FLIRTing with the Crowds

“My favorite accessories: an AK-47 and the iPod!” (via BoingBoing). Just try and sue this lady over copyright infringement!

On a more serious tone, there are worrying developments abound in the market place related to copyright issues. I just today read (also in BoingBoing) about a new law being pushed in the EU that would criminalize all copyright violations, granting big record companies and other rightsholders extra bullying power for choking the life out of new innovative businesses and prosecuting practically anyone they choose. This, combined with the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to set new rates for streaming music services like last.fm and pandora, apparently targeted to wipe non-profit web radios off the face of the earth gives us reason to pay more attention to these things.

Given the numerous lessons taught to us by history on the futileness of fighting windmills and the rewards awaiting those embracing new technologies and ideas, one has to from time to time ponder whether certain big corporations such as record companies, are run by idiots. There are so many novel ways today for monetizing content (see 403 ways to slice a CD), that are fuelled, not hampered, by new ways of sharing, such as web radios based on community and recommendations. Thinking that you can reap the benefits of social media without giving anything back is sure to fail, but that’s exactly the mode of thinking media companies seem to be stuck into.

Frustrating.

p.s. Extremely busy with thesis at the moment (deadline 31st May), so blogging’s been kinda slow. Will get better after May.