Posted by
arandomguy on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 5:38:48 PM
This is more of a rant, based on the fact that I am a college student, of the younger generation, and thoroughly upset at the American (and international) Music Industry. First they ban Xerox machines. Then they ban Mp3 downloading. Then they go after Guitar Tabs and Lyrics. Now, they're going back to their roots - assaulting people who "illegally" download files via file-sharing networks. 8000 people in fact - mainly uploaders who upload files to websites so they can be "illegally downloaded."
Now, don't get me wrong. I believe in the rule of law like any conservative. And as such, I do not condone the downloading of "illegal" music files. However, I believe the law is stupid, and that something should be done to change the law - something that doesn't involve breaking it at present.
I can somewhat understand the argument for Mp3's and Xerox machines - although admittedly the bans will never work, because people will just do what they want to anyway. Tell a bunch of teenagers not to do something, and they most assuredly will. It's just dumb.
So, while I'm not advocating breaking the law, I'm advocating changing the law. The current laws about Music do no justice to the fans of music, and to those who would like to become more engrossed in their music experience by playing some of their favorite tunes on their own.
That, and copyright laws are stupid. At present, I believe it is about 50 years after death that copyright on material will finally expire. When this country was founded, it was 10 years after copyright when the copyright expired - unless a new lease was gained. In the modern world, 10 years is a bit too short. But 50 years post mortem? What does that accomplish? And why should dead people have rights to things?
Argh.