Threatening messages aimed to prevent digital piracy have the opposite effect if you're a man, a new study from the University of Portsmouth has found. According to the research, women tend to respond positively to this kind of messaging, but men typically increase their piracy behaviors by 18%.
But would it disappear someday without warning? I’m not one to do a lot of pirating but the times I’m most tempted to take up the habit are when things that were supposed to be “purchased” just disappear and there’s nothing customers can do about it…or when I see some crazy anti-pirating argument. The urge to do it out of spite is real.
Depends whether or not they hide some code to give them the option to remote disable your files after you’ve downloaded them, and if they to restrict your ability to create backup copies & play your files on devices you own.
There’s no reason why they couldn’t make stuff available in ways which buyers could feel confident in.
I’ve definitely appreciated when certain cool, open minded creators have released content DRM free but they are going against the grain of the big money platforms. But, I agree, like many things that would make the world a little cooler, there’s no concrete reason it couldn’t be done.
Likely going to have to be forced on the industry, by some mix of piracy, legislation, reality & artists’ choices.
Meantime, convenience has considerable sway. For the generations for whom music was expensive & awkward to acquire (& who have the most disposable income now to spend on music as well as the most faith in companies), this still seems easier than pushing back.