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RANDOM FANDOM™ with Locusmortis – An Analog Life in the Digital Age

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This isn’t the first column I’ve written triggered by something Insideman has posted. He’s pretty good as a provocateur and instigator (plus he’s good at laying down heavy hints). This column is initially inspired by his column on digital comics.

I’m not writing this to slam him or refute his argument. In fact, I pretty much agree with most of what he said. I probably should’ve started this column by calling him out and stating in no uncertain terms that he is completely and utterly wrong (that would be great to generate some cheap heat, eh?) But he’s right though– point by point he’s right… Except not for me… Ah, that’s better isn’t it? I couldn’t go through a whole column just being agreeable could I?

The thing is, I’ve tried digital comics and I just flat-out dislike them. Even free digital comics (you know what I mean), so why would I like something further tied down by a website or an app? That entire concept is anathema to me. At least CBR/CBZ files allowed you to view and access them on your own terms– instead of being beholden to some controlling company or site. When you buy an actual printed comic, it’s yours. You can give it away, sell it… Whatever. Whether you can do that with digital products is not yet clear.

The main reason I dislike digital comics– reading a comic on a screen is a pretty sterile experience. I like the tactile nature of real comic books, being able to hold them and flick through the pages. I don’t get that feeling by clicking on a screen. But it’s not just comics I’m talking about. I find my feelings are especially true as I transition away from regular monthly comics to collected editions (hardcovers whenever possible).

In my studies and work I deal with the latest in PC technology. It’s something I like and something I’m pretty good at. But when I’m not working or studying– and my time is my own– I prefer a real book to an ebook, a comic to a digital comic and a vinyl record to an mp3. I like books– no scratch that– I love books. I love the covers, the feel of the paper in my hands, even the smell of books triggers a feeling of relaxation and contentment.

I do reserve the right to be contrary though, as I’ve also looked into buying a Kindle. The Kindle Fire looks to be a really nice piece of equipment, but before I bought one, I found something that completely put me off. Before I get into that, allow me to put everything into context. For those of you that don’t know, I live in Ireland. When I go into my town and buy a book from my local bookshop– or when I order one from Amazon– the book comes from a British publisher. For the business of selling physical books, Britain and Ireland are, in effect, considered to be the same market. This makes a lot of sense considering how close (in cultural terms) the two countries are. This is also how it’s always been, and something I am both used to and happy with.

However, for some inexplicable reason (Amazon has been asked many times and has yet to come out with a reasonable answer)– Irish customers are FORCED to buy ebooks from Amazon.com and not Amazon.co.uk. “Whats the problem?” I can hear you ask. Well, the problem is that many books published by British publishers are not available from the American Amazon site… And for the many books that are, they are issued by a different publisher. This can mean the books have different fonts, different covers– and sometimes even different content. That last bit is a sticking point for me. If I can purchase something in its physical form from Amazon.co.uk, then I sure as hell want to be able to get it from them in electronic form as well. Until they get that sorted, it’s no Kindle (or any other ebook reader) for me.

Another issue that really concerns me with ebooks bought through Amazon (and I presume other corporate ebook sellers as well): You don’t actually OWN the ebooks. It’s more like you have a lease on them– and Amazon has the right to do pretty much whatever the fuck they want to them… Especially if you break any of their obscure terms and conditions. (Does anyone actually read the terms and conditions before buying something digital? Tell the truth now!)

Take the case of this woman, Linn, who had her kindle account closed and all her ebooks deleted. When she asked Amazon “Why?”, the etailer gave her no reason for the account closure. She was also told they would never rescind their decision… And added a strong hint in one of their emails that Linn should never attempt to darken their door again– even though she had spent her hard-earned money on all the ebooks she had purchased from them.

When I buy a physical book, I own it. It’s mine and neither Amazon or any other corporation can come into my home and destroy my property. Yet I often wonder how Amazon has the right to destroy someone’s access to their legally purchased products– and how this could be a tenable condition for any customer. It’s also a complete mystery to me why anyone would want to subject themselves to the possibility. I guess it doesn’t occur to most consumers to make themselves aware of it. (Bet you wish you’d read those “Terms & Conditions” now!) It’s also strange that Amazon would want to treat ebook customers this way– especially when the Amazon.co.uk customer service for physical goods is absolutely top-notch.

Another issue related to electronic goods and services (and one where Insideman laid down another one of his legendary “subtle” hints I should write about) is Netflix and Hulu. I keep hearing from American IMJ posters how good these services are. Every time I read these passionate comments, I kind of roll my eyes and curse the sky (not really) because I cannot avail myself of these streaming products– specifically because of where I live. (I’m starting to call this “dirty foreigner syndrome”.) Earlier this year, Netflix finally launched service in the UK & Ireland, but the level of content on it is so inferior to the US version of the same service that ours is a joke. I signed up for the free month and then dropped it like a stone because the content offered was so lame. Why can’t I get the same content US customers get?

