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Don't Sever a High-Tech Lifeline for Musicians

  • 03-02-2003 11:42am
    #1
    dahamsta
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭


    latimes.com
    The Recording Industry Assn. of America recently won a court ruling that effectively will cut off the recording artists it represents from new listeners.

    In RIAA vs. Verizon, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that anyone suspected of downloading so-called "infringing" files on the Internet -- usually an MP3 of a song -- could be sued. No evidence is required. An accuser fills out a form for a court clerk and the machinery is set in motion.

    The record companies say this decision will mean more money for musicians, but they have it backward. The downloaded music they're shutting off actually creates sales by exposing artists to new fans.

    If this ruling stands, many smaller musicians will be hurt financially, and many will be pushed out of the music business altogether.

    [...]
    Of course this story only applies to the U.S. right now, but the subpoena-free litigation mentioned in the story is provided for via the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), and DMCA-like legislation is being pushed heavily on us here.

    I find myself wondering these days if the DMCA has ever actually been used for a genuine reason, if perhaps the reporting I see on it is biased. Because I'm pretty certain that all of the reporting I've seen - Lexmark, Scientology, RIAA, DeCSS - has been companies and organisations leveraging it to protect IP and speech in ways that go completely against the ideals of innovation and freedom.

    I also wonder if other people do actually go and buy CD's from artists they download, or if a lot of them are just saying it? I certainly do - and no, I'm not just saying it - and I've found that the process has expanded my interest in music, widened my listening range, and genuinely has encouraged me to buy more CD's. And bizarrely, the first thing I do when I get those CD's is rip them to MP3, and toss the CD aside.

    And finally, another thing that surprised me was that when I finally got access to broadband last year - albeit temporarily - I didn't immediately go out and suck down every MP3 on the Internet, i.e. my narrowband connection wasn't preventing me from "stealing" - and I'll be honest, I thought that it was - it was simply preventing me from expanding my interest and spending more money on music. Ain't that a doozy?

    This piece was also found via Slashdot by the way.

    adam


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