MTV Europe Has Things To Say About Piracy And/Or Loading Bars Being Bad For Musicians

from the there's-a-'soylent-green'-joke-in-there-and-i'm-going-to-go-get dept

Mon, Jul 30th 2012 1:07pm — Tim Cushing

I don't know what a good anti-piracy ad looks like. I don't think I've ever seen one. Most of these promos come across with all the subtlety of a stereotypical Jewish grandmother bearing a sledgehammer, continually bashing the observer over the head with guilt and terrible physical theft metaphors. This new ad is different. Not better, but at least not more of the same. Hat tip to Dave Awesome Allen for pointing this out via his blog post entitled "Yeah, this will really work." (Yes. His middle name is actually "Awesome" and it's because of things like this. Also because of Gang of Four, Shriekback and the Elastic Purejoy. )

It's not much to look at from a distance:

But, fortunately, Huh Magazine has a selection of closeup shots to better show how piracy is swiftly turning musicians blue.

In the following two closeups, a few details stand out, which we decided to highlight for discussion purposes:

[1] A man who looks suspiciously like Kim Dotcom as portrayed by Rex Ryan gestures wildly at the cowering musicians while unwittingly providing user names and passwords to the onlooking Anonymous member.

[2] Fanservice.

[3] Lyle Lovett is menaced by an eyeless worlock who uses his magicks to unsettle Lovett's hairpiece.

[1] A Hindu techie delivers a new monitor.

[2] A man requests a refund for his defective power strip, gesturing at the distinct lack of sockets.

[3] H8trs gonna h8.

A set of striking images to be sure, reminding each and every one of us John Q. Downloaders that your computer's hard drive is made out of people, and each download is slowly (depending on ISP) drowning them. Which is bad, because most of them own expensive electronic devices.

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Filed Under: advertising, huh?, piracy
Companies: mtv, viacom

59 Comments

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Bas Grasmayer (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 11:24am

When's the last time MTV played music?
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gnudist, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:12pm

They're blue cause the plans with their men done fell through
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:15pm

I blued myself
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xenomancer (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:15pm

all the subtlety of a stereotypical Jewish grandmother bearing a sledgehammer
You gave her a sledgehammer?!?!?!? Run!!! Or she'll break your legs and the chores will NEVER end.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
xenomancer (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:22pm

Re:
Right around the last time someone passed a GED and cited MTV as the sole source of their knowledge... so, the mid 90's, when MTV still deemed rebellious sarcasm was the "in" thing for pissing off parents, and pretty much everyone else. Then it shifted to mindless obedience (you know, to be "different," like everyone else) and the intelligence level dropped below keeping even Beavis and Butthead on the air.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:24pm

Re:
When's the last time MTV played music?

That goes to show that this campaign is false advertising. MTV has nothing to "steal".
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RadialSkid (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:26pm

The best thing about this ad? The blue people are obviously winning, and the gray people are obviously terrified of them.
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Zakida Paul (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:29pm

Ironic
Considering it was MTV and the music video that killed music.
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xenomancer (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:30pm

Re:
Oh, right, the article (without grandma)... I think the second selection in the second image has a bit of clever irony. Shouldn't those "edgy" (ouch, reaching for that tore a ligament) artists be compensating those who provide side benefits out of pure (apparent) adulation? This is a moral question.
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Designerfx (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:32pm

Re:
coincidentally the same time they were ever known for anything of quality.
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gnudist, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:34pm

Re: Ironic
Everything ever kills music and yet I can still find good new stuffs
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keiichi969 (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:43pm

Oh the irony.
That this is a progress bar.

Once "Piracy" takes over completely, will we have progress?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jupiterkansas (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:43pm

So after the all-consuming mob destroys all the musicians and not a single musician can afford to make music anymore, what happens then?
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jupiterkansas (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:47pm

I would add that many of those blue people should also be carrying musical instruments.
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Rabbit80, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:49pm

Re: Oh the irony.
I thought that was the point of the advert - to show how close we are :)
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:51pm

I want to know what poor sap is still using an ISDN connection these days.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:54pm

Re: Re:
Sorry, but "never" is not a valid answer.
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Nigel (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:54pm

I was just talking about Lyle Lovette
Who I did sound for a few times. He could not be a nicer guy and it pains me to see just how bad he has gotten ripped off by the rubes in suits.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/10/us-lovett-idUSN1030835920080710

Nigel
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Oblate (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:56pm

Re:
Seriously? MTV plays music all the time. I would guess it's in at least 3/4 of their commercials.

