They work hard for the money

Historically, the porn industry has always been keen to try new things, and I don't just mean docking or DVDA. Streaming content, direct downloads, even 3D movies, have all benefited from those industrious pornographers willing to explore new technology before it hits the mainstream.

Strangely though, there's one aspect of digital technology where the porn industry is lagging behind, and that's in protecting its assets. According to various reports, the proliferation of piracy is really hurting the porn producers' bottom line - which is kind of ironic given how many bottoms they've hurt over the decades.

The Adult Entertainment Trade Association believes that sales are down by about 30 percent, and so they've commandeered some of the industry's brightest/dirtiest stars to encourage fans to pay for their porn. Rather than downloading dodgy copies, they want viewers to put some cash in their wank banks.

The advent of online porn 'tube' sites and file sharing networks has caused revenue to drop faster than a pair of crotchless panties. And that means that sideline businesses, such as make-up artists, set-designers and fluffers, are feeling the squeeze too.

The AETA has shot a new film using a host of big industry names (mostly made-up ones, unless people really do call their kids Sinnamon Love) to encourage viewers to do the right thing. You know, before they start doing the wrong thing.

You may be able to take the girl out of porn, but it seems that it's much more difficult to take the porn out of the girl. The dialogue is littered with innuendo and double meaning, as the performers talk about "making a living selling something", "making it harder for performers" and "activity that could be potentially criminal".

One starlet even remembers to sensuously remove her glasses and shake out her hair, although thankfully the video cuts away before her top gets unbuttoned. And despite the fact that the video has been posted to YouTube, the final performer reminds viewers that "We made it just for you." Of course they did.

As Julie Meadows points out - "We pay taxes and contribute to local economies." She's right. Without the unstinting support and investment of the pornographers, the baby oil, leather harness and plumbing supplies industries would be in a very different position. Reverse cowgirl perhaps?

The record industry hates you

Many of the music blogs I visit are all about highlighting great new music. For people like me, it's often the only way to discover new schlager and hard-to-find mp3s of long-deleted tracks. They share music through links to download services such as ZShare or Rapidshare, and in doing so, they're breaking the law.

In setting up this blog, I made a conscious decision that the music I post would be YouTube performances, to avoid any contentious music rights or illegal file sharing issues. But I resent the music companies for putting me in this position. After all, if I want someone to hear how good a song is, I'd rather they hear a high bit-rate version, rather than a youtube clip where the audio's been compressed into oblivion. Still, unless I want the piracy police knocking down my door, I've no option. Which is pretty damn stupid.

As marketing budgets shrink and record labels look for ways to slash spend, they need grass roots campaigners to do the hard work for them. It's the passionate fans and dedicated listeners who go out there and drum up support for the artists. But to do so, they have to share the product, so that people know what it is. And yet the short-sighted music companies think that these people are the enemy.

That may sound melodramatic, but they really do treat music fans with contempt. For example, they get pissy around filesharing and downloads, and then release 'special editions' of the year's best selling albums, on the back of a few scraps of extra content. They expect that the fans will buy a whole new CD for a couple of new tracks.

There's another issue as well. Music rights. So much of the music I discover online and enjoy is from outside of the UK. And yet the labels think it's smart to restrict availability. They block tracks on Spotify, they limit regions on iTunes, or they just flat out fail to release stuff in the UK.

This means that once people's appetites have been whetted, they're keen to consume, but told they're not allowed. Is it really any wonder they turn to filesharing, torrents and illegal downloads to find the music they love? Given the option of a legal alternative, this problem would disappear overnight.

As Seth Godin pointed out recently at a seminar in London, music companies are in the music business, not the CD business. They need to remember that, and focus their commercial efforts around the content, rather than the medium. If they made it available in every region, and updated those otherwise unavailable back catalogues, there'd be a whole lot less piracy.

In the meantime, we're stuck with YouTube clips. Happy viewing...