Week 7 response

This weeks questions were:

1. What consitutes “free” in our time?

2. Does the word “free” connote effective change?

3. What are the long term effects of Utilitarian and substitute based marketing initiatives?

In an attempt to answer these questions I looked to the work of Chris Anderson to explain the meaning of free in our time and the connotations it has with piracy. In the countries of China and Brazil the issue of piracy has become a secondary issue when it came to satisfying the demand of the public for various issues. Whether it be luxury items or subsidized prescription drugs, the fact of a grossly fluctuating market has forced many world govenrments to consider secondary options to benefit from piracy.

For example in China, nearly 95 percent of the music that is listened to by the average person is pirated. Music is considered both an unnecessary expenditure of the middle class and something that is trivialized. Instead of wasting annual dividends on court costs, the Chinese have made their revenue from the artists themselves using talent for commercials, radio spots and merchandise sponsorship. Also, in regards to luxury items such as designer wear, the Chinese have adopted the custom of purchasing an authentic item while supplementing the rest of their wardrobe with knockoffs. It is with the inclusion of this fact that Anderson talks about the concept of Induced Obsolescence.

This concept is basically the copying of registered and trademarked goods, often in reproductions of inferior quality. This allows a mercantile economy to move trends from the elite to the masses within a short span of time. In Brazil This has become the absolute norm. In the “Bad Copy” documentary we saw techno brega musicians copy American songs and remix them with very loud and Bass oriented techno lyrics for “big sound system” concerts. Why? Mere promotional campaigns. In a heavily subsidized economy like Brazil, the average citizen does not have the income to support such luxuries. The same applies to the health care system of the country. Years ago, Brazil experienced an alarming AIDS epidemic that could have only been countered by widespread distribution of retro viral drugs. The ability to sustain the demand of such drugs was not economically feasible and as such the Brazilian government issued an ultimatum to the pharmaceutical giants to lower their prices on AZT medicines, or risk the consequences of allowing the disease to spread. Today Brazil is the largest manufacturer of royalty free prescription medication.

The concept of “free” does promote effective change in market dynamics and social welfare. It has also lead to a large substitute based market where the average consumer can readily afford what was previously only available to the financially well off. The issue with piracy is not the artists/manufacturers rights. The real issue is the consumer industries not having the foresight to create new methods to satisfy a growing demand in a stagnant market economy.

Tags: Internet Piracy, Technobrega