As many of us know, magic exposure is a problem on the internet, a problem that is quickly rising. Sites like Ellusionist and Penguin Magic have copywrite infringement laws, but realistically, these do little to prevent magic exposure. You can look on youtube and find hundreds, literally hundreds, of "magicians" offering to trade tricks, and expose tricks, which is a complete slap in the face to most proffesional magicians who are trying to make a living selling these works of art. My friend and I make frequent trips around internet video sites, flagging out videos that expose the secrets of magic, only to have the videos deleted, and reposted a few days later.
Magic exposure has to be taken care of.
Before we fix the problem, we must first look at why people expose magic. For the most part, people who expose the secrets to tricks like Wayne Houchin's Indecent, Daniel Garcia's Greed, and Jay Sankey's Nailed, did not learn the trick from a dvd that they bought. Most of the time, if someone spends a good $40 on a magic dvd, they will not expose the trick. There are, of course, exceptions, but generally, they learn it off the internet and pass it on to others.
How can this be prevented? Well, there are a few steps that the Theory 11 team, and even the average magician, can take to stop the exposure of some of magic's greatest secrets.
First off, I believe Theory 11 should, if possible, try to make their dvd's protected against burning / ripping them. This would probably take down exposure by 30%, just number crunching.
As for the rest of us, report exposure whenever you find it. Flag the videos, tell off the poster if necessary, and contact the owner of the trick, or anyone who has copywrites on it.
Reducing exposure is one of my top priorities as a magician, and I'm hoping to raise awareness of it, and put an end to it. Theory 11 looks to be a very promising site, and I hope no one would even think to expose some of the material coming from the artists who run it.
Magic exposure has to be taken care of.
Before we fix the problem, we must first look at why people expose magic. For the most part, people who expose the secrets to tricks like Wayne Houchin's Indecent, Daniel Garcia's Greed, and Jay Sankey's Nailed, did not learn the trick from a dvd that they bought. Most of the time, if someone spends a good $40 on a magic dvd, they will not expose the trick. There are, of course, exceptions, but generally, they learn it off the internet and pass it on to others.
How can this be prevented? Well, there are a few steps that the Theory 11 team, and even the average magician, can take to stop the exposure of some of magic's greatest secrets.
First off, I believe Theory 11 should, if possible, try to make their dvd's protected against burning / ripping them. This would probably take down exposure by 30%, just number crunching.
As for the rest of us, report exposure whenever you find it. Flag the videos, tell off the poster if necessary, and contact the owner of the trick, or anyone who has copywrites on it.
Reducing exposure is one of my top priorities as a magician, and I'm hoping to raise awareness of it, and put an end to it. Theory 11 looks to be a very promising site, and I hope no one would even think to expose some of the material coming from the artists who run it.