In looking back on discussions I have had with friends in regards to downloading music by illegal file sharing, one topic has never been discussed, although it could have some real implications: legal action. Back in the days when I used Kazaa and Limewire it never crossed my mind that I was actually “stealing” something, or doing anything illegal. Stealing something that is intangible? It was a foreign concept to me at the time. However several of these programs have faced lawsuits, and so have some of the users. And who should take the blame? Users or the programs themselves?

Could Youtube.com helo reduce illegal fire-sharing????

Has youtube.com replaced file-sharing technologies for previewing music? In my last post I discussed how as an individual I would use file-sharing technologies as a means to preview music. That may not be the case with some people, but commenters on the blog mentioned they too used these file-sharing programs as more of a preview than a means to an end. However, now when I want to listen to songs by an artist rather than downloading a few songs off of Limewire or another program I just type the artist into youtube.com and in many cases a whole catalog of the artists songs come up, free and readily available to listen to!

            Youtube.com is the space for funny videos made by average people, professional music videos, bad paparazzi moments caught on tape, and so much more. Recently I have noticed when I want to hear a song by an artist I may get a few returns with the actual music video, but often there are user made videos, for songs that do not even have professional videos. Many times these videos or photo montages of the artist, or the lyrics of the song, but one thing is clear, they were most likely posted because people wanted to hear the song, for free, on Youtube.

            So for me the days of illegal downloading are gone because Youtube affords me the opportunities to listen to songs of artists for free. I’m sure it won’t be long until this method of displaying content will come under fire from artists and recording companies, but as of now it is legal, and so far seems socially acceptable. To be honest before this discovery I was still a user of Limewire, but now that most songs are made into videos on Youtube I haven’t open my Limewire program once! Also Youtube is quick and easy access, a lot easier then the old illegal file sharing days of waiting for a song to download. In my opinion, besides the fact that you can’t put songs or videos from Youtube onto a CD or Ipod, there really are no cons.

            So here’s a challenge for commenters…go on Youtube…type in an artist, band, or any musician you’d like…and see how many self-made videos have been uploaded for that artist. For many it will be too much to count! 

Illegal File Sharing

      I remember my first experience with illegal file sharing.  I was 14 years old and had watched enough MTV so hear about the controversy surrounding Napster and the subsequent shutting down of the popular program. Instead of thinking of how wrong it was however, I was disappointed I hadn’t heard about it sooner, when I still could have used it to download all the music I wanted for free. What could be better? I went to my computer to do a little research and came across Kazaa, a file-sharing program similar to Napster, but it had not yet been shut down. I downloaded the program and subsequently started downloading all the songs I could think of. I made mix CD’s, I discovered new music...it opened up a whole new world of music for me at the time.

            In regards to public policy, illegal file sharing has been vilified as the killer of the music industry. In past years CD sales have gone down and that is a fact. Though I cannot speak for all users of illegal file-sharers downloading music illegally was never a replacement for purchasing a CD. This was before the days of previewing songs on Itunes and youtube.com where you could find a video accompanied by the song and listen to it for free. If you liked one song by an artist you either shelled out the money to buy the whole CD or you never bought the CD at all. For me illegal file sharing opened up my ears to more music, rather than keeping me from purchasing it. If I liked a song by an artist I would download a few songs, usually the ones highest on the list that were the most downloaded (a.k.a. most popular). If I liked the songs I would go and purchase the CD. Many artists I may have never even heard of, I purchased their full albums because of the few free songs I downloaded on Kazaa.

     My stance is a controversial one, but for me illegal file sharing doesn’t undermine the music industry. These programs have come in and out. Kazaa was soon shut down followed by a mass lawsuit against users, I was luckily not indicted. Then a few others followed including BearShare, which plagued two of my family’s computers with viruses, then LimeWire, now probably the most common file-sharing program. I no longer use these programs because of other outlets, but I would disagree with those that claim these programs are what contributed to the fall of record sales. A recent article also supports my position, if you’d like to read it here is the link!

 

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/04.15/09-filesharing.html