Internet Music Sharing and the RIAA Essay - 1861 Words

Internet Music Sharing and the RIAA In today’s high-tech computer savvy world, one of the largest controversies brewing on the internet is the downloading and sharing of music using various peer-to-peer programs such as Kazaa, Limewire, Audio Galaxy, and many others. These programs use software that, â€Å"rather than going through a server to request information, can make requests directly to other software. This attribute is what allows users of P2P networks to freely exchange music, movies and other types of files (Friedenberg).† To the everyday user, downloading all of their music from the internet is great. Who wouldn’t want to be able to get the newest Radiohead CD months before it comes out in stores and for†¦show more content†¦As we have said from the beginning ... there is no free pass to engage in music piracy just because you havent come of age. Were not surprised and were not deterred† (Music Piracy Suits Could Bring Backlash). With statements such as this, and the recent controversial tactics being used by the RIAA, there are of course, a number by a number of people and organizations opposed to them. One of the major groups in opposition to the Recording Industry Association of America is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). â€Å"The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was created to defend our rights to think, speak, and share our ideas, thoughts, and needs using new technologies, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web. EFF is the first to identify threats to our basic rights online and to advocate on behalf of free expression in the digital age. (EFF: About)† The EFF takes a stand against large corporations and government organizations in an attempt to protect users digital rights. The EFF makes some very good points, emphasizing an approach that gives users and music lovers the music they want and compensates the artists. They say â€Å"Its time to face the fact that copyright law currently is broken. It is making criminals out of music lovers and technologists. College students are being sued, ISPsShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Impact of Music Piracy11 44 Words   |  5 PagesThe Impact of Music Piracy According to the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) the record industry loses $4.3 billion dollars, worldwide, due to music piracy (RIAA, 2003). The American Federation of Artists claims that on-line music piracy has caused some record store sales to drop by 20% and that 20.6 billion illegal downloads occur every month (AFM, 2004). Many experts believe that music piracy is currently the number one threat to the music industry. RIAA sources claim 278 million peopleRead MoreEssay on Music Copyright Infringement1224 Words   |  5 PagesMusic Copyright Infringement MP3 is an audio format that allows users to compress and send music files easily over the Internet. The major problem with this music sharing is that most of the files are pirated, which has caused a stir in the music industry. Music companies and music artists have been complaining about how their music is being stolen and therefore lowering their album sales. The major blame has been put on Napster and other file sharing software available on the InternetRead MoreInternational Association Of The Phonographic Industry818 Words   |  4 PagesKeeping itself as the largest music industry in the whole world, the music industry in the United States has different organizations and associations which represent different roles in the music industry and serve different purposes, constructing a structure of checks and balances. American record labels and distributors got RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), the domestic representative of the IFPI (International Federati on of the Phonographic Industry) in America, to represent themRead MoreWhats Wrong With Downloading Music? Essay690 Words   |  3 Pagesdorm room in 1999, downloading and sharing music online has become one of the most popular things to do on the Internet today. But why wouldnt it? Getting all your favorite songs from all your favorite artists for free, who wouldnt want to start sharing music? The answer to that question are the people who feel that stealing from the music industry is not morally right, because that is exactly what every person who shares music is doing. People who download music think its something they can getRead MoreIllegal P2P File Sharing Essay example874 Words   |  4 PagesAbout 5 years ago Napster, a network software application, was being used to download music files. The network was growing faster than anybody who ever started it would have imagined. When artists, songwriters, and all of the other people involved in making CDs realized that this wa snt going to slow down any time soon, they decided that they needed to stop Napster. Little by little, Napster was being less used and it became harder to find the songs wanted until nobody used it anymore. When allRead MoreEssay on MP3 File Sharing Hurts America929 Words   |  4 PagesMP3 File Sharing Hurts America Before the present time of computers and various media player technology, trading music files on the internet was practically unheard of. Today MP3 music files have become file format that is widely â€Å"swapped† over the internet. The problem with trading MP3s is that it violates copyright laws. However, this hasn’t stopped the tens of millions of file sharing software users who continue swap MP3’s. MP3 piracy is a costly business for many companies, and the disadvantagesRead MoreEssay Impact of Technology on Music1417 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of Technology on Music The introduction to the internet in the early nineties and the creation of broadband, MP3, and the file sharing network known as â€Å"peer to peer† has completely revolutionised the music industry. A large percentage of music is today downloaded over the internet, and not bought over the counter in a record store. This essay will address the impact of new technology on music, and how music is distributed. To do this, the paper will first briefly explain the historyRead More The Growing Problem of Music Piracy Essay1254 Words   |  6 PagesThe Growing Problem of Music Piracy    At the turn of the millenium, the music industry has been faced with an unforeseen phenomenon that has affected its very foundation - mass scale music piracy. The decline of CD sales in the past three years have been blamed on the availability of songs that can be downloaded from Internet sites and service providers like Napster, KaZaA and Morpheus free of charge. Today the issue of intellectual copyright infringement in music has been taken more seriouslyRead MoreNapster : The Problem Of Copyright Infringement981 Words   |  4 PagesThe Napster web site made file swapping over the Internet available via the software necessary for the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file transfer to work. P2P is software that when downloaded onto someone s computer, enables that person to access another person s computer to find and copy certain files that the software is designed to recognize. It was used primarily for copying MP3 files, as a result avoiding the need to actually purchase music on CD or some other format. The popularity of Napster happenedRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Illegal File Sharing1571 Words   |  7 PagesMusic Industry in America is one of the most powerful music industries in the world and it consists of many record labels, nevertheless, the top three major labels are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. Most of music industries earn revenue by creating and selling their goods to music consumers and also music retailers. In the past, major labels or music companies sold their products through sheet music (the handwritten or printed form of music notation) then