Oct 07 2010
Response (Week 6)
Earlier in the week, I posted a couple questions regarding Lawrence Lessig’s book, Remix. In response to those questions, I thought of the following…
1.) With “illegal” downloading still a prevalent part of our culture, I still think there is much more work to be done. What kinds of changes need to be made in the new music industry that will help structure a new system in which everyone wins? A better price model perhaps?
Legal music downloading sites like iTunes, Amazon, or even Walmart have revolutionized the music industry by offering artists online outlets for their music and giving consumers a legal and convenient place to buy music legally and on demand. However, I still think the prices could be altered. Walmart offers song downloads for 94 cents and iTunes famously charges 99 cents. However, recently many new songs are being sold for $1.29. I definitely think some of these prices are a little steep. Considering that these downloads are intangible items with no production costs (regarding compact disks), I feel like these could be priced lower. Even 99 cents is a bit much. I know that iTunes and other download sites have to pay royalties to the record companies for the music so they obviously need to charge enough to make a profit. However, I feel like if song downloads were maybe 50 cents, more people would download music legally and it could drive people away from the illegal file-sharing sites. So it’s a matter of lowering the price for more consumer downloads and less illegal industry-killing downloads. Instead these sites are raising the prices for downloads and driving people away to cheaper (and often illegal) options.
2.) What exactly can be done to streamline and simplify the convoluted mess of copyright laws? What already has been done to adjust an outdated system for this new era of connectivity?
I don’t know a lot about law, but there need to be better copyright laws in regards to music downloading sites like iTunes. It frustrates me when I purchase a song on one computer and try to bring it to another and I’m met with resistance and obstacles thrown at me by iTunes. I understand that it is very difficult to monitor such intangible products as digital music but when I PAY for a song (or any product for that matter) I should be able to use it how I want (within reason). If I want to play it on another device this should be a simple transfer. If I want to burn it on a disk, this should be no problem. However, certain laws that cling to the post-digital past make it difficult for iTunes to allow me complete freedom. This is just one small example of why lawmakers need to take a good luck at our copyright laws and change the way ownership rights are handled. The artists and record companies have become so possessive of their creative content that it is becoming frustrating for fans who want to share and offer free promotion. I definitely think that Lessig had some great ideas about decriminalizing and deregulating to make these laws simpler. Right now, copyright law is a mess but there’s still hope. With people who think like Lessig we could have a system in which everyone wins.