Popular culture (and therefore, popular media forums) have become ever more participatory with the invention of social platforms Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and so on. Before, fans of brands, television programs, music, and other facets of pop culture had watercooler conversations at work the next day regarding their favorite pastimes. Now, people can share those passions with the world (and their “followers,” some of whom they’ve never met) with a click of a mouse. It’s crazy to think that when the modern Internet emerged in the 1990s, it changed the very way we market material, consume material, and share material. Now, fans, such as the group that created the Mad Men Twitter accounts, can talk back, influence, and shape the nature of content presented to audiences. Though this new world of media is promising, it is also a place of much confusion and grey area.
Take for example, the dizzying line between fandom and infringement. I remember when I was a young spring chick on Youtube back in the late 2000s. I loved making fan anime music videos set to bubbly Euro-pop, classic rock, and parody comedic music. I did it because I liked the shows, and I especially loved how gratifying it was when my content reached other people. I was ecstatic when my video got tens, hundreds, and soon thousands of views. Sometimes my content was blocked on grounds of copyright infringement in obscure and faraway places, but it never bothered me as long as Americans could still view it whenever they saw fit.
Fast forward to the days of uploading albums to Youtube. This was before Spotify and Tidal and all of the new fangled streaming apps gained steam. I could scroll through videos and find tons of Beatles albums (in mono and stereo!) for free. This was also before Youtube bombarded every video with ads. I was in virtual heaven, literally finding whatever music I wanted at the touch of a button. So, I decided to contribute to this community of free music. I purchased one of Prince’s more obscure albums Lotusflow3r/MPLSound and uploaded the latter (MPLSound) track by track to the delight of listeners everywhere. Whereas Spreadable Media defines “piracy” as content stolen for economic gain, Sony Music defined as content uploaded by an unofficial party in general. Youtube sent my fledgling account a virtual cease and desist from Sony, threatening deletion if I did not remove Prince’s album from my uploads. I did so, nervously, hoping I would not be the target of any rash action on Youtube’s part.
For a person who relished in Fanfiction and fan art free music, it was jarring to say the least. Me, a small teenager in Kentucky uploading tunes for enjoyment, infringing upon the copyrights of big business famous celebrities? Well, maybe, yes. I often wonder where companies draw a line in the sand. Is it okay to use a character’s likeness in a story, but not okay to directly present content for free use? Now that media is more spreadable and more prone to theft, it is so much easier for little small fry accounts like mine to mirror, mask, and change content just enough so that it passes through copyright filters. But does that make it acceptable? Though the content might gain anywhere from a few hundred to alarge mass number of views, it can’t be worth it in some cases for the official page to lose out to fan-created pages like mine. Right?
I can’t tell where such a future will take us, but I do know that, whether I like it or not, products can be passed around from eyeball to eyeball, going viral at what seems to be the speed of light. It will be interesting to see where technology takes us in the coming years, where people are encouraged to share what they love with their social media Rolodex on a constant basis.
Prince says no to my infringement upon his music. (RIP)
