It seems like recently everyone's attention is suddenly drawn to ACTA and SOPA, since now those have become a real threat to "pirates" worldwide. In a nutshell, for those of you too lazy to read what ACTA and SOPA are, according to them you are a criminal. Because the big record and movie companies earn shit when you download Katy Perry's new album or the latest flick off a P2P site. So in the end it's all about the money and the fact that some of us are not willing to pay for shitty music and even shittier movies.
The past decade or so has been a killer for people like me who appreciate good music, or a good movie, or a good book - musicians don't make the music they want to make, they make what sells and everyone suddenly can sing (all hail Autotune!); screenwriters' original ideas often get neglected because of the risk such a project holds; writing books has now become something that everyone suddenly can do... am I supposed so settle down for something which insults my intelligence, and what's more pay for my intelligence to be insulted in such a ruthless way?
My answer is no.
I will not pay for a CD of 20 repetitive songs with shallow lyrics.
I will not pay for a DVD of the 89765th remake or 764th part of a franchise I love.
I will not pay for a book which is written for the sake of selling it.
I will not pay for overpriced software that will be useless in 3 months because a newer, better version is out.
That's my user side of the story. What about the artists, those poor creatures who sweat so much to give us aforementioned music, movies and books?
I will quote an author whose name is famous enough: "Pirates of the world, unite and pirate everything I’ve ever written!
The good old days, when each idea had an owner, are gone forever.
First, because all anyone ever does is recycle the same four themes: a love story between two people, a love triangle, the struggle for power, and the story of a journey.
Second, because all writers want what they write to be read, whether in a newspaper, blog, pamphlet, or on a wall.
The more often we hear a song on the radio, the keener we are to buy the CD. It’s the same with literature.
The more people ‘pirate’ a book, the better. If they like the beginning, they’ll buy the whole book the next day, because there’s nothing more tiring than reading long screeds of text on a computer screen.
1. Some people will say: You’re rich enough to allow your books to be distributed for free.
That’s true. I am rich. But was it the desire to make money that drove me to write? No. My family and my teachers all said that there was no future in writing.
I started writing and I continue to write because it gives me pleasure and gives meaning to my existence. If money were the motive, I could have stopped writing ages ago and saved myself having to put up with invariably negative reviews.
2. The publishing industry will say: Artists can’t survive if they’re not paid.
In 1999, when I was first published in Russia ( with a print- run of 3,000), the country was suffering a severe paper shortage. By chance, I discovered a ‘ pirate’ edition of The Alchemist and posted it on my web page.
An year later, when the crisis was resolved, I sold 10,000 copies of the print edition.
By 2002, I had sold a million copies in Russia, and I have now sold over 12 million.
When I traveled across Russia by train, I met several people who told me that they had first discovered my work through the ‘ pirated’ edition I posted on my website. Nowadays, I run a ‘Pirate Coelho’ website, giving links to any books of mine that are available on P2P sites.
And my sales continue to grow — nearly 140 million copies world wide.
When you’ve eaten an orange, you have to go back to the shop to buy another. In that case, it makes sense to pay on the spot.
With an object of art, you’re not buying paper, ink, paintbrush, canvas or musical notes, but the idea born out of a combination of those products.
‘Pirating’ can act as an introduction to an artist’s work. If you like his or her idea, then you will want to have it in your house; a good idea doesn’t need protection.
The rest is either greed or ignorance"
This is what Paulo Coelho wrote on his blog when news about SOPA reached the masses. And I can't agree more with him.
I've always considered piracy as a way for artists to spread their art, regardless if it's music, movies or writing, or even photography.
If it wasn't for piracy, I never would've fallen in love with my 3 favorite bands. I now own all their CDs and DVDs
If it wasn't for piracy, I never would've read half of my favorite books. I now own most of those books on paper.
