Wiki - sopa / pipa blackout - what it means for music artists

Heres how I feel about the wiki / google etc blackout in response to the tight proposed new legislation's by pipa / sopa to enforce tough restrictions on major sights on what they can and cannot share and what public can and cannot view / post.


In theory, at a basic level I agree with pipa/sopa -
. Of course you should not be able to upload or download material / software / video / music etc that other people should be being paid for. 


however, it does not work like that and I totally support the wiki reaction to it.


If 'big brother' thinks that by making the laws tougher it will solve the problem and make information sharing of commercial work a thing of the past , they are on cloud fairy dream land.


You tube actually identifies and PAYS the original artist for any copyrighted work via adverts - i.e. major artists get revenue from people uploading their work!


What happens if you toughen up the laws and play big brother? people find even slipperier ways to get around it... guess who it hurts the most? us, the minor struggling people who get their work stolen and shared for free and get NOT A PENNY from it..


I found yesterday at least TEN sites offering ALL THREE of my current albums for NOTHING as full album downloads.... several hundred free, full album downloads on each site. I could have made several thousand pounds if I had been paid for each of those as I should have been. I work damn hard to make music and sell a few dozen hard copies and a couple of hundred mp'3s as official downloads for each album, ten sites giving them away by the HUNDREDS? All money lost for me.  But you think this new legislation will help artists like me? no way.


And While people are stealing my work.. is that not encouraging me to to do the same back to them? 


I.E. in principle, yes please stop illegal activity, but what they are suggesting will make it WORSE for most people. It will push the activity away from the major sites like you tube / google  and underground to smaller sites that are impossible to track , or get any revenue at all out of. 


totally farce and ridiculous.
-dv