2008 Woodie Awards
Downloading music is a problem that won't go away soon
Carson Turner--The Chanticleer (Coastal Carolina U.)
Issue date: 5/23/03 Section: Opinion
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(U-WIRE) CONWAY, S.C. - Thou shalt not steal ...
Even with the death of Napster, peer-to-peer file sharing is showing no sign of going away any time soon. This to the consternation and dismay of any number of music industry professionals who rely on CD sales to feed their families.
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, probably the most outspoken opponent of network based music sharing, has made his opinion known for several years -- he's seriously against it. The Recording Industry Association of America has even taken to bringing civil and criminal action against college students who use P2P file sharing.
RIAA President Cary Sherman claims that these students, "Hurt artists, musicians, songwriters, those who invest in their work and the thousands of others who work to bring music to the public."
Of course the musicians, technicians and retailers all claim that downloading an MP3 instead of buying a CD is equal to stealing. Given just a little thought, most of us would have to agree. It's not ours, we didn't pay for it, the owner (artist) didn't give it to us, we just took it. STEALING.
Some people believe that the RIAA and the music business in general needs to come to grips with the reality of the global internet, I agree. That doesn't in itself justify theft of intellectual property any more than the reality of the global internet justifies the use of OPPapers.com and their kin in place of your own academic research. Either is still stealing.
Imagine that you wrote a song. You paid the studio costs and musician salaries to record it. You marketed the song, bought ads, and got it in stores. You're out thousands. Now imagine too that the song is a big hit. So, one guy buys your CD and puts it online for everyone to download. A million copies are distributed -- it's a hit! And, you get NOTHING!
This isn't a theoretical scenario; it happens millions of times every day. As a direct result, musicians stop recording and we all lose.
The bottom line? Most P2P music file sharing is a violation of copyright law, is illegal and IS stealing. It can even result in criminal or civil liability. Those doing the stealing don't only hurt the record label-they take food from the mouths of the artists, the folks behind the scenes and the people who sell CDs. The real bottom-line? It doesn't seem to be a problem that will go away any time soon.
Even with the death of Napster, peer-to-peer file sharing is showing no sign of going away any time soon. This to the consternation and dismay of any number of music industry professionals who rely on CD sales to feed their families.
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, probably the most outspoken opponent of network based music sharing, has made his opinion known for several years -- he's seriously against it. The Recording Industry Association of America has even taken to bringing civil and criminal action against college students who use P2P file sharing.
RIAA President Cary Sherman claims that these students, "Hurt artists, musicians, songwriters, those who invest in their work and the thousands of others who work to bring music to the public."
Of course the musicians, technicians and retailers all claim that downloading an MP3 instead of buying a CD is equal to stealing. Given just a little thought, most of us would have to agree. It's not ours, we didn't pay for it, the owner (artist) didn't give it to us, we just took it. STEALING.
Some people believe that the RIAA and the music business in general needs to come to grips with the reality of the global internet, I agree. That doesn't in itself justify theft of intellectual property any more than the reality of the global internet justifies the use of OPPapers.com and their kin in place of your own academic research. Either is still stealing.
Imagine that you wrote a song. You paid the studio costs and musician salaries to record it. You marketed the song, bought ads, and got it in stores. You're out thousands. Now imagine too that the song is a big hit. So, one guy buys your CD and puts it online for everyone to download. A million copies are distributed -- it's a hit! And, you get NOTHING!
This isn't a theoretical scenario; it happens millions of times every day. As a direct result, musicians stop recording and we all lose.
The bottom line? Most P2P music file sharing is a violation of copyright law, is illegal and IS stealing. It can even result in criminal or civil liability. Those doing the stealing don't only hurt the record label-they take food from the mouths of the artists, the folks behind the scenes and the people who sell CDs. The real bottom-line? It doesn't seem to be a problem that will go away any time soon.