Before addressing that question, lets talk about Hulu first– because the answer to why Netflix UK & Ireland is so lame, is the same answer to why Hulu isn’t available in Ireland at all. Hulu operates in North America and Japan– that’s it. If I go to the Hulu site, I get the following notification:

“Sorry, currently our video library can only be watched from within the United States. Hulu is committed to making its content available worldwide. To do so, we must work through a number of legal and business issues, including obtaining international streaming rights. Know that we are working to make this happen and will continue to do so. Given the international background of the Hulu team, we have both a professional and personal interest in bringing Hulu to a global audience.”

The vast majority of Film and TV content is produced by just a handful of major corporations: Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, et al., and they are still operating under practices that are vastly outdated in this digital age. Instead of treating the world as one market, they still seem to be living in a world from 15 years ago– when they had all the control and the consumer had none. Back then, when DVDs were first formulated, they split the world into SIX different zones and your DVD Player was locked down so it could only play product from your zone.

When formulating these different zones, they also separated the English-speaking countries into THREE different zones… So the US and Canada were in Zone 1, UK and Ireland were in Zone 2 and Australia and New Zealand were Zone 4. The most recent major format,  Blu ray, is separated into 3 zones– still leaving the UK and Ireland separated from the US and Canada. The major corporations still think in DVD & Blu ray terms when regulating streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. They don’t yet seem to realise electronic media is essentially borderless.

Of course DVD and Blu ray players can be hacked– and I COULD go through a proxy to access Hulu and Netflix (so it looks like I’m in the USA)– but I don’t see why I should HAVE to break the rules in order to do any of this. It’s a matter of principle as much as anything else. Hulu and Netflix should be available in every country in the world– with everyone having access to the same content… But the major conglomerates are so wedded to their outdated concepts, they refuse to do this. Consumers can get EVERYTHING (pretty much) as soon as it’s released (and sometimes before) via torrents for free– but they can’t BUY the product! This is so stupid, it’s almost beyond belief. It also boggles the mind when these corporations dare to complain about losing money to piracy– when they willfully refuse to sell their products to willing customers!

When it comes to music, I have an iPod and Smartphone, much like everyone else– so I can listen to music on to the go. (I’m not a complete Luddite!) But when I’m home and there’s no-one else around to complain, I like to listen to music– loud– on vinyl… Using an old 1970s turntable I inherited from my father. Vinyl’s sound is that much better, when compared to CDs or MP3s.

When CDs were first introduced in the 80s, the record companies lied and said the sound quality of CDs were better. (They also said the shiny discs were unscratchable. Hah!) The ONLY real advantage CDs and MP3s have over vinyl is that they are easier to store and more portable– making them more “convenient”.

I hate the word “convenient”. To me it demeans the quality of a product. Convenience should be the last and least reasons to consider when choosing any entertainment format. And something that annoys me even more: The “Barbarians at the Gates” attitude that some new-format acolytes adopt– as if the old format must be destroyed and banished, so the new format can flourish.

Vinyl is still the best format to actually LISTEN to music. This also makes perfect sense. It’s an analog format and your ears are analog listening devices– so vinyl is naturally better. Not only that, but the feel of vinyl is better, the look of vinyl is better and having proper album covers (where you can actually read the song titles, lyrics and album notes) is better. Even the same major labels that lied to us in the 80s and 90s are all bringing vinyl back– but this time as a luxury product, where they charge 3 times as much!

This is why I mostly ignore the major label music output and buy stuff directly from Indie labels and acts… Often after finding a band via YouTube. My latest purchase comprises 3 vinyls from Italian Band Ufomammut, available on Supernatural Cat Records. With indie labels, you pay a little extra for vinyl– but they’re not out to gouge you like the major labels.

While I may not want to tear down the major publishers in the book world, I would love nothing more than to see the Big Three music companies utterly wiped from the face of the planet… They are that much of a cancer on the music industry. Comparing the music business to the book business, the independant music scene is a much more mature business than the self-publishing book business. Given time, perhaps the book scene can learn from what the music scene has accomplished in the last 15 years.

Here’s my final point: Whether it be the music, book, film/tv or comics– the major corporations will HAVE to become more customer-friendly… Or they are going to diminish and possibly die. Customers will not remain enslaved to these conglomerates forever. Just make sure that, however YOU purchase your entertainment content, it makes you happy and fulfills YOU!



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