The Pirates call me a money Grabbing Whore! I dare say!

History, economics, government...and file-sharing:

Recently, I've received several hundred emails from a lot of angry people concerning a blog that I wrote that a site called "Torrent Freak" requested permission to republish. The messages I've received mostly go somewhat like this:

"Dear Money Grabbing Blond bitch whore with sand in your vagina,

Stupid blond, you have no idea how the internet works.
The internet police will never be able to regulate something as popular as file-sharing. Do you really think that the government cares about a college student downloading files illegally when they have more important things to do like catching criminals?…I hate you and hope bad things happen to you because I don't like your opinion"

Love,
Anonymous person"


Well, my answer is "yes", I believe government is very interested. Basically, this whole file-sharing thing doesn't have anything to do with Big Labels or artists wielding hefty lawsuits at their fans (which is crazy) because this whole p2p story has already shifted to government. That's why I mentioned 'fines' rather than lawsuits in my original blog. To be honest, I didn't threaten to sue the Pirate Bay (they just felt like putting the emails in their legal threats section and then wrote a big article about it in an effort to 'humiliate' as they try to do to anyone who doesn't agree with them.)

You see, this is certainly not about me or my music at all. The reason why I've written to all the torrent sites is because I think that government is planning to fine people for file-sharing and I don't want any of my fans (or potential fans) to be fined because they downloaded an Indiana Gregg album. My reasons have to do with ethics and how I feel about my fans. In fact, it never had anything to do with me at all. But most of it does have everything to do with 'YOU', the file-sharer. The reality is that it's now been placed in the hands of the governments. The G8 met last week. A lot of things have been happening. In fact, the governments have been watching and waiting. I'll explain.

First of all, let me just say that I think that the idea of music being 'free' is fantastic. I'm also not against file-sharing at all (the concept of it is great, but, again, the creators of the content being shared need to be compensated). I've never sued anybody in my life and I'm not about to start suing people now, especially not my fans! This is simply an open debate and the Pirate Bay chose to start a debate with me. So, I answered them in my personal blog. I don't need any legal advice for this. We all know that debate brings us together and usually brings about some solutions. Anyway, here's my theory spelled out in terms of "history, government, and simple economics".

YOUR QUESTIONS:

So, how can something as popular as file-sharing be interesting for governments to get involved in? and Where will they get the 'resources' to regulate it?… The answer is, they will get the resources from "YOU". Here's what I believe they are planning.

Does anybody remember the Model-T Ford and the assembly line Ford created? Since then, how popular has the automobile become? How many government jobs did it create? And where did the 'resources' come from? Well, let's think about it. Here's a short list:

Fuel exports and imports
Taxes on Fuel
The rising cost of commodities due to a tax on fuel
Parking tickets
Speeding tickets
Drunk driving fines
Licenses, license plates, etc. (this list could go on forever)

How much money have governments been able to generate by that little assembly line that popularised the automobile? And where did they (government) get the money?

(hint: the government got the money/resources from YOU and I. That's right. The tax payers and the 'fine' payers.)

So, how many government jobs do you think they could they create with the internet? Be honest with yourself. How many cars are there in the world and how many computers are in the world? Well, you tell me. Are there more cars than computers?

The problem p2p is facing has to do with history, government and economics. Since we've all heard how history repeats itself, why don't we now take a look at the internet as an example.

In the timeframe between the moment Torrent Freak asked me if they could re-post my blog and the present, there have been several other news releases. Not just the G8 summit and their plans to crack down on piracy, but, also the result of the Viacom/ Youtube lawsuit, letters from Virgin and the BPI to their users, the "3 strikes and your out " debate in France and Canada (and the list goes on). What do I know about the future? Well, the following prophecy I'm about to make seems as clear as day.

I've been watching this internet debate unravel for many years now and let's face it, from an outsider's point of view (mine), I can see how it would be pretty easy for government to step in and regulate. Remember, the 'internet' started out as a bunch of servers on US military bases and University campuses. In fact, regulating the internet is almost as easy as reducing art and music to "0's" and "1's" and duplicating files. In fact, the government doesn't even need to invest or find resources for this one. Why? Because they have "YOU". The government plans to fine you in the same way they did with parking fines and the automobile… only now, it will cost them less money because the internet is, (simply put), made up of a bunch of numbers. In this case, your IP address is making it a cake-walk for them. (Sure, you can encrypt it. But, most encryptions can also be decrypted. And yes, an IP address can be stolen. How do you think hackers break into security systems on the net? But, that's another kettle of fish, so, for now, let's talk about one person: you.)

Basically, how can government regulate file-sharing? The answer is simple: They will be able to do it the same way they've done it throughout history. As the economy continues to shift towards telecommunications and internet-based business, don't you think government is likely to move there too? You may argue "they simply don't have the resources"… You see, this isn't about artists and labels suing their fans. (That's just silly.) Nobody is going to sue you. Rather, the government plans to 'warn' you about something that you are doing that is presently illegal (ie: copyright infringement via file-sharing) and then, they plan to slap a little fine on every file-sharer and force the ISP's to turn over your IP address when you break the law. (IP address: well, it's kind of the new Internet Passport… yes, stupid blond here does know that IP stands for Internet Protocol in this instance). Ok, they've already begun with the "three strikes rule" (which is ridiculous.) It's like giving somebody a life sentence for committing a few traffic violations. Nonsensical. I don't see how that one will work in the long-run either. However, what I do see is government easily using you, the file-sharer, as a resource and meanwhile creating a whole new crew of internet police.

Listen, I'm just the messenger here. I've just given you some insight into where I see this heading and why. Do I think it's fair? Well, of course not. I said that at the beginning. Do I think music should be free? Sure I do, I think it's a great idea. However, I think that creators should be able to at least make enough money to reinvest into their art. I also think that it's unfair for a website or torrent search engine to fool their users by making statements about how their site is 'legal' in in their country (but, not necessarily telling you that file-sharing of copyright material is still 'illegal' even in Sweden and in most of the world). I think they must know what the government is planning. We'd all be blind not to see this probability/possibility?

Will they pity you once government kicks in with their plan? Probably not, that's why I'm asking these sites to take links to my music down. I don't want my fans (or potential ones) to be fined for sharing my music. So, by asking the torrents to take down a link, I'm hoping that my fans will find my music for free on sites that are legal and free. You see, I like my fans a lot and I don't want them to be fined. Every single one of my fans are important to me.

Am I telling you the truth? Well, this is just a theory at the moment. So, what if I'm wrong? Well, I could very well be wrong about this…. But, what if I'm right?