Every so often, in the world of digital content creation, the subject must naturally turn to piracy and the effects it has on the industry. While there are hordes of people willing to offer solutions, far too many of them seem to center of stamping it out, fighting against it. Some, particularly organizations hit hardest like the RIAA or MPAA, even desire or expect the government to step in and lay down the law.

It's unlikely anything will ever be done about it. Business models are simply going to have to change. Adapt or die. There's been a lot of talk on the net lately about why "free" is the future of business in the online world. There are also already plenty of examples of those who have adapted and proven that "free" can be turned into a very profitable venture.

Direct sales to end users is not the only way to turn a profit from one's work.

Have you ever notice that all of Google's services are, and always have been, free? Yet they are one of the largest companies in cyberspace even shelling out $1.6 billion to grow larger with the free site, Youtube.

All of the cartoons and content on Homestar Runner, the hard work of those artists, is, and has always been, available on their site totally free. Yet they have grown from a garage operation to a full size company with a staff of employees.

There are a number of online comics that have been free since their inception and they have grown into huge, profitable operations.

There are even plenty of indie musicians who earn good money from their work and art because they realize that good and popular bands have assets that can never be pirated. Selling records as a business became big in the middle of last century. Talented musicians have been getting rich from their work and art for over a thousand years before that. Business have to adapt.

People can scream and rave all they want about how politicians and the government or police should do something about it, but it simply isn't going to happen. More piracy happens outside of America than inside. The Pirate Bay, the largest warez site in the world, is an eastern european operation. Most are well aware of how rampant piracy is in Asia. Not all countries share, or have any interest in, our intellectual property laws. They don't care and it would do them no good whatsoever to start caring.

As a content creator myself, I am not in any way in support of piracy nor do I condone it. I wish it did not exist, but crying about it isn't going to solve anything. Screaming for the government to do something about it isn't going to solve anything. DRM and copy protection isn't going to solve anything. Adapting to new business models will solve everything.

Many net business are already adapting and seeing incredible returns in a new market catering to what people both want and expect on the net which is free content.

Outsourcing animation, in order to save costs, has been a mainstay of the American animation industry for more than two decades now. Numerous countries, where labor is much cheaper than hiring homegrown talent, have seen the struggling animation industry through many trials over the years. Now, however, the tables have turned. With the U.S. dollar at the lowest it's been in 13 years, Chinese companies have begun outsourcing their animation to operations here in the U.S.

To that end, Studio ArtFX and Terrence Walker have been offered $438.00 American dollars to animate a 90 minute feature film for burgeoning Chinese technology firm Siu Kru Yu. Although the firm, which has specialized in IT since its inception, has never ventured into entertainment before, the team of managers in charge of the project seem confident that the script, penned by the bosses wife, will break them into the business with a bang. Company president Chien Lee Zhang, however, has chosen not to be personally involved in the project.

"My wife has wanted to write since she was a child." Spoke the aging CEO. "Even though she has never written a story before, I am certain that her script might find some viewers." Although turned down by numerous studios in China, the prospect of animating the film for a low cost in the U.S., with its steadily weakening dollar, has made company president Zhang's wife's dream a reality.

"This would not have been possibly if not for current economic circumstances." laughed Zhang. "Films take a long time to make. If the dollar continues to fall, it'll be like getting all that work done for free."

Tags: Art