Students put their own spin on downloading music

USA today ^ | 4.20.03 | Jefferson Graham

[freepatriot32]

LOS ANGELES

[ctlpdad]

i wonder if this article is intended to promote file swapping by listing resources, r deter it by mentioning the lawsuit?

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[ChadGore]

What part of "Seller sets the price" don't they get ?

[MacDorcha]

"In fact, he says, he doesn't see it as theft. "This is exactly like going to the library. Do I have to pay to check out a book? I'm just listening to the song, not selling it."
"

doesnt the library have late fees? try returning an mp3, i dare ya.

[Orangedog]

I can see part of the file-swapping argument from the perspective that high taxes create a black market. Only in this situation it's not a government levying a tax, but record companies demanding nearly $20 for one or two decent songs and 9 other tracks of crap. If therecord companies had embraced online music distribution, they could have actually made a lot more money than they are getting from these lawsuits and strongarm tactics that are only encouraging more downloading on file sharing systems.

[Orangedog]

The record companies have to share part of the blame for the mess they are in. Technology got ahead of their 50 year old business model and they refused to adapt it to keep their business appealing to the consumer.

[IYAS9YAS]

Not only that, but generally the library purchases the books (or at least some are donated) and only one person at a time can read said book. With file sharing, one can keep his copy and share it with others as well. That's the difference. I don't have a problem with making copies of what you buy (not multiples, but backups or compilations on tape/disk). But when you don't buy it and you spread it around, it's a problem.

[Cobra Scott]

So, by that logic, department stores that still allow customers to browse through merchandise on the shelves, a business model at least 50 years old, shares responsibility for shoplifters.

uh-huh.

[BrooklynGOP]

doesnt the library have late fees? try returning an mp3, i dare ya.

That's a silly analogy. If you are late returning a book that means that someone else can't check it out. Not the same with mp3.

[Ipinawetsuit]

I disagree.

Whether or not the record companies embraced online music distribution is irrelevant. It does not matter who distributes the material. Once a single track is converted to mp3 format, it can be copied ad inifinium, with no payment to the record company.

Already we have witnessed a 30% decline in "legitimate" sales.

If I have a book and I give you (or sell you) the book, that is okay. But if I make a copy of the book and give you the original (or vice-versa), that is wrong because the author was not compensated for the copy which changed hands.

Same thing with mp3s. To a limited extent, I can make copies of my own original (because the author was paid by me, directly or indirectly). However, as soon as someone else gets a copy or the original (and I still have my copies), copyright infringement. The author was not compensated. It is fundamentally unfair to the author and removes any incentive to create new works.

Anyone who is in favor of file sharing of music mp3s that are not dedicated to the public by the author 1) hasn't thought about it very much, 2) hasn't seen their revenues from licenses and sales go from 1 million dollars a year in royalties to $29.99.

[rwfromkansas]

Amen students. Keep on keeping on.

[B-Chan]

Q. How can a vendor make money selling merchandise that can be identically duplicated at will?

A. He or she cannot.

Conclusion: The advent of cheap, perfect digital duplication (MP3s) and distribution (the internet) has destroyed the material-based marketing paradigm basic to the music industry.

Digital-age technology has made obsolete the machine-age idea of "music" as a physical object (record, tape, CD, etc.) From now on, recorded music is free -- and the musicians who make should spend their time and efforts thinking of ways to profit in an environment that reflects that fact. Those that fail to do so will vanish.

And there's no stopping this trend. The genie is out of the bottle. From this point on, musicians (and other performing artists) can no longer consider themselves in the business of selling recordings of their works; because the cost of reproducing such recordings is effectively zero, the market value of physical recordings themselves is zero. In the future, musicians will make money either on a service basis (by performing their works in person) or a royalty basis (licensing official merchandise related to their works -- books, t-shirts, dolls, toys, etc.). The days of an artist and his/her label getting rich from the proceeds of a million-seller are fast drawing to a close; nothing "sells" anymore (all the merchandise is free) , and anybody can own a "label" (a distribution website).

