Copyright infringement, as bad as it is, is quite common, and sometimes hard to avoid. In fact, I could probably be breaking some law right now that I don’t even know by writing this post. One of the most common copyright violations on college campuses is the sharing of music or video files. Quite often I will hear about a new program that can download these media files, and is much faster and convenient than the last, but most importantly, they are FREE. Some of the most popular programs have been: Imesh, Limewire, Morpheus, and the ever popular, Napster.
I personally believe that the illegal downloading of music files is not wrong. The main reason it is viewed as wrong is because of the obvious- we’re “stealing” artists’ music right from under them. The free downloading of music is hurting the record sales for many, but honestly, what are these artists complaining about? Music artists are so endowed with money, and obscene opportunities to make money these days that what is a couple of record sales going to do to them? Artists are everywhere now-a-days. They are in commercials, advertisements, movies, television shows, and commercials. They have many other cash flows coming in. I personally believe that the downloading of music should be continued as long as it is being made. Also, with the advancement of such technology as the “Ipod”, who wants to be buying CD albums anymore? No one wants to.
In, “The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis”, it is mentioned that file sharing of music is now one of the most common online activities. Because of the decreased numbers in sales, the recording industries went as far as suing some unlucky kids (Strumpf, Oberholzer-Gee, The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales). In Kevin Brady’s, “Copyright FAQ: 25 Common Myths and Misconceptions”, he mentions that you only have to download one copyrighted file to be able to be sued by the RIAA, or the Recording Industry Association of America (Brady Copyright FAQ.).
I believe that if anything, the availability to download music introduces people to many artists they would have never listened to in the first place, had it not been recommended by their best friend, or roommate. I think that yes, while these sale numbers are decreasing, the popularity of some unknown, underground artists is increasing.
Because it is so easy to download music, it is going to continue to happen. “Whatsthedownload.com”, a website devoted to music, explained just how easy it is to download music, and why it’s not hurting our computers. “MP3 is a technology that makes music files very small. This compression lets us download a song in only seconds, or minutes, instead of hours. Because the files aren’t big, we can store hundreds of songs on our computers without filling up our hard drives. Thanks to new technology, MP3 files can now be played on devices other than our computers, such as portable MP3 players, and even cell phones" (whatsthedownload.com The Recording Academy). These facts make it clear: With the growing of technology, record sales are going to decrease. It is just the way it works. No one uses record players anymore, so they moved to CD'S. Everyone is guilty of downloading music, so maybe one day CD'S will be pulled from the racks as well.
Maybe record companies could collaborate with the music sharing industry so that so many downloads of a certain artist could still be supporting their net income from their music. I am not sure how this would even work out, but I really don't see free music sharing being abolished entirely any time soon. For example, Morpheus and the representatives for many popular artists could come together to make a deal where after so many downloads of a song or artist, the file sharing program gives the artist money. After all, it is the artists that are keeping the file sharing industry thriving with business.
The revolution of the MP3 file and the programs that allow us to download music was a great invention because it allows us to have music for free. It brings people together through music, and in the end, it’s no big deal, that whiny artist will still get a big paycheck.
Brady, Kevin. "Copyright FAQ: 25 Common Myths and Misconceptions." 2007. 1 Feb. 2007 https://ublearns.buffalo.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_39998_1.
Oberholzer, Felix, and Koleman Strumpf. "The Effects of File Sharing on Record Sales." June 2005. 1 Feb. 2007 .
"What's the Controversy." What's the Download? The Recording Industry. 1 Feb. 2007 .
1 comment:
Interesting post. Judging from other student blogs I've read today, a lot of people share your view on copyright infringement. You raise good points about the music industry, and the indeterminate effects of file-sharing on artists' bottom lines.
I'm a little curious about your reference of the whatsthedownload.com website, which you use to argue that record sales are bound to decrease. That website is sponsored by the RIAA, an organization that would be very upset by this conclusion reached using their website ;)
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