MP3 wars continue to rage
Today, June 25, the Recording Industry Association of America announced that it would begin filing civil lawsuits against the users of such file sharing programs as Kazaa and Grokster.
Before now, the targets of these suits have been the operators of networks like Napster Incorporated and users who distribute thousands of files a day, but this is the first time large numbers of individual users have been targeted.
While the basis of the RIAA’s law suits is sound, the infringement of copyrights belonging to the members of the RIAA, the association needs to attempt to understand the root causes behind the phenomenon.
The birth of the Internet and the introduction of computers that could make use of the MP3 file compression system came along at a time when people were becoming frustrated with the ability of the small group of people who ran the record companies to control the music that was available to the public through the radio stations, many of which are controlled by large corporations.
And the perceived high cost of compact discs, which at the time were selling for about twenty dollars (The record companies were sued in 1996 for price fixing and earlier this year were ordered to pay a settlement of approximately $143 million to consumers and provide free compact discs to schools and libraries), relative to their low regarded value.
This frustration, along with the desire to share good music when it was found, produced an environment in which consumers did not see the trading of songs as wrong, and some even saw file trading as a form of protest of the perceived homogenization of the music industry. Thus the music industry may need to do a fundamental reevaluation of its operating practices to possibly make them more consumer friendly, rather than using the sledgehammer of civil lawsuits to further alienate an already waning consumer base.
The main problem with the music industry seems to be that, to use a military analogy, that it has too much tail and not enough teeth. That is, the logistics side of the industry, the marketing and travel for executives and salaries for executives and other expenses and departments which seem, to the consumer, to have overpowered the actual music part of the music industry and have thus made themselves inefficient and unable to survive due to their very size.
This perception is part of what may cause fans of a particular band to pay forty dollars or more to attend a concert but not buy that same band’s CD because they believe that the amount of money the band will actually see is negligible compared to the retail cost of a CD, especially since consumers believe they have an idea of the time and cost of actually burning data onto a CD since the advent of CD recorders.
Perhaps the only move the industry has made to change the direction of public opinion is its support of the Apple pay- per-download service. Unfortunately, as this service is currently only for those who have Apple computers, most people cannot use the service due to the predominance of Windows based computers in the market place.
However, the industry has managed to eradicate whatever goodwill it earned by supporting this service with its announcement that it would file lawsuits against those it wishes to retain as customers.
Thomas Brandon Simpson
Sophomore
Biological Sciences
Letter furthers stereotypes
I am writing in response to the Ms. Courtney Tatman’s article “Pageants more than stereotypes,” which was written in response to an earlier article entitled “Government promotes stereotypes through beauty pageants.”
Ms. Tatman, if you are so concerned with the stereotypes associated with you and your fellow pageant contestants, then why was your article littered with run on sentences, incorrect grammar, misuse of punctuation and statements that made absolutely no sense?
If I were a pageant contestant, which I am certainly not, I would be outraged to have you speak on my behalf. Instead of reversing the common misconception that beauty pageant contestants are nothing more than a pretty face in a swimsuit, who answers interview questions with the generic “feed the poor,” you have only contributed to your detractor’s ignorance.
What disturbs me more than you being the wrong woman to lead the crusade against beauty pageant contestant injustice on our campus, is the fact that you are president of the College of Education! Does anyone else think that this a bit ironic?
How are you student president of the College of Education, at a university that is desperately trying to establish itself as a “flagship university” and escape its own stereotypes that have gradually augmented through the years. This may sound harsh, but if I were a parent visiting this campus, I would think twice about sending my child to this university after reading Ms. Tatman’s article.
Ms. Tatman is not the only person at fault in this situation. If The Reveille, a school funded newspaper, is so concerned about the reputation of our university, then why would they print an article that is so erroneous that it is comical?
Finally, you state that in your article I would not assemble an atomic bomb because I have no experience. I would also suggest that you not write into a newspaper, that you stated, “thousands of students read on a daily basis” if you do not possess the writing skills necessary to pass English 1001.
George P. Lawrence
Senior
History