My Thoughts on Pirating Magic

[Ashrei]

@JButterfield

I'm not an Asher......

@Mike.Hankins

Mr. Hankins, Thank you for your input. I can definitely see that as in most instances, paying for something produces inclinations to hold onto the something (whatever it maybe) more dearly. Consequently, the more you pay, more likely you are try to benefit from the purchase. However, that's was not what I wanted to convey. My speculation of maybe there is a possibility of 'pirated DVD' for gimmicked effects may increase sale due to the need for the gimmick. I have no way of supporting that claim, as it was simply a speculation.

I have only little doubt that something that was earned cheaply will be treated cheaply for most instances. However, if I may be a devil's advocate here... The money is not the only thing valuable. For example, say someone wanted to learn an effect, (let's say JUMP by Mr. Bich since that is staring at my face right now) and that effect was available on a torrent. If a person took 4 days to find that torrent, wouldn't he be more inclined to learn more out of the torrent than someone who just found it in 2 minutes? What I am saying is that due to 4 days he spent on finding out of the effect, he is more invested in learning the effect than someone who hasn't. Will he be a better performer than someone who paid $4.95 and 20 minutes to download the effect? It's hard to say, honestly. I think it's more complicated than that, but I am reluctant to say someone who paid $5 for a magic effect will be more enthusiastic about the effect than someone who actively searched for the method for 4 straight days.

I am not promoting nor advocating magic pirating is an ethical behavior. What I am stating though, is that perhaps idea someone who doesn't pay monetary value to an item will treat cheaply of that item, is a logical fallacy of some sort. I paid $0 for my acoustic guitar, but it is my second most prized possession even though it is not made by a popular brand or anything along that line. I am sure similar idea can applied to the magic. (i.e. SNC winnings)

There really wasn't a whole lot of things I wanted to convey, except going on a tangent from what Steerpike somewhat induced me to think about.

Thank you, Mr. Hankins and others who entertained my ideas and read this.

 

[Steerpike]

People do not give something away free (i.e., without any sort of remuneration) if they perceive it to have value. That, as I understand it, is part of the definition of "value".

There is an exception to that. The best marketers in the world give free content away to create value. This is especially true in information products and entertainment. They give away golden stuff for free in order to convince people they've got the goods. Then when the sales pitch comes in, the buyer has already received value from the seller and is willing to part with their money for more of it. It's something that gets overlooked a lot.

You have to remember that a fiat currency, money, has no intrinsic value. It's a scrap of paper with a number written on it. We accept that it has value assigned to it because it's a promissory note. You did a certain amount of work and the money note indicates the value of the work you provided. Trouble is that abstractions like that are a bit difficult for us to get our heads around. So we have to constantly ask ourselves, "What is value?"

To try and illustrate what I mean, I've been watching the show Oddities a lot. For those who haven't seen it, it's a show about antique dealers who specialize in the weird and macabre. In one episode, a customer walked in looking for Tibetan Buddhist items. He grew up in Chinatown next door to Buddhist temple and thought for the longest time that he was going to be a monk. He ultimately pursued a career in law, but still studies Buddhism and collects Tibetan antiques related to the religion. He mentions to Ryan, the guy tending the store, that he already owned a kapala, which is a sacred vessel made from a human skull, and was looking for something new for his collection. Ryan presented him with a damaru, which is a drum made from two human skull caps. The drums are used in a variety of rituals and are quite rare outside Tibet. The store wanted $1,100 for the damaru, and the guy considered that completely fair and was thrilled because he never thought he would own a damaru.

My point? How many of you would pay $1,100 for that drum? I'm betting not many of you. You can probably appreciate the history and culture behind the damaru. But unless you're interested in Tibetan Buddhism yourself, it probably doesn't have a lot of value to you personally. This customer saw value in that item and was willing to pay the asking price for it. Value is relative.

Another example, this one a little simpler. Warren Buffet once said that his skills are highly valued in the US. He said he is disproportionately rewarded for what he does. But he also said that if you were to put him in Peru or Bangladesh, his current skill set would mean nothing. It would have no value in those regions.

