As we have detailed here many many times on The Trichordist, the advertising industry profits by selling advertising to pirate sites like www.webgalu.com. But we were mightily surprised to see advertising firm TBWA Chiat Day, apparently doubling down and actually running billboards in Times Square that say things like “Piracy is Progress”. I can see why they think it’s “progress” if they profit from this exploitative practice. Here at The Trichordist we have repeatedly called out companies that TBWA Chiat Day lists as their clients for advertising on these sites–and we know in some cases the complaints went up the flagpole.
That is why we ask:
Is this some sort of Ad-Agency-Gone-Cowboy payback scheme? We’re open to other explanations, but the “PIRACY IS PROGRESS” campaign seems to us to be both straight out of Orwell’s 1984 and retaliatory against the many brand sponsored piracy efforts.
Especially since another aspect of this campaign is a highly manipulative and cynical attempt to pit artists against artists.
Examples of companies that TBWA Chiat Day claims as clients that we spotted also advertising on pirate sites:
The Trichordist 
I’ll bet whoever did the billboard art got paid.
This is hard to believe. It just doesn’t pass the smell test to me.
How could “Ghost Beach” possibly afford to hire Chiat Day, let alone afford billboard space in Times Square for 2 weeks? All for the purpose of undermining fellow artists?
Maria Pallante’s “Next Great Copyright Act” posturing and her pronouncement that personal downloads aren’t piracy has unleashed this brazen attack. Notice the idiotic twitter vote count as I write this at 8:44am CDT Monday: 83 Artists against vs. 2,799 Artists for. These aren’t artists vs. artists. This is the entitlement generation vs. artists. The best thing about the internet is nobody knows you are a dog. Or, you can constantly pose as an artist who despises copyright and just wants attribution as payment. (Have you ever noticed how well that segues into the orphan works mantra? No attribution = no copyright protection.)
Despite our idiotic celebrity culture I know few visual artists who have twitter accounts. Who has precious time to waste tweeting, much less follow the idiotic conversation that predominates on Twitter? We are all working ourselves to death to survive. How could artists today possibly have the extra cash and time to indulge in such a recklessly expensive Times Square campaign “conversation?”
The copyleft is still patting itself on its collective back after the SOPA manipulation, where hordes of otherwise intelligent people swallowed the propaganda whole, and joined the mob repeating the mob collective chants even though they had never read the bills or even tried to seek out some independent information.
Mob rule, as Ancient Greece falls. Is this how the “Next Great Copyright Act” policy will be determined?
Who could be bankrolling this? Certainly not some band that has discovered magic beans to replace the monetary exchange system the rest of us are confined to.
Sincerely, Cynthia
This is blatant, crass commercialism on the part of Ghost Beach. The fact is that the counter on the site doesn’t even work! This is a TOTAL FRAUD designed by a desperate ad agency to appear current.
Reblogged this on MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY.
I wouldn’t doubt that Eric Schmit (Google) donated a HUGE check.
“Especially since another aspect of this campaign is a highly manipulative and cynical attempt to pit artists against artists.” And I guess if you had any inclination whatsoever to destroy artists ( and thus a culture,) turning artists against one another would be a clever way to do it. Thank you, as always, for your hard work and dedication.