It seems like we have access to just about any entertainment these days without even having to leave the comfort of our own couch or open our wallets. Why buy the album when you can use Spotify or Rdio, which have unlimited songs for free as long as you’re willing to listen to a few advertisements. Want movies or TV shows? There are apps like Show Box that let you watch HD movies and shows that haven’t even been released yet, or catch up with your favorite Game of Thrones character on YouTube.
Being the first generation to have access to infinite high quality images and sound leaves us a little spoiled. We’ve even been referred to as “Generation Y-pay” by The Guardian. Has this seemingly infinite access to free entertainment changed our appreciation of art, or have our dynamic demands helped keep art evolving?
Generation Y can remember the analogue to digital shift in the form of the glorious moments of getting a new CD album in their hands to clicking “Purchase” on iTunes. While this shift to digital took place, Napster was making music free to everyone and sparked the controversy of music piracy. Napster was sued by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) in 1999 for copyright infringements, and in 2001, Napster was ordered to cease the publishing of free music.
However, peer-to-peer sharing was taking place, so Napster really didn’t have much to do with the music sharing at that point and the peer sharing was next to impossible for the police to catch. For the first time people had more music than they really knew what to do with, and all of it was free. Consequently, our generation has taken dying mediums that used to be the status quo like vinyl records and turned them into recycled trends.
Due to the difficulties experienced in policing music, and even movie piracy, artists have been forced to take extra precautions these days to ensure that their work stays private and protected until they are ready to share it with their fans through purchase. Major deals are being made between stores like Target or Best Buy with artists to provide fans exclusive additions to an album which may include extra behind- the-scenes features, or additional songs not included on the regular version found online. They also entice buyers away from “clicks” and to go to a “brick and mortar” store to physically buy an album instead of opting to pirate.
This generation constantly creates new challenges for the entertainment industry, and they’ve had to come up with new ways to both protect their work but still keep us interested. An example of this can be seen in Beyonce’s most recent juggernaut of an album release, which she kept a complete secret. Typically, people will hear an artist’s song come back into rotation on the radio when they’re about to release a new album. Although this method of no press or pre-order prior to release is uncommon in general, it’s almost unheard of for large pop names. Ed Sheeran is another artist who’s been practicing these surprise drops; he’s been exceptionally vague about his highly anticipated album and then releases his new single “Sing” with no prior announcement.
Ten years ago we all had to wait for a movie to come out on VHS. Bootlegging (when someone records a movie in a theater and then sells copies of it before it’s official public release) doesn’t even hold a candle to the kind of digital piracy taking place today. If you want an irritatingly low quality recording of a bootlegged film, you can try and buy one from some street vendors by asking the right questions. But apps like Show Box that make it easy to watch films before they hit shelves or legally become available on demand. $250 billion is lost every year to movie pirating, according to freakonomics.com.
Who can blame today’s consumers though when the previous generation went to the movies, and it only cost a nickel. During WWII, the movie theater was an inexpensive way to get away from the hardships the country was facing. It was a time of Gene Kelly, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra making films that made people smile and sing while keeping in mind that they should keep supporting the troops. Disney’s animated films were groundbreaking, and people wanted to see them like the way our generation wanted to see Avatar when it came out.
The average ticket price in 2013 was $8.13, according to the Los Angeles Times. In addition to the cost of gas to drive to a theater, it’s no wonder why our generation would rather sit on our own couch and stream free movies to our television. An HDMI cable has pretty much become a one time ticket for watching anything these days.
“YouTube has gone from being an online hub for hopelessly amateur video clips to serving as the go-to source of entertainment for a generation accustomed to viewing video on computers, phones and tablets,” Allan Hoffman of NJ.com said.
It’s true, it has everything from full length episodes and movies to fan compilations, not to mention the hundreds of hilarious cat videos. YouTube has cracked down on removing copyrighted shows of movies that are illegally shared on their website, but the majority of users are creating videos such as comedic bits, advice or performances.
This generation as a whole has made the most out of YouTube by using it to educate and entertain. Want to speak a foreign language? There are complete instructional videos that teach you how to learn foreign languages for free. Getting discovered as an artist has become relatively easier with being able to represent themselves in making music videos and sharing gigs.
With one video, fan bases can be created across the world. Justin Bieber, Marie Digby and Arnel Pineda (replacement lead singer of Journey) were all discovered on YouTube. Now film studios are releasing their new movie trailers to YouTube before they hit the TV screens, e.g. the new Godzilla and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies.
Generation Download or Generation Y-pay, whatever history decides to name us, has challenged and redefined the entertainment industry. We’re no longer the sheeps waiting in line, we demand good reason to actually show up for a show. We are connected to the world and have given birth the the term “instant star.” Our guinea pig-esque childhood with technology has given our generation the authority to create this download age.