Now let's bring it in to magic quickly. I've bought a few products from Jay Sankey, but my favorites were Invisible and Hundred Dollar Miracles because I have a very minimalist style. Those DVDs take one thing and build multiple effects out of them. I get more mileage from one thing. To me, that has a lot of value and I think the price I paid was totally fair for what I received. Some people may see it differently.

Now let's have another look. Let's take Craig. How much value has he given you just by posting here?

 

[TeeDee]

There is an exception to that. The best marketers in the world give free content away to create value. This is especially true in information products and entertainment. They give away golden stuff for free in order to convince people they've got the goods. Then when the sales pitch comes in, the buyer has already received value from the seller and is willing to part with their money for more of it. It's something that gets overlooked a lot.

I'd argue that the remuneration in that case is the goodwill of potential customers.

 

[Craig Browning]

Firstly, my humble thanks to those of you that recognized my existence. . .

I sat 2011 aside to write 4 FREE eBooks that covered 4 key topics I see questions about at least once a month on everyone of the "open" forums I participate on. They were written for two reasons; to help other old farts like me in giving the newbie accurate and more encompassing details as well as a relatively complete list of recognized resources when it comes to Mentalism, Cold Reading, Bizarre Magick & Seance work. I've nearly completed another that deals with the Swami to which I've seen contributions from Lee Earle, Jeff McBride, TC Tahoe and others none of whom feel they are "wasting" their time or that what they share has little to no value. In fact, all of these people know the value of their name -- their brand -- when they place it on something, just as I know that my thumbs up or down and make or break a product; I've helped material hit huge sales records just by offering a practical overview. I've also made waves a few times because I'm a bit brash (not that it shows).

"Value" like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and as anyone that watches Antiques Road Show knows, the market value and appraisal values flux; in the 80's people paid small fortunes for Carnival Glass, not so much now days. Prior to Copperfield buying the Mullholland collection antique magic didn't have a huge profit margin or demand, can't say that now days; props I once couldn't give away are now selling at premium prices --- TO MAGIC COLLECTORS. I wouldn't give you a dime for any of it now days, my priorities have changed and thus, I no longer place value in such trivials. . . been there, done that, got the T-shirt and bad back to prove it.

My contributions have a huge value to me because I feel it is part of my obligation to "pay it forward". I've ticked off more than a few because I've chosen to push these FREE resources and the amount of material included, but I've likewise seen numerous notes of appreciation. Then again, there is the fact that many tossed the material in the corner without appreciating anything said or the details shared; it didn't cost anything so it can't be "valuable", right? Then too, I'm the fool for casting pearls before swine, as some might suggest. But then there is the other side as to why I see value in these free materials; I'm able to plant seeds in the minds of young people (more than not) that are still eager to learn and in many cases, can't afford to get hold of quality magic resources with any kind of ease. People gave me books when I was young and new to it all; people sat down with me and walked me through things, helping me to understand it from multiple points of view . . . why should I do things any different?

This takes us back to my previous post, something that seems to have gotten ignored and seriously side-stepped because it tosses some ice water onto the issue at question here; when is the copyright infringement claim more an excuse for wannabe aspirants to whine over spilt-milk and not getting that shinny nickle vs. blatant trespass?

As I said, people have bootlegged and counterfeited things since the earliest days of society, that's not going to change. The reason is a simple one; members of the consumer base patronize such "pirates" quietly while railing against such things in the public forum where they are seen. . . kind of like the typical Go'n to Meet'n Sunday Morning only bible-thumper . . . they know what to say and where but they don't and "can't" actually live it (ironically, Jesus himself warned folks about this very type of hypocrite). Given how huge the magic related distribution is of this type of material means one thing, we have a lot of liars in our world (then again, that's the nature of the job, isn't it?)

Then we have that whole "Morality" & "Ethics" thing in which the "victims" of such piracy feel raped (as they should) but likewise become hemorrhoids to everyone on the various forums, because they didn't get their shiny nickel. . . and this is more of the great truth than any other contention -- it always comes back to cash, the one thing we Westerners worship most, outside the NFL maybe.

