theReformed

Quick thought, I was listening to MSNBC this morning and I stumbled upon a statement by a correspondent that identified her as attending a party for most of the night yesterday evening (something that is fairly common at the DNC/RNC where food, beverage and entertainment are usually free on tap) that was sponsored by the One Campaign group and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Why is this significant? I’ll tell you.

Organizations such as the RIAA count on the attendees to buy into their rhetoric by sponsoring events that appeal to the pleasure areas of the human psyche which in turn make the point of contact more amiable when presented with a ‘we scratched your back, now consider scratching ours‘ scenario. It is a means of networking and building key alliances. This is a en masse lobbying effort of political goto’s, whether current or future. The RIAA knows that it can exact change on it’s behalf by providing this legal form of bribery to the constituency attending it’s party (UPDATE - 20080827: According to CNN’s Glenn Beck, apparently AT&T has proven as a prime example this as an afterthought by having paid $50 Million dollars for lobbying activities - the government is truly for sale and we’ve got a real fight on our hands).

What does this mean for the rest of the Internet community specifically (mainly USA, but could be applicable across the board)? It means that the community will be subject to more attack, more invasion of privacy and more persecution for choosing to utilize the material it has or has not purchased as it sees fit. This is the danger to the labeled ‘piracy‘ model. Until pirates begin to effectively unite and lobby the legislation supporters or lawmakers using the same controversial tactics, they will always be on the losing end of the stick. It could be speculated that politicians are dirty and three quarters of the time they’re looking to work with someone who is only as dirty as they are when it comes to methods.

All of this is very effective - you can see it in the celebrity sector too. Whenever a celebrity attends a sponsored party, they’re not only presented with a published dissertation on the sponsor’s cause, they’re pampered with a dozen gifts in bags from marketing agencies working for major brand names. In turn, when those brands are utilized by the celebrity, the image translates to the people in the society who look to follow suit. Wearing of a bracelet made by a manufacturer can make or break a company - this is something significant the pirate community has missed out on.

So what strategic ideas are necessary for the supposed pirate community to make a serious impact in denying the proposed legislation that groups like the RIAA introduce to their lobbied points of contact? I’ll define some here, but it is going to take significant organization, a business model + financial outlook/prospectus and fundraising/donations to get them off the ground.

1. Lobby at major political events (i.e. food, beverages, entertainment, etc.).
2. Establishing a gifting practice of swag (i.e. free Apple iPods or Microsoft Zunes to attendees).
3. Saturating events with legitimate topic points which will hold up to scrutiny by critical thinkers, even if it isn’t the event you’re sponsoring.
4. Organize publically accessible conventions and invite sponsors like Coca-Cola to market to your constituency - they make money, you get your message out, everyone goes home happy.
5. Utilize media in excess (i.e. video walls, print advertisements, building projectors, laser light shows, concerts, appealing audio playlists, well-known DJs, etc.).
6. Proposed criminal activity can be popularized, look at John Gotti - who says a gray-area’s participants can’t be either?
7. Repackage the ‘piracy‘ image as one of defending online liberties and adhere to that mindset - the general public will respond better to a liberator’s image than a pirate’s. A legislator will not/cannot attach their name to a group or product that has negative connotations or is publicly viewed as criminal.
8. Publicly debate with representatives of the RIAA in a town hall forum. Put them on the spot for hard-hitting questions and be ready for their assault on integrity.
9. Research the targeted legislator’s weaknesses and capitalize on them by tickling their desires, legally.
10. Most importantly, utilize radio and television to reach the public. Get the public on your side and sway the voting platform for elected officials. Sway votes, you garner the interest of the politician. Garner the politician’s interest, you win the legislation war. Money and votes drive lawmaking.

Online music enthusiasts operating in this gray-area will never be able to compete with these organizations unless they operate on the same battle lines.