Oh, wait- did you mean play music videos?
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Jason, 30 Jul 2012 @ 1:56pm

Re:
Sometime before the song changed to:

You gotta...

submit a request in triplicate, to legal, production, and distribution, pay $1000 in license fees and hope that we decide to license unto you a right...

...to paaaaaaar-tay!
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Yakko Warner (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:01pm

Re: Ironic
Unfortunately, we can't rewind, we've gone too far.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
SujaOfJauhnral (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:05pm

show how piracy is swiftly turning musicians blue.

I'd rather be known as Lady Blue of Internet Anarchy than Lady Red of Internet Communism.
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ShellMG, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:08pm

Would Rick Astley be on the white side or the blue side?
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SujaOfJauhnral (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:09pm

Re: Re: Ironic
Internet killed the MAFIAA star

Oohh ah oohhh!!

Internet killed the MAFIAA star
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:11pm

MTV is obviously not using Google Fiber must be AT&T 64K connection to have the ETA of 0.5 MB at 47 seconds LoL
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SujaOfJauhnral (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:12pm

Re:
Also I'm curious as to why they decided to use white instead of red, since red mirrors their intention more than white which is usually used to mean 'purity'... Wait, I think I get it now.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:12pm

Spot the propaganda

Question, how subtle can propaganda be to have the desired affect

If im either young, impressionable, uninformed or an idiot, what i will see in this pic, is a bunch of "questionable" characters, seemingly attacking other non threatening people, in this case artists

Wheres little joey downloading the latest disney movie

Wheres the young doctor downloading works to help him understand a procedure

Wheres the poor family downloading a movie for movie night, so their family can have, for that brief time, a distraction on their possible stressful lives, and little joey, taking that closeness with him, for the rest of his life,

Propaganda, might happen, might not, might be true, might be false.........there is usually always two sides to a story,

Soooooo, this is what a pirate looks like, or at least an expression of what a pirate looks like, well im pretty sure that that picture could be flipped and still represent a truth to someone

Propaganda, or "education" if you want to use the modern term for it, is fucking despicable, you've had examples of it throughout history, and i cant believe our society still suffers that bullshit manipulation.

Lets say in a supposed corrupt government, who uses the the tool that is propaganda, the internet as its meant to be, would be a risk to that on and off legacy tool, propaganda, whereas the internet as its gradually being pushed to be now, would be the most powerful tool a corrupt government could ever dream of.

Sorry, im just rambling my thoughts now, as you've probably guesed, i fucking hate with a passion the notion of propaganda, the nationwide manipulation, whether intentional or unintentional, and yes, i am self aware enough to know that thats a biased opinion on what i see, no, not as a pirate, as someone who feels strongly about people having human rights, freedoms, privacy, security and the idea of freely sharing of information, NOT information on citizens, unless your a civil servant, where your position, choices and decisions, affects those citizens

And just to clarify, my names not little joey
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The eejit (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:25pm

Re: Re: Re:
MTV killed the music star.

STOP MTV!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:25pm

Blue vs Gray.

Frag the Gray's!
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John Nemesh, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:31pm

if they were to be accurate...
...Instead of musicians being attacked, they SHOULD be showing the mindless "middlemen" accounting drones getting their ass handed to them!

Downloading is GREAT for the artists! Study after study has shown that the people who truly CONNECT to the artists are more than willing to support the artists. The people we are NOT going to support any longer are the "gatekeepers" and aforementioned accounting drones, who feel that they are entitled to a cut of the business! They are DONE! Stick a fork in them and let's all move on!

On another note...how long has it been since MTV has AT ALL been relevant to the music business? 10 years? 20? All I have seen lately on MTV is "Jersey Shore" and "My Sweet 16"...nothing even REMOTELY related to music! They have lost ALL ABILITY to be able to even comment on the matter!
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NeedThatAsWallPaper!, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:41pm

Looks to me like the blue people are having fun in the digital age and are sharing it with all, has anyone spotted Mike yet?. White ones look terrified of the digital era...

Does anybody have a link to a high resolution version? The blue happy people would make for an awesome wallpaper.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:44pm

Re:
Real musicians are easier to find and studio made boy bands disappear forever?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Baldaur Regis (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:51pm

Re:
So after the all-consuming mob destroys all the musicians and not a single musician can afford to make music anymore, what happens then?
Really, really good streetcorner bands. With former studio execs, dressed in tattered Armani suits, standing in front of them and screaming to passersby "GIVE ME MONEY AND I'LL SHUT UP SO YOU CAN HEAR THIS MUSIC!"

