Piracy is the mother of invention

Nishok ChettySports EditorAlthough pirating digital media may slightly reduce the already bloated profit margins of Universal, Sony, and Warner, the proliferation of illegal media spreads art to those who cannot afford or are unwilling to pay $2 for a song or $12 for a movie, and forces artists to offer more bang for the buck.I’m willing to admit that I have bypassed the ticket/song cost more than a few times. To be honest, I am lazy. Downloading a movie from the comfort of my couch is so much easier. If I weren't able to download movies myself, I  would never take the time to walk to Blockbuster to rent them. Instead, I would have ended up watching Prisoner of Azkaban on ABC Family, yet again.Artists make movies or music because they’re inspired and have a passion — not to make money. Bono’s primary intentions were not to be the richest Irish humanitarian of all time. Jimi Hendrix did not pick up a guitar and think about the potential millions of dollars he could have. Steven Spielberg began using a video camera because he saw a potential to create magnificent movies that would entertain the people.Through free digital sharing, Spielberg’s dream comes true. He is able to reach out to even more people. Perhaps his 1.6 billion dollar income over the last decade did not reflect what he rightfully “deserved.” Maybe he should have made a few more million. Instead, since his movies have become more widely available, his audience has grown by a few hundred million. This is surely more valuable to Spielberg. Can one man really spend all that money, anyways?Furthermore, the advent of piracy forces industries to evolve. James Cameron filmed Avatar in 3D to provide audiences with an experience. The full $18 price tag did not go to waste. Every amp of sound and every pixel of color was optimized, and I was more than happy to see it again and again in theaters. Cameron knew how to outsmart the pirates: he provided the audience with something truly magnificent which could only be delivered in theaters.Similarly, we see the effect of piracy when the bands we love make an effort to tour more often. The music industry no longer revolves around selling music. It revolves around becoming popular and going on tour. Bands have to produce a more appealing “product” (a tour) to convince people to pay money. In the end, the consumer wins.Admittedly, independent movies are hurt by pirating. Because they are on small budgets, they cannot afford to make epics — so, while the movies are generally better than mainstream movies, a laptop can supplant a theater. However, it is very difficult to find independent movies, except for the rare occasions when they are leaked from an internal source.Technology has made the world more accessible. Why should art be exempt? Technological revolutions force artists to be ahead of the curve. Most see pirates as thieves, for stealing from artists. Instead, pirates should be praised for forcing artists to offer more for the money and create a more cultured society. We are not taking away from an industry – just forcing it to evolve, for the better.nchetty@thesamohi.com