Ever since the first recordable audio medium was introduced in the form of a cassette tape the music industry has endeavoured to stop the unauthorised sharing of its copyrighted music. Advances in digital technology have made this on-going battle even tougher on the industry; in particular the advent of MP3 and the reduction of file size resulting in shorter download times, meaning it is now far easier to download copyrighted music illegally. The music industry asserts that this no different to theft of a physical object and is directly linked to a fall in CD sales. However whilst it’s also been observed that file sharing could be a substitute for purchasing one counter-argument is that it gives the consumer the chance to sample the music before paying and that it provides a platform for smaller/new artists to reach a wider audience in an otherwise corporately dominated industry.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As always this is well expressed and convincingly argued. However, while you do allude to some of what Lessig has stated about sharing, perhaps some slightly more explicit reference to his work would have strengthened your position.
ReplyDelete