If you support what you read so far and want to help in the fight, sign a petition. Explain to your friends, co-workers, the guy at the bar or at the gas station, your relatives, educate them what ACTA is and make them sign a petition. Share petitions on facebook and Google+ and every other site you frequent and make people act against ACTA.
Think and don't let your government think for you.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
Replica
The past decade or so has been a killer for people like me who appreciate good music, or a good movie, or a good book - musicians don't make the music they want to make, they make what sells and everyone suddenly can sing (all hail Autotune!); screenwriters' original ideas often get neglected because of the risk such a project holds; writing books has now become something that everyone suddenly can do... am I supposed so settle down for something which insults my intelligence, and what's more pay for my intelligence to be insulted in such a ruthless way?
My answer is no.
I will not pay for a CD of 20 repetitive songs with shallow lyrics.
I will not pay for a DVD of the 89765th remake or 764th part of a franchise I love.
I will not pay for a book which is written for the sake of selling it.
I will not pay for overpriced software that will be useless in 3 months because a newer, better version is out.
That's my user side of the story. What about the artists, those poor creatures who sweat so much to give us aforementioned music, movies and books?
I will quote an author whose name is famous enough: "Pirates of the world, unite and pirate everything I’ve ever written!
The good old days, when each idea had an owner, are gone forever.
First, because all anyone ever does is recycle the same four themes: a love story between two people, a love triangle, the struggle for power, and the story of a journey.
Second, because all writers want what they write to be read, whether in a newspaper, blog, pamphlet, or on a wall.
The more often we hear a song on the radio, the keener we are to buy the CD. It’s the same with literature.
The more people ‘pirate’ a book, the better. If they like the beginning, they’ll buy the whole book the next day, because there’s nothing more tiring than reading long screeds of text on a computer screen.
1. Some people will say: You’re rich enough to allow your books to be distributed for free.
That’s true. I am rich. But was it the desire to make money that drove me to write? No. My family and my teachers all said that there was no future in writing.
I started writing and I continue to write because it gives me pleasure and gives meaning to my existence. If money were the motive, I could have stopped writing ages ago and saved myself having to put up with invariably negative reviews.
2. The publishing industry will say: Artists can’t survive if they’re not paid.
In 1999, when I was first published in Russia ( with a print- run of 3,000), the country was suffering a severe paper shortage. By chance, I discovered a ‘ pirate’ edition of The Alchemist and posted it on my web page.
An year later, when the crisis was resolved, I sold 10,000 copies of the print edition.
By 2002, I had sold a million copies in Russia, and I have now sold over 12 million.
When I traveled across Russia by train, I met several people who told me that they had first discovered my work through the ‘ pirated’ edition I posted on my website. Nowadays, I run a ‘Pirate Coelho’ website, giving links to any books of mine that are available on P2P sites.
And my sales continue to grow — nearly 140 million copies world wide.
When you’ve eaten an orange, you have to go back to the shop to buy another. In that case, it makes sense to pay on the spot.
With an object of art, you’re not buying paper, ink, paintbrush, canvas or musical notes, but the idea born out of a combination of those products.
‘Pirating’ can act as an introduction to an artist’s work. If you like his or her idea, then you will want to have it in your house; a good idea doesn’t need protection.
The rest is either greed or ignorance"
This is what Paulo Coelho wrote on his blog when news about SOPA reached the masses. And I can't agree more with him.
I've always considered piracy as a way for artists to spread their art, regardless if it's music, movies or writing, or even photography.
If it wasn't for piracy, I never would've fallen in love with my 3 favorite bands. I now own all their CDs and DVDs
If it wasn't for piracy, I never would've read half of my favorite books. I now own most of those books on paper.
If you support what you read so far and want to help in the fight, sign a petition. Explain to your friends, co-workers, the guy at the bar or at the gas station, your relatives, educate them what ACTA is and make them sign a petition. Share petitions on facebook and Google+ and every other site you frequent and make people act against ACTA.
Think and don't let your government think for you.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
Replica
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