Comments on: Big Music targets YOU!

By: Michael Bowles

Michael Bowles — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:11:09 +0000

I would like to thank you for laying out a clear, well-constructed analysis of the issue concerning internet service providers and big business’ attempt to gain more control over online file sharing. It is obvious that you have a very sophisticated understanding of the deal being proposed, and what it would mean within the music industry. Clearly very few people outside of the big businesses themselves like the idea of being more heavily regulated, especially when it comes to something they’re already getting for free. My question for you however, is not whether this adjustment in the world of online music will cause more difficulty in attaining free music files, which it obviously will; but rather, how will it effect the quality of popular music? If one were to stop and take a look at record sales from last year (2007), they would see that the top five album-selling artists were, in order of first to fifth: Chris Daughtry, Akon, Fergie, Hannah Montana, and Carrie Underwood. Obviously, if one knows anything about contemporary music, they will find this grotesque and appalling. That means the top five artists, as far as record sales are concerned, included two R&B singers with questionable talent, a fifteen year old from the Disney Channel and, dare I say it… two contenders from American Idol! Clearly popular music is in a whole heap of trouble. Of course, there are undoubtedly a number of reasons why this has happened, but I would like to suggest that illegal music downloading is partly to blame. The problem is that the majority of people who listen to good music these days are downloading it illegally. That means that the major labels are throwing all of their money into promoting the acts they think do have a chance of selling. Unfortunately, that leaves their target demographic at a place less than to be desired. In other words, I would say that young adults are controlling the market right now, and not only that, but since the record companies know that’s what is selling, the media has become saturated with advertisements and promotions for such acts. So, my question is, do you think that if the major record labels force internet service providers to regulate their networks so that many people have little choice but to buy their music again, it will return some dignity to the face of popular, contemporary music?

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:30:50 +0000

One of the reasons I don’t pay taxes. How far will these animals go? Well, how far would a psychopath go in order to save himself? Then multiply it by 1000s of them.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:56:05 +0000

“Increasingly this is in the interests of ISPs as well, since high users of illicit P2P are not the most profitable customers, and are taking up bandwidth that could be utilised for more commercial uses to the benefit of ISPs and potential partners.””

Precisely why ISPs are eager to comply. This conflicts with the very heart of net neutrality,

By: Monkey D. Luffy

Monkey D. Luffy — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:50:44 +0000

“after all the RIAA says that internet piracy funds OC”

As organized crime has been known to fund the music industry, it looks like we have a circle jerk here.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:21:10 +0000

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/07/29/6294441-sun.html

Organized crime, – surely theu must have also been running a bit torrent tracker and uploading songs to raise money for their crimes, after all the RIAA says that internet piracy funds OC.