When it comes to piracy, there are those who believe that downloading songs is alright, and then you have those who think that it is wrong. There are many reasons why people download, because it is free, or because they want to see if they like it, but in the eyes of the law, it is illegal and that is something an anti-piracy app has recently been launched in the UK where it hopes to teach the younger generation the effect of piracy on recording artists. The app, dubbed Music Inc, is a collaboration between UK Music, the Intellectual Property Office, and Aardman Animations.
The app isn’t so much a lecture but is sort of like a game in which the player will be able to groom an artists from a handful of hopefuls, manage their image, compose tracks, and try to make as much money as they can from their artist, all the while keeping an eye on how piracy impacts profits. Essentially its a simulation game that throws in the effect of piracy into the mix, compared to other simulation titles where it feels more like an ideal-type situation rather than real world. The idea has merit but not everyone believes it will work.
One of them is music analyst, Mark Mulligan, who states, “It is obviously part of their role to educate but I’m not sure it is a battle that needs fighting any more. The awareness that piracy is hurting artists has grown in the last three years.” The app will be free for download come 5th of February for iOS and Android devices.