Word: mp3s
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...most recent (and possibly most absurd) move against MP3s was taken last month by Sightsound.com, who threatened MP3.com with a lawsuit asserting that Sightsound held patents which control "among other things, the sale of audio or video recordings in download fashion over the Internet." Such a grandiose claim is comparable to Random House stating that they have the exclusive rights to the process of printing up and distributing written material...
...MP3s and the Internet can empower bands to take back control over their music. Countless bigname groups are eager to take advantage of the opportunity; for example the Beastie Boys took it upon themselves to make available live tracks and non-copyrighted music to promote their latest album, Hello Nasty. Garbage and Alanis Morrisette have been known to release special rare cuts exclusively in MP3 format. They Might Be Giants has even made entire albums available online. Smaller, independent bands have also embraced MP3s as a means for building a fan base and getting their music recognized. The London-Based...
...light of the potential benefits which exist for the musicians themselves, it is unwise for the music industry to continue their frontal assault on MP3s. Attempts to vanquish MP3 production and distribution completely are fated to fail, for the system is already wildly popular and widely in use. Attacks on individual sites are similarly futile; not only is it often difficult to track down a site's creator, but it is nearly impossible to prosecute because laws out-lawing the practice are currently nonexistent...
...record labels want to survive, they are going to have to work with MP3s and the Internet, not against them. One feasible solution is to create encrypted MP3 tracks which can be tracked and are less easy to digitize illegally. Cerberus, a company which currently uses a watermarked version of the standard MP3, suffers little to no piracy and can easily identify tracks which have been ripped...
Regardless of whether or not the big labels choose to accept an alternative to prosecution, MP3s have shown every indication of outlasting their current status as a hot trend. In the end, it will be the bands and the fans who will win--and all that record companies can do is hope to hang on for the ride. Alixandra E. Smith '02 lives in Weld Hall...