If Media Were Most Delicious Cakes

Currently this is how things stack up in the media world - with regards to music, films, television content, and to a far lesser degree software.

Option 1 - Legitimate Cake Purchase

Pros :

  • The cake maker and cake distributor are paid for their cakes.
  • This is legal

Cons :

  • The cake is likely not to be fresh anymore
  • The cake can only be eaten in 4 different places
  • You can only eat cakes that are immediately available at your cake store
  • The cake can not be shared amongst your friends, If they like your cake then they have to go purchase their own cake
  • It can be difficult to find your cake so you can purchase it
  • The cake may be overpriced

Option 2 - Cake Black Market

Pros:

  • The cake is fresh
  • If you need implements to help eat your cake they are also available
  • The cake can be shared
  • Fresh cakes from other regions and countries are also readily available
  • You can eat your cake anywhere with anything

Cons:

  • The cake maker and cake distributor are not paid for the consumption of their cake
  • This is deemed illegal

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Conclusion:

There are always going to be people who want free cakes and dont care about the cakemaker/distributor, these people are going to take the cakes for free, no matter what. It seems such a shame to penalise the purchasers of legitimate cakes, the very people who are willing to support the cake maker and distributor. I am certain that a LOT more legitimate cake sales would be made if these cakes were to offer the benefits of the black market cakes.

Postscript:

When I refer to cakes/media being fresh, I am not implying that content should be simultaneously viewable at home as well as at the cinema, but rather that there should be no staggering of release dates based purely on locality. You have to understand we are all connected globally now via the internet, and nothing ruins a movie more than having it discussed, dissected and even spoilt before a chance can be made to view it for oneself.