machine-envy

MusicAlly invited the BPI and several figures from the worlds (world?) of journalism and PR to debate strategies for the publicity campaign against P2P filesharing at the Guardian Newsroom last night. A keynote speech on the subject was delivered by Tim Duffy, CEO of M&C Saatchi. A panel consisting of Mark Borkowski, freelance writer and CEO of Borkowski PR, Steve Redmond, Director of Communications at the BPI and Neil McIntosh of Guardian Unlimited then debated the issue, chaired by Paul Brindley from MusicAlly.

The PR approach was a stroke of genius, since it allowed everybody to take a few broadsides at the BPI and pretend it was for their own good. The only downside to the approach was that the moral legitimacy of legal action against filesharers, a reality hurtling towards the UK after successes elsewhere in Europe, was assumed, and therefore partitioned out of the debate.

Duffy’s speech started off ominously, as the Saatchi CEO labelled hardcore filesharers “morally delinquent”[JPG], but picked up to make a lot of sense. Having overseen several public awareness campaigns, his experience, he reported, told him that “people don’t like to be blamed”[PDF]. He examined three approaches to anti-P2P publicity and showed how each failed to grab the target audience’s sympathies.

Firstly, complaining that robbing the industry of income stunted investment in new talent failed because teenagers were not concerned about the economics of a major industry. Secondly, employing high-profile stars to advocate against P2P [PDF] failed because the stars were too rich to really get any sympathy. Finally, broad campaigns entreating filesharers to “save music” were unsuccessful because they asked too much of teenagers.

Duffy’s “carrot and stick” solution was to “show real victims in a credible way” and then focus on the positive things the music industry (or rather Coke, Microsoft and Apple) was doing to embrace and exploit the digital revolution. The former, of course. is easier said than done. And if the only “real victims” the CEO of the UK’s most recognisable ad agency could come up with was a hypothetical new band who, however talented, had failed to make it because their label didn’t have enough resources to promote them, well, it looks like there’s a long way to go.

No matter to the Steve Redmond of the BPI. After Duffy’s considered and positive address he immediately weighed it with such archaic platitudes as “record companies are the patrons of popular music” (what, not fans?), “people will not listen to what we’re saying” and the slightly pathetic “make it go away, please”. Although, during the debate, Duffy commented that “I don’t think legal action is necessary to have an effective campaign”, Redmond assured him that “the only thing that has been really effective is litigation”.

Other gems from Redmond, which had the audience of industry, PR and press bods in nervous fits of laughter were his admission that the RIAA’s lawsuit against a 12 year-old girl “was not a bad thing” and that “obviously, you have to be as sympathetic as you can afford to be, but most shoplifters are kids too”. In fact, catching Redmond leaving the building after the show, he agreed that it was a priority for the BPI to nip P2P in the bud, before broadband spreads to the shoplifting classes.

Many thanks to Dave Green at NTK for sorting out the tickets and for some light relief after the debate. Thanks also to Harry for videoing the event (link soon). Several journalists in attendance agreed that the entire event had made them more eager to dance on the industry’s grave when the time inevitably comes (five years?). Meanwhile, it looks like litigation against UK P2Pers is just around the corner.