PUBLICACIÓN DE UNA VEZ

Innovators in a range of media industries have found that several key concepts apply to new strategies of media product marketing, distribution and profit. The five most important insight are: offering the clients the highest possible convenience; treating all consumers equally; using less prominent and invasive DRM; embracing openness and digital distribution; and monetising scarce products by freely releasing infinite ones. Convenience for the consumer is the most important single factor to consider, and it informs all of the other points to a greater or lesser degree. Time and again, research across all types of media has shown that consumers tend to choose the most convenient – not necessarily the cheapest – avenues for obtaining digital products (see, e.g., section 5.5 above). Consumers are generally not interested in legal or moral debates and do not care about distributors’ concerns; they simply want to obtain and experience the content. Most consumers are not averse to paying for digital content and do not pirate on principle; they turn to copyright infringing activities because these provide the easiest, most comprehensive and convenient channels to obtain the desired media. In a nutshell, the ‘only way to tackle illegal filesharing is not suppression, but to offer reliable, easy to use, fairly priced alternatives’ (Bragg, 2009). The British Music Rights group agrees that ‘the solution [to curbing piracy] partly lies in developing new legal services that make breaking copyright unappealing’ (Sabbagh, 2008). Felix Torres argues that the same is true for ebook piracy: ‘offer a competitive legal product that offers a good balance of price and value, quality, and accessibility, with

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98 fully defined terms of purchase’ so that the curious ‘under-served customers’ can make convenient legal purchases (2009). Kirk Biglione agrees that convenience is key, and outlines the power of Kindle’s instant-purchase, instant-download function (2009b). File-sharing networks are replete with all manner of desired content which can be obtained and consumed quickly. Sharing between friends over LANs is even easier, as the participants do not need to have an internet connection or to expend bandwidth. Traditional legal means of obtaining content, which generally involve physical retail sales, are undesirable to many due to the time needed to travel to the store, the extra cost of media (accounting for the physical elements and shipping of the product) and the relatively low range of products (due to the limited physical shelving space). While popular content may be available readily, niche and special-interest materials are rare and expensive. Those who desire the unavailable content often have no recourse other than pirating it or not experiencing it at all. Both outcomes are arguably negative for the content producer.

Region restrictions and staggered content release has the effect of alienating consumers in the unfavoured regions. While marketing and fan excitement penetrate to all interested gamers through internet forums and news sites, the final product is often not available in all regions simultaneously (and sometimes not at all). This combination of anticipation and frustration leads gamers to find alternative sources for the product, sometimes importing it from foreign retailers but more frequently simply downloading the game over P2P or torrent networks, or obtaining copies from friends. This has the effect both of losing possible legitimate sales and of creating a negative reputation for the company. Unfortunately, the regions that are often restricted (due to the perception of high piracy rates) are those where there is a devoted and active gaming culture, specifically Russia, the Near East and China. This exacerbates the problem. Jason Holtman of Valve argues that ‘[p]irates are underserved customers... We found that our piracy rates dropped off significantly [when games were released at the same date and time in Russia as elsewhere]’ (GamePolitics, 2009). It seems that treating all potential customers equally has marked positive repercussions for games companies and all efforts should be made to license the game globally before it is released. Companies that do this avoid segregating some customers into the standing of second-class global citizens. Unfortunately, South Africans are still treated this was in many respects; services that are available to many globally are restricted locally for seemingly arbitrary reasons (see section 5.9).

