Napster DOES technically provide a venue for copyright infringement, in an accessible way we've never seen before.
Now almost anyone can make industrial quality copies of other people's hard-earned material.
Let's keep this in context, though, shall we?
The people that get copied most are already successful, and most are quite wealthy even by North American standards. If their stuff is getting bootlegged, then it is a wake-up call to us all that perhaps being a national or international influence leaves one open to adverse effects. Hey, if you're nationwide, then you are going to get stung a little.
If you're nationwide, who put you there? The very same people who shell out 20 bucks for a disc that cost a lot less to produce than vynil ever did.
The very same people who feel allright if they burn a couple mp3's onto a minidisc to take jogging>
Have we examined this hypothetica yet?
Joe is jogging with his mini Walkthing, his buddy asks "Hey whatcha playin, dude?"
Joe gives him a listen, and the guy says "Hey , Metallica rocks!"
One fan gained. If that mp3 wasn't out there, Joe's buddy may have ended up listening to Percy Faith or Spice girls, and missed the whole Mettallica thang.
Mp3 in general, and Napster in particular, are in a sense promoting the contemporary music scene as a whole.
While short-term profits may vary, I honestly believe that the more a band 's sound gets around, the more true fans they'll develop, and those true fans, if they're like me, WILL buy albums just to have them, and to support their favorite acts.
i think the record publishing industry will take a hit, yes, but too bad.Can you think of an industry more deserving of a beating than those hustling junk purveying hucksters?
And as for top selling bands like Mettallica having the greasy nerve to shut down some of their fans legally, I hope they rot.
Hey Mettalica, maybe the gravy train is coming to the end of the line...
No more tens of millions in your pocket, just millions...
(rant,rave, etc.)
