Why EMI locks channels: It’s a battle about control

To Why I Steal Movies… Even Ones I'm In by Peter Serafinowicz.

I think there’s a very simple reason why EMI remotely encumbers a channel: It’s a battle about control.

The battle about who will control where, when and how people can enjoy works of art.

That battle goes against the fans (who want to enjoy stuff and pay for it on their own terms) and the artists (who want people to enjoy their stuff and pay for it).

It benefits those who want to pull money out of the revenue stream (which goes from fans to artists) even though the almost free distribution via the internet makes them mostly obsolete.

And online piracy isn’t theft. It’s unauthorized copying which, as Peter Serafinowicz very nicely explains, can even help the artists make more money. The fans get more, the artists get more, only one loses: The one who wants to take freedom from fans and artists alike.