In other words, nothing will really change.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:52pm

A man who looks suspiciously like Mike Masnick as portrayed by Rex Ryan gestures wildly at the cowering musicians while unwittingly providing user names and passwords to the onlooking Anonymous member.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jd2112 (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 2:55pm

Re:
Internet Piracy is because of The Blue Man Group!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
SujaOfJauhnral (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:05pm

Re: Re:
& The Smurfs.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:30pm

Re: Oh the irony.
Downloading the death of big music industry?

With all the bad laws they support I'd like to ask everyone to SEED PLZ!!!!1!!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Beech, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:31pm

So, if the apparent VAST majority is on the blue side, why are there so many laws being passed to favor the white side at the expense of the blue side? What happened to majority rule?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:32pm

Re:
Which side is never gonna make you cry?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:40pm

Re:
I vote for no taxes, who's with me?
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Beech, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:48pm

Re: Re:
Maybe if the gov't was more open, human, and awesome (as opposed to being secretive, faceless, and dystopian) people wouldn't mind giving them money as much...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:51pm

Re: Re:
Commercials are music videos. They just happen to be shorter than most
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Rabbit80, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:52pm

Re:
Here ya go!

http://media.xipax.com/18004_22378.jpg
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Rabbit80, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:54pm

Re:
http://creativesociety.com/gallery/18004/mtv-music-television-download-bar/
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Zos (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:54pm

it's not mtv's fault
to be fair, it probably got to the point where playing music simply cost too much to be possible on tv.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 3:58pm

I�m mainly amused that it takes them 47 seconds to get .5 mb...
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 4:06pm

Re:
"So, if the apparent VAST majority is on the blue side, why are there so many laws being passed to favor the white side at the expense of the blue side? What happened to majority rule?"

Because it's "One dollar, one vote", not "One person, one vote". Those that have enslaved the white side have more money than those that live on the blue side.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 4:08pm

Re:
I�m mainly amused that it takes them 47 seconds to get .5 mb...

They must be using a "Comcastic" connection.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 4:20pm

Re:
The last time MTV played music, John Walsh stumbled on Yahoo Chat
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 4:37pm

If sharing becomes the norm imagine what will happen to the artists. Now imagine we said those things because we couldn't think of any. As a middle man those things worry me.
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DogBreath, 30 Jul 2012 @ 4:47pm

Re:
What you can't see in the pic is the "red side" (RIAA/EMI/GEMA etc...). That is because they have already been inside the musicians pockets and picked them clean.
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Watchit (profile), 30 Jul 2012 @ 8:30pm

TvTropes
My God... linking to TvTropes in the main body of an article... you evil evil man... there goes my evening!
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2012 @ 10:16pm

That's a lot of little computer people. Any sign of their dogs?
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PaulT (profile), 31 Jul 2012 @ 12:17am

Re:
MTV *Europe* plays videos all the time and has several channels devoted to just doing that. There is a channel that plays all the crappy reality shows but you can definitely just watch music.
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Y.Bhargav (profile), 31 Jul 2012 @ 12:22am

Flipside
Guys look at it this way ...

47 sec to download .5Mb thats the speed labels provide.

That download bar is not someone downloading via a pirate website. Its a loyal customer downloading via a labels websites. It represents all the loyal fans who buy the latest tech the laptops, the tablets, the HD TV's and eagerly waiting for the labels to release the songs while the labels treat them as outcasts insulting them and being afraid that they download from a pirate site.

Eventually the tech will win and the labels will be thrown out.
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Tim Griffiths (profile), 31 Jul 2012 @ 2:08am

Re:
I noticed on a friends TV the other day a channel named "MTV Music". Yep.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Jul 2012 @ 3:34am

Re:
Exactly my thoughts;

looks like the public is .5 megs away from finally being free of the so-called 'industry' and ready to enjoy real music from real musicians again.
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Michael, 31 Jul 2012 @ 5:51am

Wow
I can't believe people still watch that worthless channel. MTV, propaganda network for the RIAA and major labels that they are, have the nerve to blame the internet for their own failures.

Can you name a single relevant musician from the past decade who owes their success to MTV? I can't.

People decided long ago to find the music they wanted on the internet rather than rely on decrepit networks like MTV, VH1, BET, etc., networks whose glory days are long behind them.
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gnudist, 31 Jul 2012 @ 6:29pm

Re: Re:
Music TeleVision Music,the division where people who got General Education Diploma Diplomas work to get money they'll later pull out of an automated teller machine machine.
[ link to this | view in thread ]