On the 28th of July, 2004, French Internet access providers and music copyright holders agreed to a joint national charter to combat illegal downloads as well as expanding the legality of music tracks that are available through the Internet (AFP). The latest of an array of initiatives that have been taken around the world to fight music piracy, as production labels witness more and more of their revenue losing out to illegal downloads of audio files. Search song
Music industry experts have been saying this exact over the past few years peer-to peer (P2P) network for file sharing networks are rapidly distributing pirated music all over the world via the Internet and that is an infringement of copyright. In English this means that I downloaded the Tori Amos track through Kazaa this morning and am listening the track right now is a crime. So far, so good. It’s true.
But the issue isn’t that people don’t want to spend money on music. Sometimes I try new music from the Internet prior to purchasing the CDs. If I am a fan songs, I’ll be tempted to purchase it. In the simplest sense, this is the way radio stations operate whenever they air music. The difference, however, is that it has become insanely easy for me to acquire almost-as-good-as-original quality mp3s of any track that I want to listen to, and even if I don’t pay a dime, no one is there to catch me.
The notion of accountability has disappeared. If one realizes the two options to purchase the same product however, if you sacrifice the’small’ amount of quality, you can acquire the product for free and not be penalized What would the most intelligent people do? P2P platforms have made finding music via the Internet extremely simple and a majority people tend to ignore our social responsibilities regarding such seemingly trivial matters. In addition the copy-protection methods employed on CDs from major production companies remain a long way further than the most recent cracking algorithms, and measures used to prevent the burning DVDs and CDs has proven unsuccessful so far.
Music downloads are available that are legal. In spite of the limited number of legal songs that are free for promotion increasingly, labels and artists have started to offer a pay-per download music service. You can buy individual tracks or complete albums via a safe online transaction, and download the purchase and with varying limits for personal use, basically use it however you like to do with it. (Several service providers digitally encode music files to stop the playback on different computers or burning onto CD-Rs)
This is a way to encourage free-riders like me to acquire ‘legal music, as well as an economic adaptation to the digital revolution in music. The advancement of technology is changing the way that people view and utilize music. The rise of iPod and other MP3 players has led to the fact that increasing numbers of users are accustomed to carrying their entire music collections , with the newest players, which can store approximately 10,000 songs. This poses a serious threat to record businesses. There is a serious worry in the music business that the CD format is quickly disappearing from the market and as technology develops consumers’ demands for the top’medium’ alter as well. Up until a few years ago, audio CDs provided unbeatable audio quality, and this was one of the reasons record companies would use to encourage customers to “buy rather than theft (download)’. But today’s top-quality digital formats ensure that the audio quality is equivalent to, and even comparable to CDs. Many experts are beginning to speculate that within 10 years CDs will be the norm since digital music will develop to the point that we’ll in possession of all of our music collection (hopefully purchased) whenever we want to whether in our cars at work, on the go, within the house, or even at the beach. In conjunction with the promise (and the real-world reality) of the quality of the audio it poses a significant challenge to traditional business.
So, offering legal online music is an approach of the music industry seeking to profit from the growing popularity of music collections that are portable. A quick look at the major music websites reveals precisely what we mean. While providing free-riders with affordable music (allowing them to buy the songs they like instead of having to buy the entire collection) to ensure they don’t fall into music piracy, sites such as eMusic as well as Apple’s iTunes support the current trend. iTunes is Apple’s online music store has the additional benefit of being supported by the most popular MP3 player on the market that is the iPod. With this, Apple has found a highly secure and dependable brand to market and has made sure that it is taking the full benefit of this crossover between music and technology.
Legal music downloads are believed to be the best solution to stop music piracy or at least the download kind. So it’s not a surprise to see major record labels urging to extend these services. Yet, some recent trends seem to leave us wondering what the actual goal of the program is. Following an era of consolidation in the music industry on the internet over the past couple of years, music albums that are available for download on the internet are priced more than they normally be at retail stores. There was a time when you could download songs for $0.99 or a complete album for $9.99 however, now retailers are imposing higher pricesfor tracks, with songs going for $1.50 or $2.49 as well as $11.50 albums going at $12.50 and $13.00 on the internet. What’s the deal?
By preparing their businesses to profit from shifting market dynamics The music business has struck an additional factor the sales equation: consumer behavior. Legal music downloads provide those like me with the convenience of not having to spend time browsing through retail stores for my favourite track from high school, and wondering when the most recent album by Nickelback would be released on shelves. Instead, all problems are gone with everything being accessible, searchable, and downloadable from my computer (and this one is comfy). The majority of consumers aren’t sensible however, they are always trying to cut costs when purchasing anything. Online stores (or are they the main record labels? We don’t know. …) are currently tapping into this particular aspect of human psychology , and are beginning to charge more for a service that they claim to be an opportunity. Already having consolidated their main customers, the moment is now to boost revenue.
Will this force people back to piracy of music? Very unlikely. People aren’t evil or criminals because of their nature. Appealing to their natural good nature are usually successful as well, which is the approach used by organizations like that of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) who are working to put a stop to the illegal sharing of music. The campaigns that promote listeners to pay just a cent or two for music instead of “committing the crime of downloading music for free are being implemented slowly but surely as more and more customers are flocking to online music stores. With existing customers sticking to this more convenient method of purchasing music and music, the industry is getting back the space it lost due to the piracy of music.