Hey guys! Just in case you are interested, I started a Facebook group about the Internet's effect on music. It's opened to the public and everyone is welcomed to join. Here's the link:
FacebookGroup:Internet'sEffectOnMusic
I've opened up a few discussions within the group and you are welcomed to contribute your thoughts and ideas. Also, I encourage you to start your own discussion on an issue that you feel is particularly interesting or thought-provoking.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Digital Rights Management
As digital technology continues to grow and develop, Digital Rights Management (DRM) works to keep up with these changes. Due to the millions of illegal music downloads that occur each day, DRM must continue to create new ways to stop music listeners from illegally copying and distributing copyrighted material. DRM tries to ensure that copyright laws are not broken by using innovative technologies that are able to track how and when music is used.
Music companies include DRM with their music to protect against people that illegally copy digital music and distribute it without the rights holder’s permission. Some DRM technology limits the number of times a person can listen to or copy a piece of music. Other DRM technology simply protects copyrighted material from being copied at all by installing a code that makes it extremely difficult for hackers to break.
In addition to providing protection against illegal uses of material via technology, DRM also enforces contracts that consumers are asked to sign before purchasing music. Most of these contracts are signed over the Web due to the large amount of downloadable music that is purchased online. These contracts lay out rules regarding copying, distributing, or changing digital material, and costumers that sign the contracts are held accountable for abiding by them. Whether particular terms in these contracts are enforced depends on how long a customer had to view the contract and which laws are involved.
Those familiar with the Apple iTunes Music Store know that before purchasing any music, customers are asked to sign a “Terms of Use” contract in which they agree only to burn their music purchased from iTunes onto CD-ROMs for personal uses. Recently, Apple has changed its policy towards DRM. Before this change, most music available for purchase through the iTunes Music Store had DRM that prevented customers from having the ability to play this music on almost every music-playing device other than those produced by Apple. In other words, Apple made sure that consumers were only able to listen to iTunes music on iPods and iPhones. This policy has changed, however, and now Apple is removing DRM from all of their music. This will allow consumers to listen to music purchased through iTunes on any music-playing device, even if it is not made by Apple. The removal of DRM is opening up new opportunities for music listeners and has brought new customers to iTunes.
DRM is important for preventing illegal use of copyrighted material, but it can limit what listeners can do with their music. Before iTunes made the switch to non-DRM music, many people argued that if someone legally buys a song or album, they should have the right to play it on any devices they wish. What do you think? Is DRM is good thing all of the time or are there some instances where they become overbearing? Please share your thoughts.
Music companies include DRM with their music to protect against people that illegally copy digital music and distribute it without the rights holder’s permission. Some DRM technology limits the number of times a person can listen to or copy a piece of music. Other DRM technology simply protects copyrighted material from being copied at all by installing a code that makes it extremely difficult for hackers to break.
In addition to providing protection against illegal uses of material via technology, DRM also enforces contracts that consumers are asked to sign before purchasing music. Most of these contracts are signed over the Web due to the large amount of downloadable music that is purchased online. These contracts lay out rules regarding copying, distributing, or changing digital material, and costumers that sign the contracts are held accountable for abiding by them. Whether particular terms in these contracts are enforced depends on how long a customer had to view the contract and which laws are involved.
Those familiar with the Apple iTunes Music Store know that before purchasing any music, customers are asked to sign a “Terms of Use” contract in which they agree only to burn their music purchased from iTunes onto CD-ROMs for personal uses. Recently, Apple has changed its policy towards DRM. Before this change, most music available for purchase through the iTunes Music Store had DRM that prevented customers from having the ability to play this music on almost every music-playing device other than those produced by Apple. In other words, Apple made sure that consumers were only able to listen to iTunes music on iPods and iPhones. This policy has changed, however, and now Apple is removing DRM from all of their music. This will allow consumers to listen to music purchased through iTunes on any music-playing device, even if it is not made by Apple. The removal of DRM is opening up new opportunities for music listeners and has brought new customers to iTunes.
DRM is important for preventing illegal use of copyrighted material, but it can limit what listeners can do with their music. Before iTunes made the switch to non-DRM music, many people argued that if someone legally buys a song or album, they should have the right to play it on any devices they wish. What do you think? Is DRM is good thing all of the time or are there some instances where they become overbearing? Please share your thoughts.
