Black March?

[havocthecat]

Someone explain to me the point of not buying or downloading media entertainment for an entire month? (Did we make sure to tell people to avoid watching anything on streaming sites like Hulu or Netflix?) Please? Because there'll likely be a rebound and their profits will rise in April, won't they? So...would it be pointless or not

Comments

[hariboo]

Black March is good in theory but the execution is flawed.

[rosewildeirish]

I think an overall blackout would be wrong. What I've pushed on Tumblr and other places is this: Get away from the corporate blockbusters. Support indie music, indie films. Go to the theater and see a play. Go to a local show. That would probably have a greater impact.

Re: What will it do to the people who are involved in the entertainment industry that aren't making major profits from it, like writers and editors? If there's anyone I don't want to punish, it's small presses, independent film companies, and writers and editors.

Rebound in April may actually help the writers, etc. As I recall, during the last writer's strike, they agreed that the first 18 days of internet broadcast, the writers won't get any residuals from the sales/commercials. I don't know what the other guilds/unions agreed to. But that means a month-long blackout could be of benefit to them (and hurt MPAA and AMPTA, presumably, which I can get behind).

[spiletta42]

I think it's not about actually hurting them, but about sending a message. A month-long blackout would do no damage to the big corporations or anyone else, since we'd all just buy extra in February and April. However, it would show up as a baffling anomaly in their quarterly statements. I think that's the point, or at least that's how I read it. It's easy enough for me to cut movies and music from my budget until April, I don't really have time for them right now anyway. But I'm not stopping any books I have on preorder, because unless I've missed something major, it's not the publishing industry that's bribing Congress for bad legislation.

[campylobacter]

I'm ambivalent about the Black March Boycott.

On the one hand, I do believe that impacting Big Media's profits negatively will get their attention, even if it's counter-balanced by February & April spikes, because opening weekends for movies have a real & lasting effect on whether foreign markets will pick up a film for international distribution. The point is getting their attention. However, whether they'll associate a drop in March profits to what they'd deem a "fringe anarchist Occupy/Anonymous-driven boycott" is another matter. They'll attribute causation to whatever is politically or fiscally convenient.

On the other hand, supporting indie efforts or public domain works is positive & affirming, but will not make enough of a fiscal splash for Big Media to actually give a flying fuck. I'm not opposed to a PD-works themed Big Bang or fanwork-athon, and would participate in it & pimp it.

[spacegypsy1]

Well said Campy. b

[miera_c]

Word. I think hitting a single opening weekend would be much more manageable and potentially damaging. But I'm also severely skeptical of whether that could be done on a level that would have an impact.