Ok so this is a touchy subject since some of my close friends still pirate digital media. I will admit I use to download movies and MP3's for free when I was in high school. I used to say "Screw them, they are making so much money who cares!?" Well I finally realized when I got out of high school that the Entertainment industry isn't just made up of wealthy Executives and super famous and rich movie/rock stars. There is an eco-system behind the scenes that a lot of a lot of people don't know about.
For instance, have you ever stayed and watched the credits after a movie? All of those people believe it or not make between $50,000 - $100,000 dollars a year. Most of the millions of dollars the movie or album makes go to the producers & studios, who took a risk and decided to shell out millions of dollars to pay all of the crew members salaries so they can make a decent living. Not to mention a quality film that millions of people can enjoy and talk about for decades.
Here is an example of the Eco-System that the entertainment provides. Let's say you are a plumber and you work for Acme Plumbing Company who had a large contract with Tower Records. As you all might know that Tower Records is no longer in business so Acme Plumbing Company had to layoff half of it's staff. By laying off half of their staff, 123 MRI Corp just took a big hit because they relied on Acme Plumbing Company to provide salaries for 50+ employees who will now have to be laid off. And last but not least a Company who provides Promotional Products for 123 MRI Corp went out of business because all of the companies they provided Promotional Products to can't afford to hand away free pens any more.
So what I am trying to get at is piracy doesn't hurt just the Rich and Powerful CEO's and Celebrities, it effects everyone. So next time you think about downloading a movie, or album think about the blue collar people behind the scenes and most importantly, your own career.
