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Censorship and the Performer

In case you haven't been near a computer, mobile device, radio, or television lately... There is an issue brewing, making a big splash in the waves of media. It's an issue of censorship.

Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Flickr, Ask, and plenty of other well known faces of the web are in on this.

Google's doodle protested the act using this image.

Now, you may be wondering why this topic would find itself on a blog such as ours. To this inquiry, we give three primary reasons:

It's important to be informed about what's going on in the world around you, a matter of wisdom and discretion.
Performing artists will likely encounter issues of copyright at some point (or many points) in life. The issues at hand are very entwined in this reality of arts and media.
As we've mentioned in a few previous blog posts, we encourage you, as Christians, to know what you live for and what you choose to defend. Beliefs, knowledge, and wise actions.

Before we go any further, why don't you brush over an article or two covering the issue:

NPR
CNN
FOX
A handy little youtube video that may be helpful to your understanding. (Note: It's not as objective as a news source.)

So, what's a performer to do?
We can all recognize that piracy is stealing, which, according to the Bible, is wrong. But, is this the right step to take towards resolution?

Even if you doubt your involvement in the realm of copyright, chances are, you're still bound to be involved. Ever shop online, use youtube (perhaps to upload your MasterWorks audition videos!), or search online for information? To assume that this doesn't affect you is a mistake.

So, we challenge you, a Christian performing artist, to learn more about these issues, particularly how copyright works and affects circumstances such as these.

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MasterWorks intern alum Eric Squires posted this article from Wired magazinehttp://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/scotus-re-copyright-decision/It deals with a recent supreme court decision relating to copyright. Did you know that the copyright on Peter and the Wolf could now be renewed? Who do you think will benefit from the renewal of this copyright (given that Prokofiev certainly won't!)Copyright issues affect all artists; its very good to be informed!

Posted by AmandaZ on January 20, 2012 @ 9:09 am

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