The bad news is that this will destroy the music industry as we know it.
The good news is that this will destroy the music industry as we know it.


Artists and industries who fight this trend may win in the short term, but will lose in the long term. The RIAA is a modern-day association of buggywhip manufacturers; nothing they do will stop consumers from downloading files, burning disks, and swapping music with their friends. In a world where every house has its own digital milk-cow, the dealer in livestock is sure to disappear.

And later, when computers as we know them are replaced by "e-paper" (paper-thin sheets of printed circuitry capable of displaying moving or still color images downloaded from the internet), the print industry will face a similar Ragnarok.

(Note: I myself am a professional artist and do not download MP3 files containing music, patronize swapping sites, or burn copies of CDs for other people.)

[citizenK]

I am of mixed emotions regarding the filesharing of mp3s - I do see your point about infringing on copyrights by essentially copying material and then passing the original off to someone else. If the money were really going to the artists I would be more sympathetic. Recall that not too long ago, the major music producers were found in collusion for price-fixing at some of the stores that represent their largest distribution networks (like Target, for example). The industry not only failed to respond to changes in consumer purchasing habits and desires (in the form of embracing on-line distribution), the industry has gone out of its way to rip-off consumers and force them to pay more for the music than they should. If you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind.

On another point - the 30% decline in retail sales may or may not be related to filesharing services. Sure, some losses are attributable to the filesharing, but we have also been in economic downturn for the past three years as well - and then there is the whole issue of quality and is the music industry creating a product that people feel is worth 17 to 24 bucks a shot.

So no, I have little (basically none) sympathy for the music industry, and I am hoping a big shakeout occurs whereby people will rediscover local and regional artists, and that the artists themselves can find a business model that will allow them to continue performing without the BS of the industry. The music industry is comprised of just too many types who use the current distribution system and payolla type schemes to maintain their extravagant lifestyles and act as gatekeepers for artists and fans alike.

[Fury]

The issue is not free downloading but government subsidized downloading. Why do universities have fast running computer systems? Because the government subsidizes the universities so that they can have the systems. The students see something as free that they (through tuition), and the tax payer (either directly or indirectly) pay for.

At the college I am assigned to, we restrict file-sharing traffic to a small portion of our 3Mbps Internet connection via a traffic shaping hardware/software solution. Of course, there have been modifications to programs like KaZaA, so that they can utilize SOCKS proxy tunneling and hide their usage in TCP port 80. Likewise, there have been improvements in the traffic shaping software, and it can now detect this type of usage.

File sharing has it's place. We approach it as usage that can adversely impacts Internet response time as a whole for our college, and shape traffic accordingly. It has worked amazingly well.

[B-Chan]

If I were a recording artist, I'd sever my ties with my label and set up my own sharing website. Downloads would be free and unlimited, but I'd have a pr0n-site-style "members only" area with premium stuff available only to paying customers. (This would end up being pirated anyway, but a lot of people would still pay for the sake of convenience and perceived swank value.) I'd include downloadable video of live performances on the site, plus contact information on how to set up a date, plus tour information, bios and data, a fan forum, and other fun stuff. The heart of the site would be the Store, where fans could buy t-shirts, posters, etc. using PayPal or credit card; this would be the income-generation portion of the site.

[Herodotus]

Hardly. This occurs across the spectrum of users of the internet. It's just that the university provides an easier place to set the example, because theoretically the university has an obligation to ensure that the students to whom it gives access to the computers follow the law.

Now if only there were more interesting music being pushed on the radio instead of this 'American Idol' type nonsense....you might see CD sales rise. That high price doesn't help...

[vpintheak]

Heaven forbid that a person actually gets money for what they produce! This is theft pure and simple and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law!

[rwfromkansas]

They do the same at my college.

There was a brief period where some folks tried to say the tired line that file sharing is stealing (I go to a Christian college), but nobody really took such childish analysis seriously luckily.