Tommy Collison

The Business Post reported on how mobile giant Eircom plan on blocking file sharing/P2P (peer-to-peer)/music pirating websites in an attempt to put a stop to music piracy.

The news was greeted by bloggers and folk alike with generally the same reaction: they were unhappy that their internet usage was being policed in such a fashion.

Music giants are complaining that billions are being lost every year because of pirating music. I don’t doubt that. But the truth is that the world is changing. Remember my Moore post a few months back? He was complaining that the new Bond flicks were edging slowly away from the early formula.

This is true, Casino Royale was miles away from Thunderball, released 30 years previously. What I said about the change is true to music piracy.

Bond needs to adapt to today’s audience

So does music.

Music is now available in ways that weren’t even a twinkle in the postman’s eye 30 years ago. There was no YouTube-ing songs to see if I liked them, there was no leaving something on overnight to finish downloading.

Basically, to own a song, you had to buy it. Whereas now, everyone and their mothers can get Human by The Killers just by opening LimeWire.

Music giants are trying in vain to cling to this old thing of forcing people not to torrent, but it’s as if we have a dam that’s 100 miles across, with a million tiny holes with water seeping through, and one guy (record people) trying to halt the flow. It’s physically impossible.

I remember when the smoking ban in public places came into effect. I asked my dad. “Wait, if they’re willing to ban it in public places, and it’s so bad for you, why not just ban it outright?”

It’s because crime rates would soar. People would smuggle them in and find alternative methods of getting smokes to the people.

It’s the same with music.

OK. Imagine a different dam. This one is smaller, and we have the same one guy. He is now armed with a roll of sticky tape. One leak appears. He tapes it up. 2 more spring out. He manages to tape them up but 4 more appear. Every time he tapes a hole up 2 burst in their place.

Again, same with music. Every time record people block one method, people will find 2 more of bypassing the rule.

I’m not sure where I stand on music piracy, but I do believe that banning it isn’t the way to go about it. I’m not sure whether I support the plugging of holes in dams or sticky-tape-guy just standing back and saying “ah feckit”.

Maybe I would think differently if I was U2 and it was my money being lost. Then again, U2 are billionaires already, right?