed into the law the PRO-IP Act, expanding the government’s power to enforce copyright law and ensnare intellectual property pirates.

Remember this day, for this is the day that you ALMOST traced the IP address of Captain…Jack…Sparrow!

Of course, you won’t hear about this on CNN or MSNBC or Fox News, because we all know that the only people who care about copyright or intellectual property law are: a) teenagers and college students with LimeWire installed on their laptops and b) entertainment industry executives.  This isn’t a hot-button election year issue, so nobody really cares about it.

I do, however, care about it a great deal and for myriad reasons.  You see, you’ll never hear me complain too harshly about copyright enforcement.  Artists should be paid for their work just like firefighters, police officers, and corporate tycoons are paid for their work.  It takes time to write a novel, record an album, make a video game, or do a painting; blood, sweat, tears, and caffeine (lots of sweet, life-giving caffeine) are the main ingredients of any work of art.  While writers and musicians and actors and game programmers may love their jobs–nobody gets into the humanities for the money, after all–it shouldn’t be just a labor of love and love alone.  The rent or mortgage has to be paid, groceries have to be bought, naked flesh must be clothed; and in the land of opportunity, why not get paid to do what you love?  Why have a “real” job when you can have a fun one and earn at least a modest income that provides for all you need?  And–admit it or not–every time you download an album from Pirate Bay, you are hindering somebody’s ability to do that: it is wrong, like it or otherwise, to get your own copies of albums or movies without paying for them (unless the artist has said it was cool to get it for free: think Trent Reznor).

That doesn’t mean, however, that copyright enforcement can’t be abused, like any other well-meaning law.  You see, the entertainment industry is not in the hands of the entertainers–it’s in the hands of the suits.  Corporate executives are the ones who benefit from those horribly over-priced CDs, not the artist.  People who are not involved in the creative process at all are the ones who benefit the most from your fun money.  That arrangement is entirely unfair, especially to emerging artists trying to break into their selected field who can’t demand six-figure advances and lenient, long-term contracts right out the gate.

Knowing that, it’s hard for me to jump behind any kind of copyright enforcement too enthusiastically, especially an invasive measure like the PRO-IP Act–which says that the government can seize all of your electronic toys if they find one–ONE–pirated MP3 on your hard drive.

Seems a bit Orwellian to me.  There has to be a compromise that protects artists’ intellectual property, sees that they get compensated for their work, and keeps Big Brother out of my life.   I say return the profit to the artists.  They make their money first, then the executives can cash in.  Use copyright law to make that a reality: if it’s your intellectual property, you’re entitled to the financial harvest it reaps.  If the executives don’t like that arrangement and they want to rake in more income–well, they can always learn how to play the guitar and take some creative writing classes.  Then, take the federal government out of copyright enforcement altogether.  Not only will enforcing this law create a greater burden on our tax dollars, but it will distract from bigger issues that affect a greater percentage of the population.  Local government should be more than capable of settling the civil issue of copyright infringement; and that’s what copyright is essentially–a civil issue.  While “stealing” is often used to describe illegal downloading, it’s not really stealing because you’re “stealing” something the artist doesn’t have yet.  So while we’re making copyright enforcement more fair, let’s tone down the rhetoric while we’re at it, okay?  Stop making your customers feel dirty for wanting to listen to your music or watch your movie: it’s bad business!  Just enforce the law in a way that is fair to all of those involved.

Or we can just keep doing like we’re doing and the only people that benefits are the top-floor folks.