The real score on music piracy
by Wally Chamsay

As head of the Anti-Piracy Committee for the music industry, nothing surprises me about the piracy problem in the country than people's misconception about the nature of the problem itself.

To begin with, many people think the problem is the result of CDs being too expensive for the average person to afford. I can't argue with this, but I really think that if you can't afford to buy a legitimate CD, you probably can't afford a lot of other things as well, so why waste your time with the pirated product? I once interviewed a jeepney driver who had accumulated over 1,000 pirated VCDs and CDs. After informing me about how he budgeted at least P 200 pesos a month to buy 4 to 5 VCDs (which were mostly x-rated movies), he went on to tell me that the only reason why he did this was because he was poor. During the entire conversation, I kept thinking to myself that this idiot threw away 50 grand on porn, which was something he should have spent sending his kids to school or buying food with.

No matter what people say, buying pirated CDs is stealing. You can argue that the people you are stealing from probably don't need the money anyway (those rich artists? big entertainment companies, etc.), but you cannot deny that you are stealing. Every purchase of an illegally produced CD deprives artists and the companies that finance their work out of profits that should rightfully be theirs. After all you don't need a CD to survive. You can turn on the radio and get all the music you want for free!

The act of buying a pirated CD is not only morally and ethically wrong, but it is leading to the death of the local entertainment industry, as we know it. These however are the obvious facts of the matter. What this article is about is the deeper harm the music piracy business is causing both the country and our individual lives. I've decided to write about it because I've become sick and tired of reading articles by people who try to justify music piracy because they are too ashamed to admit that the only reason why they are doing it is because they are too cheap to go out and buy the legitimate thing.

Music Piracy Supports Organized Crime

All of the pirated stuff you see in the market today weren't made in someone's bedroom. These were made in high speed duplicating machines, which cost an average of P 80 million pesos per machine.

Majority of the illegal CD factories operating in the country are owned and operated by foreign nationals (Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, etc.) who escaped the authorities in their country and have since set up shop in ours. These people smuggle everything into the country and do not pay any taxes for whatever they sell in this country depriving the government of
much needed taxes.

The CD pirates are part of a worldwide syndicate that operates in over 40 countries. They are organized, sophisticated and very well funded.

There is also increasing evidence to show that drug syndicates are using the stalls that sell pirated CDs as a distribution center for drugs. In all the times where violence has broken out during a police raid, drugs were usually involved in each case. You see, majority of the kids who buy X-rated VCDs in big quantities usually fit the customer profile of the casual drug user.

We believe that the drug syndicates are financing the CD pirates, so that these drug pushers can bring drugs into our malls, schools and our homes.

The Biggest Segment of the Market is Porn

It has been noted that pornography forms the largest part of the sales of the pirated VCD business. On the 4th floor of Virra Mall in Ortigas Avenue is probably the biggest distribution center for pornography in the country. Their business is so good, they can afford to hire "runner" who solicit customers on the ground floor to go up and select from literally thousands of X-rated movie titles.

While many people view pornography as a "victimless crime" there are several compelling reasons why this should be stopped.

The unregulated distribution of pornography will lead to the decay of our society, as we know it. If you don't believe this, imagine your 8 year old son going to one of his friend's houses to watch his first porn video and leaving that experience with the thought that all women need out of sex to be happy is to be beaten up! Still not convinced? Okay, turn the picture around and imagine your 8year old daughter going through the same experience and leaving there thinking that what she has to do when she grow up is to let men beat her up so that she can make them happy. Not so funny now is it!

Pirated Discs Break Your Recorders

There is an urban myth going around town telling people that some pirated discs can damage the transport system of your players. This is true. Many
CD pirates are now buying substandard materials in an effort to sell you cheaper pirated products. The most common practice is to buy substandard plastic "cookies" (the round plastic that contain your data) to use for duplication.