Related Sites
Here is a list of Web sites that relate to some of the ideas and issues regarding the Internet's impact on music that I have already mentioned. Feel free to check them out. The first link is particularly interesting and informative.
DigitalMusicReport2009
EltonJohn'sTakeOnMusicPiracy
InternetAndMusic
MP3&MusicIndustry
InternetChangesMusic
InternetFileSharing
DigitalTechnologies&TheInternet
Hope this helps spur some ideas!
DigitalMusicReport2009
EltonJohn'sTakeOnMusicPiracy
InternetAndMusic
MP3&MusicIndustry
InternetChangesMusic
InternetFileSharing
DigitalTechnologies&TheInternet
Hope this helps spur some ideas!
The Cost of Music
One question that many artists and music labels have toyed with is: how much money should music cost? Although this may seem like a simple question, the recent impact of digital music and illegal downloads have cause many people to rethink the cost of music. When Internet users can easily obtain practically any song they desire for free online, why would they want to pay for them? Some people might suggest that because downloading most songs for free is illegal, music listeners would refrain from doing so. This, however, is not the case.
In order to compete with sites that provide free music downloads, many music companies and artists are changing the prices of their music. Apple, for example, recently changed the prices of the songs sold on iTunes Music Store. Before the change, all songs were sold for $0.99. Now songs are available for $0.69, $0.99, or $1.20, depending on the song. Apple claims that these price changes are beneficial for consumers because the cost of the majority of the songs on iTunes has reduced from $0.99 to $0.69. Those familiar with iTunes know that the most popular songs now cost $1.20. This is a clever strategy for Apple because Apple can reassure consumers that most songs underwent a price reduction while actually increasing the price on songs that generate the most profit. Apples price changes show how one music company is attempting to keep up with competition from competing sites with free music. Because many of Apple’s potential customers are illegally downloading music for free rather than buying their music from iTunes, Apple must increase its prices to make up for lost profit.
While Apple is increasing its prices on music, other artists and music companies are decreasing their prices in attempt to encourage music listeners to buy their music. In 2007, when Radiohead’s contract with EMI ended, the band released its seventh album, “In Rainbow’s,” online for digital downloading. Instead of establishing a set price for the album, however, customers were told that they could pay what they see fit, starting at free. Once word got out that music listeners could chose what they paid for the album, thousands of people logged on to check out Radiohead’s music. The positive publicity gained from this occurrence boosted the sales of all Radiohead albums and ended up making Radiohead more profitable rather than resulting in a loss of money. This strategy was effective because people who may not have bought Radiohead’s album in the first place decided to give it a try because they could pick their price. In the end, Radiohead gained both money and more followers.
Although Apple’s and Radiohead’s approaches to music pricing were very different, both approaches depicted the difficulty and complexity in determining the price of music. There is still a great deal of debate regarding how much money consumers should have to pay for music. Some people argue that digital downloads should cost much less than cds because there is no material and packaging involved. What do you think about this issue? Who should decide how much money music should cost and what should that price be? Should the price of music depend on what form it comes in or should all forms be sold for the same price? Please feel free to share your ideas.
In order to compete with sites that provide free music downloads, many music companies and artists are changing the prices of their music. Apple, for example, recently changed the prices of the songs sold on iTunes Music Store. Before the change, all songs were sold for $0.99. Now songs are available for $0.69, $0.99, or $1.20, depending on the song. Apple claims that these price changes are beneficial for consumers because the cost of the majority of the songs on iTunes has reduced from $0.99 to $0.69. Those familiar with iTunes know that the most popular songs now cost $1.20. This is a clever strategy for Apple because Apple can reassure consumers that most songs underwent a price reduction while actually increasing the price on songs that generate the most profit. Apples price changes show how one music company is attempting to keep up with competition from competing sites with free music. Because many of Apple’s potential customers are illegally downloading music for free rather than buying their music from iTunes, Apple must increase its prices to make up for lost profit.
While Apple is increasing its prices on music, other artists and music companies are decreasing their prices in attempt to encourage music listeners to buy their music. In 2007, when Radiohead’s contract with EMI ended, the band released its seventh album, “In Rainbow’s,” online for digital downloading. Instead of establishing a set price for the album, however, customers were told that they could pay what they see fit, starting at free. Once word got out that music listeners could chose what they paid for the album, thousands of people logged on to check out Radiohead’s music. The positive publicity gained from this occurrence boosted the sales of all Radiohead albums and ended up making Radiohead more profitable rather than resulting in a loss of money. This strategy was effective because people who may not have bought Radiohead’s album in the first place decided to give it a try because they could pick their price. In the end, Radiohead gained both money and more followers.
