OPPapers.com

There's No Such Thing As Free Music

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS FREE MUSIC"
The Internet has made a significant impact on the American economy. These impacts have been both beneficial and negative for many industries. The Internet's impact on the music recording industry has received wide-spread attention and much debate over the past eight years. The emergence of file sharing has sent shock waves throughout the industry. In 2003, one study found that 35 million Americans download pirated music on a regular basis.1
Many consumers are not aware that file sharing has made positive and negative impacts on the music industry. Industry experts are split between those who say file sharing is hurting the industry and those who say file sharing is harmless. Despite which side experts take, none deny that consumers are the true beneficiaries from file sharing. File sharing has given consumers free music and lead the industry to focus on the Internet market.
Birth of File Sharing
File sharing burst into public awareness in May of 1999 with the birth of Napster.2 Napster3, through its simple to use interface, provided users the ability to share and download digital copies of music4. Both copyrighted and non-copyrighted songs were available to Napster users free of charge. In 2000, a Pew study found that approximately 14 percent of all Internet users downloaded music for free.5 Today, after the rise and fall of Napster and similar interfaces, millions of copyrighted songs continue to be illegally downloaded every day.
Some researchers attribute the continual prevalence of music piracy to file sharers' moral beliefs. "Some consumers claim that entertainers do not seem worse off from music piracy as they still enjoy a high income and live in a bountiful way."6 This sort of mind-state supports those who believe the Internet is the ultimate host for immoral actions. Has the Internet caused music consumers to believe music should be free? In an article on Internet activities, Milicevic...