I've been reading this and associated threads over the last few days and while not condoning or condemning the pirates, it does make me wonder about this new generation of computer based musicians to which we belong.
Most artists feel the need to rebel, to fight against the system or fight some or other corner, go against the accepted norm - we have ideals and beliefs don't we?
But what I find strange is that in our ideas and beliefs (certainly if the views expressed n this and other forums is anything to go by) is that big successful businesses, like
Steinberg, are being so vehemently DEFENDED!
They charge us too much for the software and almost non-existent support (well, here in the UK anyway). They don't even give us printed manuals for our £500. They provide buggy software that is released too early in its development and subsequently needs bug fixes and then start moving into hardware like Houston which is again buggy and overpriced. Is this overcharging because so many people rip off the software? Well, no actually. They charge that because it is the optimum price for their profitability.
Every company picks a price that will sell the most number of products to maximise profitablity. If they reduced the price would less people use rip off copies? No. Because the people who use rip off copies do it because they can and don't care about the consequences.
They are ripping off the people who are inclined to buy legitimate copies. The upgrade path is expensive too, so they don't really help their existing users. So, before you get too defensive of this company, why not first question their motives.
I'm not defending the pirates, but neither would I feel comfortable defending a company like Steinberg (or any of the other names in this market) who go out of their way to rip people off.
Please remember, you are not paying for the pirates, you are paying for the profit that Steinberg and its shareholders line their pockets with.
And personally, if I was paying for pirates, I think I'd feel more at ease with myself than I do at present giving all my hard earned cash to a few fat cat company directors who probably care a lot less about music and a lot more about money than the pirates, who are after all fellow musicians and who I like to think I have a lot more in common with.
Think beyond your own reasons for defending this company (ie, I paid for it, so everyone should have to) and think about the sort of person or artist you really are. What do you really stand for?