It has been on numerous occasions that I have warned the Internet is slowly, but surely perverting the mind of its regular consumer. As a matter of fact, the global network has brought the world three major problems of international importance we still lack solution for -- unsolicited commercial e-mail (a.k.a. spam), online piracy and rampantly-distributed child pornography.
It certainly ain't accidental that these issues bear stunning similarities. They all represent lucrative "businesses", none is adequately regulated and attempts for regulation are swiftly frustrated by the international reach of the Internet and the local purview of any enacted legislation.
Still, among all parties concerned, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has probably the best clear-cut strategy in this increasingly litigious wrangle. Just recently, the RIAA warned it will begin collecting evidence against file-swappers, who without permission provide free access to copyrighted audio files on the Internet. Contrary to some analysts' beliefs that the association had resorted to bluffs in an effort to deter online piracy, the music industry has now officially filed over 870 subpoenas against what it calls the most 'egregious' infringers of intellectual property.
This is a crucially significant shift of strategy, which essentially confronts the recording industry with the direct violator of the law. In the past, and especially immediately after the advent of the first file-sharing networks, the RIAA seemed bent on shutting down the overnight phenomenon itself. Although it is reluctant to admit it, the group now seems ready to accept the applications are here to stay.
In contrast, companies making file-swapping software are more than ever dug in their self-depicted dreamworld. Vociferous peer-to-peer (P2P) proponents like Wayne Rosso, president of Grokster, and Bill Evans, operator of the "Boycott RIAA" web site, continue to ignore the reality, claiming file-sharing primarily supports unsigned artists, or that it helps music customers sample music before actually purchasing it.
Today, more than 90 percent of all files traded across P2P networks are indisputably available without the consent of the copyrights' owner. The assertions that file-swappers merely listen to music before buying it are highly dubious.
In fact, both legal online services and most music stores now offer customers a way to sample disks. Today, one can even buy individual songs on the Internet without purchasing an entire CD. The RIAA is actively involved in educating the public that trading copyrighted music constitutes theft, according to U.S. and other laws, and works with numerous companies to create legal alternatives to P2P sharing. Web sites, such as MP3.com offer unsigned artists space to demonstrate their potential.
In June 2002, one of the most popular Napster alternatives, Audiogalaxy, halted offering music without the express permission of the record labels. At its heyday, Audiogalaxy, provided millions of people worldwide access to one of the largest collections of music ever assembled. Nevertheless the company pictured itself as an opportunity for amateur bands to promote their music. Today, Audiogalaxy continues to help small artists, but its users have dropped from tens of millions to less than 40.
One has to reasonably wonder why they left if all they were looking for were unsigned musicians.
The RIAA may not be able to stop peer-to-peer applications such as Morpheus or Grokster, but it has both the moral and the legal right to pursue the people who steal music. In the meantime, file-sharing software makers should admit their growing earnings come at the expense of artists who simply do not want their work to be taken for free.