What about that other moral factor I mentioned that everyone's trying to get away from? What about the act of being a good fellow within the community and sharing books here and there (I stress, in limited ways)? What about those old guys that die and the family simply donates the book collection to the local High School's library or the public library or simply sells them for Fifty-cents each at a garage sale?

I doubt many of you here know of the controversy tied around the Fitch-Kohler Holdout some years back; the gist is, you coughed up a bit over $2,000.00 for the right to use said device but for lack of a better term, you didn't "own" it. You didn't have the right to sell it to anyone on a whim because of how the intellectual property and design elements were being protected and by way of purchase agreement, the device would be returned to the company for refurbishing and re-sell (I think there was some kind of kick-back on the sell, don't recall all of the details). The point is, the anal-retentive attitudes so many are projecting when it comes to their eBooks and Tricks really is paving the path that will take us to this same sense of extreme; not only do you have to return the books when you're done with them you'll have to pay special circumstance royalties if you use the material in these sources, on Tv or other modes of broadcast, you'll have to pay for jurisdiction rights (already done with big illusions) which means you can only perform a given piece of material that came from a book you "own" in certain markets based on who owns the rights first, in each area. . . kind of makes it tough to plan out an actual show let alone a tour and as ridiculous as it sounds, we are heading in this direction -- we've exchanged innocence for profit and thus, lost our priorities as both, artists and fans of a given craft as well as human beings.

I have many effects, books, etc. on the market and as I said, I find my stuff on torrent sites with great frequency. So yes, I've been "hurt" financially, by this thing we call "piracy". I've even put time into developing a means by which to protect some of my material via a security code that tells me whose copy went out . . . and I'm not the only one using such a system. At the end of the day the truth still remains; some of the very people we have decent rapport with on line, are the one's downloading these digital copies and using them as their own means of barter-economy. If this weren't true, the problem wouldn't be as rampant as it is.

I'd really like to see some integrity in this thread; some folks being honest enough to admit to both, borrowing and lending out books, DVDs, etc. and doing so innocently, not to harm or cause loss to anyone. Then again, I'd like to see some confessions when it comes to the issue; those that have and still do look for "the deals" on what they know to be "questionable" materials and sources.

 

[Steerpike]

I'd really like to see some integrity in this thread; some folks being honest enough to admit to both, borrowing and lending out books, DVDs, etc. and doing so innocently, not to harm or cause loss to anyone. Then again, I'd like to see some confessions when it comes to the issue; those that have and still do look for "the deals" on what they know to be "questionable" materials and sources.

To get the ball rolling, I've shared books and DVDs in the past. And when I first started out, I turned to the torrent sites because I had no money and nobody would give me the time of day. It's a practice I've long-since ceased, but I admit that I used to do it.

 

[Craig Browning]

While it doesn't surprise me, it would seem that you're the only honest magic lover here, old friend.

 

[Steerpike]

I wonder if more people would be willing to admit to sharing and pirating if they knew just how much trading goes on in the community? Once you reach a certain level, it may as well be true that you never have to buy another book again.

 

[KeoSilver]

To get the ball rolling, I've shared books and DVDs in the past. And when I first started out, I turned to the torrent sites because I had no money and nobody would give me the time of day. It's a practice I've long-since ceased, but I admit that I used to do it.

OUTCAST! *Adopts long curled hair and monitors an ever green computer screen* You shall be bannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnned.

PS.

Sometimes my humor doesn't carry over the internet, I was kidding.

 

[Craig Browning]

OUTCAST! *Adopts long curled hair and monitors an ever green computer screen* You shall be bannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnned.

PS.

Sometimes my humor doesn't carry over the internet, I was kidding.

NO! I can't believe your were being sarcastic Keo. . .

Aren't we a novel lot?

 

[KeoSilver]

It is liberating.

 

[Bizzaro]

Without reading the whole thread I have my thoughts on this subject and anyone who has ever read my magic journal will know what those are.

That said I want to comment on something Michael said about how "Pirating is theft."

 

[Craig Browning]

When was the last time I told you that you're nucking futz?