One of the most prominent causes for media consumers’ complaints are problems with DRM systems (dealt with in detain in section 3.4 and elsewhere). DRM does nothing to deter pirates but causes significant inconvenience to non-pirates. Some opponents of so far as to say that DRM treats legitimate customers as criminals, by making the legitimate buyers reveal personal information, locking down their systems with DRM and demonstrating no trust in them (Wardell, 2008a: 16). Many media distributors are moving away from using DRM (iTunes is one prominent example), and

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99 platforms that use non-proprietary or open formats are gaining on those that have been locked down. Game companies such as Stardock (see section 6.5 below) are pioneering the move away from using DRM in games, arguably to great effect. It is important to remember that the absence of DRM does not mean that the copyright holder revokes any legal rights to the material and is not an assumed permission for file-sharers to infringe the copyright freely. It simply means the removal of a technological or digital barrier that undermines consumer interests but has little to no effect on pirates. Where the complete absence of DRM is undesirable, the measures should at least be fair and non- intrusive; for example, online activation should not be required for a single-player game (Wardell, 2008a: 16).

Traditional channels of distribution and retail are quickly becoming obsolete as digital and networking technology improves. Physical sales and physical retail spaces are diminishing. While some bodies like the RIAA are quick to blame counterfeiting and piracy for this, others have reasoned that as physical transactions decrease, digital ones increase (Mason, 2008: 158). Digital distribution has gone from being a niche marketing strategy to a media industry standard. It has several important advantages over retail sales: a significantly wider range of materials can be made available; all customers can benefit from the product simultaneously; new products, updates and features can be made available virtually instantly; the digital medium allows for users to link, discuss, review and search products; and the costs of rental, shipping and manufacture are eliminated. The biggest risk perceived is the possibility of rampant piracy if materials are made available digitally. However, as demonstrated above throughout this text, piracy exists independently of legitimate digital channels and will happen regardless of, or despite, legitimate avenues being available (Smith and Telang, 2009: 330). Therefore, rather than stymieing a company’s potential sales by not offering digital sales, it is best to co-opt digital technology for marketing and distribution and offer a legal alternative for those who turn to piracy because they have no other recourse. In any case, consumers enjoy the convenience and limitlessness of file-sharing, and so any company that neglects this avenue will quickly be made obsolete. Game developers are taking a cue from the music, film and software industries and are exploring and experimenting with digital means of delivery. For example, game developer and distributor Valve has pioneered a system for digital delivery called Steam (discussed in 6.4 below), and the major console manufacturers (Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony) offer console-based online stores through which players can buy full games, updates and the like (though these services are not available in South Africa).

Finally, an important lesson arises from recent successful experiments with distributing free creative content. The assumption that content should be paid for is questioned by the very nature of digital technology: if something can be reproduced perfectly and infinitely at no cost, can it have any value at all (Anderson, 2008)? Free content pioneers like Cory Doctorow, Trent Reznor and EA (with the free-

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100 to-play Battlefield Heroes) have shown that infinite free content can function as an excellent marketing tool for the sale of rarer commodities. Doctorow has created a world-renowned reputation for himself through the free distribution of his fiction and non-fiction writing, and is paid to write columns and give presentations; he makes money from his scarce resources (his time, appearance and reputation) by freely distributing the digital versions of his writings (Doctorow, 2009). Trent Reznor quickly sold out of limited-edition albums and concert tickets when he released his latest album for free online; the scarce limited editions alone netted him $750,000 (Van Buskirk, 2008). EA has created the free-to-play Battlefield Heroes that earns money through the micro-purchases of cosmetic extras; life-simulating MMOG Second Life functions on a similar basis. The free model also has the potential effect of selling the content itself in non-digital forms: for example, readers who peruse the free digital version of a book may buy the hard-copy because it allows for easier reading (Bruns, 2008: 4). If it is necessary to charge for digital files, the cost should reflect the higher availability and lower unique worth of the product.

Taken together, these suggestions recommend the use of open digital frameworks for distributing media products, unburdened by DRM and freely available to all interested customers; essentially, to provide the most convenient channel for media consumers so that they opt to use legitimate sources willingly, providing profit and exposure to the content producer and satisfaction to the receiver. Several strategies that use all or some of the above suggestions are outlined below. All demonstrate that stepping outside industry norms according to these principles brings a measure of success. Thus, they form tried-and-tested models for future businesses to follow, and provide lessons and recommendations for future pioneers.