There probably isn’t a person alive (at least, anyone that would read this site) that isn’t fully aware of the ongoing struggle and perpetual asshattery of the RIAA. For the purpose of this article, I sum up for you: The RIAA is an organization that represents the major music labels, and they’re really pissed at the internet. The internet lets people download music for free, so of course, they don’t like this, because they’re losing money over it.
You can make all the rationalizations you want, you can say that downloading exposes music to people who wouldn’t have gotten a chance to hear that band before so they go buy their music, you can say that business models like iTunes are the future. The fact is, they’re bleeding money.
So of course, they’re pissed. That is the reality, but the other part of that reality is the fact that there’s not a goddamn thing they can do about it.
BitTorrent and the increasingly-open nature of the Internet are leading to a new reality: that you can download anything you want. People will scan books, rip DVDs, copy anything, even games in the name of sharing, and it’s becoming more and more likely that you can find any given thing you’re looking for online, short of food and toilet paper, and find it for free. It’s something that more and more companies are realizing, and it has them quaking in their goddamn boots.
There are a few companies, however, that are embracing the future. Take for example Studio Gonzo. The name may ring a bell for a few of you; they’re the studio responsible for creating the anime series’ Hellsing, Full Metal Panic, Kiddy Grade, Trinity Blood, and more recently, Afro Samurai. As you can see, they have a bit of a pedigree.
Studio Gonzo has reached an agreement with American site Crunchy Roll. Crunchy Roll probably isn’t the most legal site around, and for that reason I will post no links, but essentially they host and stream high-quality fansubs. Most of their content is unlicensed in the US, so there’s not much of a legal issue there, but there is the occassional licensed bit of gold. Despite this, Gonzo has formed a partnership with CR, in which CR will actually premiere Gonzo’s two new anime series’, complete with english subtitles, the day they air in Japan. They will be free to watch whenever you like via streaming video.
This sounds like madness, doesn’t it? Well, there will be click ads off to the side of the video, and of course CR will be encouraging you to click them, but think about this for a second.
FREE AND LEGAL subbed anime with a simultaneous Japan and US premiere.
This isn’t madness, this is Sparta. And by that, I mean ‘well beyond madness and delving into the realm of Awesome.’ (I should also mention that one of Gonzo’s premiering anime is based on a video game, The Tower of Druaga. How they’re going to make an anime based on what is essentially a NetHack clone, I’ll never know.)
My friends, this is the future. Already economists are saying that copyright law as a business model is dead. Gerry Faulhaber, a professor at the Wharton School of Business at the
University of Pennsylvania and the former chief economist for the FCC, has been quoted as saying, "Copyright is a very big issue in the legal world today, but in the
business world, when you talk to consumers about protecting copyrights,
it’s a dead issue. It’s gone. If you have a business model
based on copyright, forget it." Studio Gonzo’s partnership is another nail in the coffin that might as well be The Shot Heard ‘Round the World, at least for anime studios.
University of Pennsylvania and the former chief economist for the FCC, has been quoted as saying, "Copyright is a very big issue in the legal world today, but in the
business world, when you talk to consumers about protecting copyrights,
it’s a dead issue. It’s gone. If you have a business model
based on copyright, forget it." Studio Gonzo’s partnership is another nail in the coffin that might as well be The Shot Heard ‘Round the World, at least for anime studios.
We are on the verge of a new economy here, one that will, like our previous establishment, involve passive and active involvement on your part. Already, legislation is being kicked around that will make P2P music sharing legal by adding a $5-10 tax to everyone’s internet bill. That sort of thing is the passive part.
As for the active part, before, it was plopping down your hard-earned cash. The new model is a lot easier: clicking and viewing ads. Frankly, I’m willing to click a few ads and turn my AdBlock off if it means that a new economy, a new world of creative community where the idea of intellectual property enforcement is dead, will be made possible. Are you?
