Make It Easy for Me to Give You My Money

I don't know if I'm in the minority for this, but for me, the initial charm of Napster circa wasn't the fact that I could suddenly get music for free. What I loved about it was the fact that, despite living in an area with limited radio variety, I had access to a wide variety of music. Before that, no matter how much someone raved over and album and told me how much I'd love that artist, it was hard to justify spending $15 for a CD I'd never heard. More than that, though, even if I was willing to take the risk or if I was familiar with the artist, my only option for getting the CD was to either special order it at a store or order it through the mail or online. And, of course, bear in mind that ordering online wasn't nearly as easy in 1999 as it is now.

Suddenly, though, I was able to download MP3s and check out the albums that people recommended to me. Granted, it was only three songs at a time and each of those songs had about a thirty minute download time, but who cares? I was able to listen to artists that I loved but most people hadn't heard of. And I'm also proud to say that, for the most part, if I liked the music, I bought the album eventually...usually when I could finally find it. (There was also the matter of rare songs that, to this day, I haven't found since.)

This is not an ode to piracy, however. Nowadays, I get my music through the proper channels. Initially through iTunes, then Amazon, and currently Rhapsody. In most cases, it's cheaper, which was the big reason I was willing to make the jump from CDs to MP3s. Saving a few dollars per album is always a good thing, plus there's the option of downloading individual songs. What I love is the convenience and variety. If I like a song, it's probably going to be available on Amazon or Rhapsody, so I can download it right away without having to find a store that carries it. (I'm starting to approach that attitude with ebooks, too, but I'm not fully converted yet.)

Unfortunately, this isn't how it works with games, movies, or television shows. It's getting better, but between availability and pricing, it still trails behind music.

Here's my major frustration: With digital music, I can go to the site of my choice, find the music I want, and easily put it on my iPod. I like the iPod for reasons other than digital music, so I didn't have to significantly change the way I listen to music. The other industries just don't seem to have that yet. Assuming they're available online at a reasonable price, I still frequently have to modify how I would watch the movie.

Netflix is moving in the right direction. I pay a flat monthly fee and, in exchange, I can watch television on my television (provided I have a device that plays Netflix). Unfortunately, Netflix's options are still somewhat limited. Watching Hulu is nice enough, but, as of now, I have to watch the shows on my computer. Hopefully, Hulu Plus will come to the 360 and PS3 soon and help fix this. As for Amazon or iTunes video rental? It's great if you have the equipment and they would be nice to fill in gaps where the content wasn't available on Netflix or Hulu, but if you don't have the equipment, then you can't watch it on television. And, call my crazy, I like my television on a television.

The problem I see is that a lack of convenience and availability might be a big factor in piracy. I'll use my experience with Breakfast at Tiffany's as an example.

I read the novella about a month ago and I wanted to finally watch the movie. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't buy it at any local stores and it wasn't available for rental at Blockbuster. It wasn't on Netflix, so no instant streaming. Until I thought of Amazon Instant Video, I thought my only option was to order it off Amazon and wait. Unfortunately, even though it was available on Amazon Instant Video and I can watch Amazon content on my Tivo, I hit a snag when I found it it would take five hours to download. And with that, my pizza and movie night with Breakfast at Tiffany's died.

The incredibly frustrating part was the knowledge that, most likely, somewhere out there I could find a copy of the movie that I could download quickly and easily. Since I have a 360, I could play certain file types on that, so I could watch it on an actual television instead of a computer.

Now, piracy is a complicated issue and I'm not implying for one moment that if it was just easier to get things, piracy would stop. It wouldn't. However, the fight against online piracy has been going on since at least 2000 and, frankly, while I wouldn't say that Hollywood, the music industry, and the game industry are losing, I can't say that they're winning. They go after one service or site, another pops up.

That said, when it's easier to get an illegal copy of the item than it is to pay for it, that can't help their cause. They have to understand how people are using their products and accommodate that. I want to play music on my iPod, watch movies and shows on my television, and play games on my consoles. And, frankly, I've been spoiled by things like iTunes, Netflix, Rhapsody, and Hulu. I'm willing to pay for the content, but I'm not willing to go out of my way to get it. I want to be able to come home and be able to choose my movie after I've settled down on the couch. I don't want to have to plan ahead and go out of my way to get it. And I'm willing to bet a lot of other people feel the same way.

In short, if Hollywood wants to fight piracy, they at least have to make it as easy to buy the product legitimately as it is to pirate it. Doing so won't stop piracy, but I'm fairly sure that failing to do so means Hollywood is behind before the race even starts.