Thanks, P2P.
I found this article regarding the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act (via metafilter) to be very interesting. Especially the opinion that great art thrives on a rich public domain. I immediately thought about peer to peer sharing programs, like soulseek. (In fact, I am using soulseek as I am typing this. [Obtaining copied material of, aka downloading, the Hot Snakes.]) And I wonder if the developing and the usage of these programs satisfy some different need other than the cheap thrill of getting things for no cost.
I have been in a band since I was 15 (present age : 21) and I have felt the frustration of not getting monetary compensation for hours spent on forming a tune. I have driven hours to shows without the chance of gas money, made EP’s, LP’s with the knowledge that they are just going to sit idly in boxes, and other activities that have severely depleted my bank account. Yet when I see someone who has our albums on their folder, I feel sort of happy.
I guess it takes me back to my pre-band days, where I didn’t have a template to exercise my will to do anything related to music. Many factors played in directing me to the path that I took, but one important factor was discovering that other fifteen year olds around the world were making music. At the time, my friend and I were using audiogalaxy; and he found out about a young band from San Francisco called The Sidekicks. When they recorded Kids Know Everything, they were in higschool; and guess what? So was I. It was almost a revelation. Though by that time, I discovered that there were things called ‘local bands’; I reacted by becoming involved and organizing shows. But it was after organizing my first show that I thought and acted on the idea of forming a band. Around the time where I learned that other high school students were recording music out of their own initiative.
If it wasn’t for a peer to peer program, I wouldn’t have found my template for self-expression at 15. Does this mean that I have to thank a rich public domain? Even if that domain was abducted from the hands of their owners? I think so.
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