DEBATE: Will We Ever Return to the Days Before Mass Piracy?

The most entrenched cynics will say “Ha! Um. No.”

Most would argue the culture of piracy is too deeply interwoven into music culture today. Sound point. However, a lot has changed with music consumption as of late. Streaming has rivaled downloads, illegal and legal, and this is the key detail that might eat away at piracy. Unfortunately, streaming is still slow to find fair royalty rates with labels and musicians.

When there are so many easy cheap/free streaming outlets, music pirates aren’t as incentivized as they used to be. With the massive growth of streaming services and time for the culture to heal itself and embrace them, music consumers could be programmed to limit the piracy. 

In the end, it’s hard to imagine any form of technology stopping piracy. It’s a floodgate that can only be reduced in size, but not sealed altogether. Music tech gurus don’t bother trying to stop it, but find ways to adapt and work around it. No, we won’t return to the days before piracy, but hopefully someday, culture will embrace a compromise that makes most sense to them and the musicians making the music.