Sunday 31 August 2014

I (really) love Deezer

And why wouldn't I?

It seems in UK everyone who uses a music subscription service uses Spotify. When I mention I use Deezer, a lot of people have seemingly never heard of it.

I used to use Spotify for years, shifting from the free version to the paid version and then back again. I gave Deezer a spin about a year ago, and soon discovered a promo for their £9.99 version for half price; the offer lasted 6 months. I went for it, and over 6 months found Deezer to be superior in various ways. The principal edge it has for me is the mobile application; it looks and feels good. This is what music industry commentators would refer to as the context, not the content (roughly equivalent on both Deezer and Spotify). It also feels more plastic, with eye-catching features and third party apps that genuinely draw your attention to different content.

The mobile app also offers some degree of customisation with the levels to enhance bass or recreate the sound of a studio or concert hall etc. With good headphones, the audio quality is stellar. 

Most recently, I tried out their 'Flow' feature which is the same idea as the Apple Genius feature. Shuffling up a playlist built around my listening habits, it kicked off with 'Ceremony', by New Order - a spectacular start. From there, it shuffled around songs from recently added albums and playlists I haven't really listened with a healthy sure fire 'favourite' song of sorts every now and then. It was a pleasant and elegant experience, and I am impressed.

I am now on a different promo with Deezer, and feel that when it expires, I will stay put. I have invested a lot of time and effort into building my library on Deezer with (lots of) playlists I couldn't replicate elsewhere.

Deezer, you have won. Luckily, I love you, and I'm happy to continue paying for your product.

P.S. I recently found out I had been paying for two different Deezer accounts. That is how much I love it!

Tweets @musicpiracyblog

Friday 22 August 2014

New article on the seldom discussed issue of porn piracy

There, I said it: porn.

In the latest issue of the new journal 'Porn Studies', a new article of mine ponders why researchers have paid so little attention to porn piracy. It's one of the few open access ones in this issue, so it's free to download and enjoy.

The article unpacks reasons why engaging in porn piracy might carry unique motivations (when compared to music piracy, for example), and considers the unique challenges rights holders have in fighting porn piracy.

The article discusses the recent 'Pay For Your Porn' campaign, which adds some colour to proceedings and generally makes links to recent news items. It's a hot topic.

Whether or not you approve of it, the porn industry is an industry like any other and employs lots and lots of people across a range of roles 

The new issue of the journal itself contains a few articles on censorship and related topics which might also be of interest to readers of this blog.

Check it out, unless of course you are too scared to be caught 'reading' about porn..

Tweets @musicpiracyblog

References

Brown, S.C. (2014). Porn piracy: An overlooked phenomenon in need of academic investigation. Porn Studies, 1(3), 342-346.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

The big names in digital piracy research: Various disciplines

On the back of blog entries detailing the contributions of Economists and Criminologists, this entry aims to capture a broader stretch of researchers from across multiple disciplines.

A wee Google search of these scholars should be a profitable exercise, where you will find a few key books as well as dozens of research articles.

Patrik Wikstrom (Media and Communication Studies)
Ian Hargreaves (Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies)
Jonas Andersson Schwarz (Media and Communications)
Ram D Gopal (Business)
Lee Marshall (Sociology)
Simon Frith (Musicologist)
Matthew David (Sociology)
Stefan Larsson (Law)

Tweets @musicpiracyblog


Friday 8 August 2014

Who are the music pirates and what do they want?

I recently discovered the quite excellent resource The Conversation, and you can find my first contribution titled 'Who are the music pirates and what do they want?' here.

In the short piece, I review research into who illegally downloads music and why, with discussion focused on young males. It also includes a number of links to other online resources which are all free to access.

Check it out, and get lost in the website while you're at it - thoroughly recommended reading, with excellent contributions on issues relating to copyright and the digital economy.

Tweets @musicpiracyblog

References

Brown, S.C. (2014, August). Who are the music pirates and what do they want? Retrieved 5 August 2014, from
https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-music-pirates-and-what-do-they-want-29876