Au Revoir Simone is an indie pop band from Brooklyn, New York that formed in late 2003. The group consists of Erika Forster (vocals/keyboard), Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard), and Heather D’Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard). Forster and Hart became friends while traveling by train from Vermont to New York. The band’s name comes from a line Pee-Wee Herman says to a minor character (named Simone) in Tim Burton’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

The debate about file-sharing must face an ideological shift in logic or forever to remain as the selfish act of a defiant middle class that refuses to pay. The reasons and rationale for piracy must not be defined by the industries that attempt to shut it down, nor must the reasons reflect simple personal gain.

Right now the battlegrounds of file-sharing are about who controls the distribution of American Culture. We as fellow pirates must recognize that there is no more satisfaction in having an external agency dictate what aspects of our artistic and entertainment identity we receive.

But first we must all recognize very specifically what is at stake, our  ability to control and own the works of art and entertainment that are common and uniquely American experiences. I agree that definitive and longest lasting incarnation of American art is indeed the genius of the media industry. American culture will forever be remembered for it’s