Although Apple’s and Radiohead’s approaches to music pricing were very different, both approaches depicted the difficulty and complexity in determining the price of music. There is still a great deal of debate regarding how much money consumers should have to pay for music. Some people argue that digital downloads should cost much less than cds because there is no material and packaging involved. What do you think about this issue? Who should decide how much money music should cost and what should that price be? Should the price of music depend on what form it comes in or should all forms be sold for the same price? Please feel free to share your ideas.
Welcome!
These days, it seems like you can doing almost anything on the Internet, from watching your favorite television program to video chatting with friends to conducting research. As the Internet continues to grow and develop, its effect on society expands as well. I want to know how the Internet has affected music. Whether it be musical artists or the music industry, the components of the music we listen to every day have all felt the powerful effects of the Internet’s advances.
Digital technology has brought forth new opportunities for artists, companies, and consumers, presenting us with new ways to create, market, obtain, and listen to music. Just ten years ago, most people obtained their music by driving to the store and purchasing cds while today, digital music can be purchased and downloaded via the Internet. Downloading music has become the norm, replacing cds with a new form of music that does not require any physical material to package and store. Instead of buying entire albums, music listeners can now purchase songs individually, allowing consumers to choose which tracks they want to buy.
Although many people pay for their digital music, thousands download music for free. Most of these free downloads are illegal due to violations of copyright laws, creating a major problem for many artists and music labels that are losing money. While most people would not think of stealing a cd off the shelves of a music store, they see no harm in illegally stealing music online. Illegal downloads are bringing forth issues over copyright laws and presenting the music industry with new problems regarding music distribution. Lawsuits filed against sites like Napster that promoted illegal downloads have forced music artists and companies to rethink their marketing strategies in order to adapt to the age of digital technology.
I want to know your thoughts on the issues regarding the Internet’s effect on music. Please feel free to share your ideas and opinions about any of the subjects I have mentioned as well as present new issues or topics regarding music and the Internet. Why do people feel that it is okay to illegally download music? Who should decide the price of music? What laws should be created or changed in order to improve the current situation? What changes have musical artists and the music industry made in order to adapt to advancements in digital technology? Where have they gone wrong?
These are just a few of the possible questions I would love to discuss on this blog. Remember that these issues are very complex and that there is not usually just one right answer. I encourage you to debate and share your own opinions while keeping in mind the opinions of others. This is an open space for intellectual discussion and conversation.
Enjoy!
Digital technology has brought forth new opportunities for artists, companies, and consumers, presenting us with new ways to create, market, obtain, and listen to music. Just ten years ago, most people obtained their music by driving to the store and purchasing cds while today, digital music can be purchased and downloaded via the Internet. Downloading music has become the norm, replacing cds with a new form of music that does not require any physical material to package and store. Instead of buying entire albums, music listeners can now purchase songs individually, allowing consumers to choose which tracks they want to buy.
Although many people pay for their digital music, thousands download music for free. Most of these free downloads are illegal due to violations of copyright laws, creating a major problem for many artists and music labels that are losing money. While most people would not think of stealing a cd off the shelves of a music store, they see no harm in illegally stealing music online. Illegal downloads are bringing forth issues over copyright laws and presenting the music industry with new problems regarding music distribution. Lawsuits filed against sites like Napster that promoted illegal downloads have forced music artists and companies to rethink their marketing strategies in order to adapt to the age of digital technology.
I want to know your thoughts on the issues regarding the Internet’s effect on music. Please feel free to share your ideas and opinions about any of the subjects I have mentioned as well as present new issues or topics regarding music and the Internet. Why do people feel that it is okay to illegally download music? Who should decide the price of music? What laws should be created or changed in order to improve the current situation? What changes have musical artists and the music industry made in order to adapt to advancements in digital technology? Where have they gone wrong?
These are just a few of the possible questions I would love to discuss on this blog. Remember that these issues are very complex and that there is not usually just one right answer. I encourage you to debate and share your own opinions while keeping in mind the opinions of others. This is an open space for intellectual discussion and conversation.
Enjoy!
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