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Piracy, although I hate that word for what is essentially "sharing" is, or at least was, part of our cultural heritage. Campfire stories and music, oral tales passed on from generation to generation, embellished or rather, remixed as they passed from one creator to the next. We lost sight of this at some point, our culture was reigned in, stamped with a pricetag and carefully controlled by gatekeepers and taste makers, in the hopes of maximising profits.
Now we're coming back to those old times where culture is once again a shared experience, and even more, a geographically unrestricted experience. The creator in this instance has the ability to tell their campfire story to an audience far surpassing any reachable beforehand.
"Piracy" in this brave new world we're living through is no more than a societal backlash to restrictions that no longer hold true. A return to what once was, and will be again. The means of production are now in every single person's hands. Creator and audience are no longer separate entities, but both at the same time.
Is this positive, very much so. Culture doesn't grow too well when its restricted, given free reign, the possibilities are endless. Speaking as a writer, or writer-in-waiting, I'd much rather be at the top of the Piratebay or Mininova or Demonoid's download list, than I would be reviewed in a print journal or on the best-seller list. That to me, monetary issues aside, is where the culture is most relevant and where any writer, new or old, should want to be if they hope to keep writing in the future. The downloaders are the audience of the future. They're the ones, through donations most likely, who will support the writers in the future. And even if they don't donate a penny, isn't it better to be read, than linger in some bargain bin at a local supermarket, or pulped into oblivion?
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