A Note on Free Distribution (AKA Theft)
I'd just like to take a moment to comment on something that I feel rather strongly about. It was only recently brought to my attention by other authors and artists who've had this done to them; for once, I'm thankful that I'm not as big as they are so it has yet to happen to me.
Contrary to popular belief, writers and artists and the like aren't rich. Most bestselling authors rely on their books to put them in the same category of income as the average person. Presumably, most of the money they receive comes from the publishing house to buy the rights to publish their manuscript, which can be in the tens of thousands in some cases. Other than that it's their portion of sales and any additional facets their works open up like merchandise and other media. That's taking into account the additional percentage of sales revenue that the publishing house takes and the literary agent takes (if the author has one). I don’t have a literary agent; at the end of everything, after I sign with my future publisher I’ll take a 40% cut of everything each sold copy of my books makes. In the author world, that’s a pretty damn good deal. This sort of prospect is the same for musicians, artists and most other creative workers. Think about it; if you worked at a restaurant and your work was priced at a rate of seven pounds or dollars an hour, and when you took a paycheck home you found that up to 95% of what your work had earned had been taken by the restaurant, you’d be pretty disappointed. I don’t think artists are disappointed with that; we knew and know what the industry is like and we took that shot for the good of our work.
That’s why it pains me to see when people I know enjoying creative works that they’ve gotten for free from other people or online. Whether you’re a teenager listening on your iPod to a track you downloaded for free or you’re watching a YouTube video of an audiobook rather than buying the real thing, it’s damaging to the artist. That’s taking revenue that could be accordingly distributed to us and those who helped it come into the public forum and keep it for yourself. In short, it’s theft. When someone enjoys the works that an artist has worked hard to create without having the decency or respect to pay their way for it, then it’s theft. Justify it any way you want: ‘It’s just one song for one person’ or ‘Everyone else does it’ or ‘Does anyone really pay for anything directly these days?’ Big artists have probably heard them all. There’s no way to justify stealing.
Not all authors live in mansions or can sustain themselves with just one book, or all their collective works put together. They need deals, like movie adaptations or TV shows, in order to live like that. If you’re thinking right now ‘I know about an author who lives off their writing and has a nice house’, the fact that you’ve heard of them is probably explanation enough. Most others have second jobs to keep themselves in their own homes so they can make enough to live a decent living AND enjoy creating things they love to create. Some have families to support, debts to pay, disabled relatives, anything. It’s the same with musicians, artists, even actors in some cases. Only the most famous artists with the best deals and situations live like kings with no problems or other work. That doesn’t justify anyone taking a portion of their income or refusing to give it to them in the first place, no matter how famous they are.
I’ve never done things like this; I’ve never downloaded an album for free or bought a pirate DVD or even streamed a film I haven’t aptly paid for. I always take a step back and say to myself: ‘What if that was my hard work on that screen?’ It makes the decision a lot easier. This isn’t a rant, nor is it my way of shaming anyone. It’s simply my way of asking anyone who reads this to think a little the next time the opportunity arises to keep some cash by enjoying a work of art for free. Just say ‘no’ to piracy and theft. Thanks for reading.
Contrary to popular belief, writers and artists and the like aren't rich. Most bestselling authors rely on their books to put them in the same category of income as the average person. Presumably, most of the money they receive comes from the publishing house to buy the rights to publish their manuscript, which can be in the tens of thousands in some cases. Other than that it's their portion of sales and any additional facets their works open up like merchandise and other media. That's taking into account the additional percentage of sales revenue that the publishing house takes and the literary agent takes (if the author has one). I don’t have a literary agent; at the end of everything, after I sign with my future publisher I’ll take a 40% cut of everything each sold copy of my books makes. In the author world, that’s a pretty damn good deal. This sort of prospect is the same for musicians, artists and most other creative workers. Think about it; if you worked at a restaurant and your work was priced at a rate of seven pounds or dollars an hour, and when you took a paycheck home you found that up to 95% of what your work had earned had been taken by the restaurant, you’d be pretty disappointed. I don’t think artists are disappointed with that; we knew and know what the industry is like and we took that shot for the good of our work.
That’s why it pains me to see when people I know enjoying creative works that they’ve gotten for free from other people or online. Whether you’re a teenager listening on your iPod to a track you downloaded for free or you’re watching a YouTube video of an audiobook rather than buying the real thing, it’s damaging to the artist. That’s taking revenue that could be accordingly distributed to us and those who helped it come into the public forum and keep it for yourself. In short, it’s theft. When someone enjoys the works that an artist has worked hard to create without having the decency or respect to pay their way for it, then it’s theft. Justify it any way you want: ‘It’s just one song for one person’ or ‘Everyone else does it’ or ‘Does anyone really pay for anything directly these days?’ Big artists have probably heard them all. There’s no way to justify stealing.
Not all authors live in mansions or can sustain themselves with just one book, or all their collective works put together. They need deals, like movie adaptations or TV shows, in order to live like that. If you’re thinking right now ‘I know about an author who lives off their writing and has a nice house’, the fact that you’ve heard of them is probably explanation enough. Most others have second jobs to keep themselves in their own homes so they can make enough to live a decent living AND enjoy creating things they love to create. Some have families to support, debts to pay, disabled relatives, anything. It’s the same with musicians, artists, even actors in some cases. Only the most famous artists with the best deals and situations live like kings with no problems or other work. That doesn’t justify anyone taking a portion of their income or refusing to give it to them in the first place, no matter how famous they are.
I’ve never done things like this; I’ve never downloaded an album for free or bought a pirate DVD or even streamed a film I haven’t aptly paid for. I always take a step back and say to myself: ‘What if that was my hard work on that screen?’ It makes the decision a lot easier. This isn’t a rant, nor is it my way of shaming anyone. It’s simply my way of asking anyone who reads this to think a little the next time the opportunity arises to keep some cash by enjoying a work of art for free. Just say ‘no’ to piracy and theft. Thanks for reading.
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