Music Downloads Should Be Free and Unlimited

Music Downloads Should Be Free And Unlimited

Advances in Internet technology has changed the way music is listened to or purchased. People can now download music through peer-to-peer file sharing applications, the pioneer being Napster around 1999. Record companies across the world believe that free downloading of music is criminal and has an adverse effect on music sales in stores. I will attempt to present the pros and cons of music download from the Internet whilst supporting my feeling that they should be free and unlimited. I will also give a brief background to the history of this downloading phenomenon.

Historically, the first online peer-to-peer file sharing application was Napster who allowed people to copy music from their CDs into MP3 format. Other members on the network were then allowed to download the songs onto their computers. This trend resulted in millions of people downloading thousands of songs a day. This obviously upset the record companies who made a class suit against Napster in 2000 via the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This led to the closure of Napster as a free downloading music site after it was bankrupted by the lawsuit. After a company takeover, it was then given a new lease of life, resurfacing as a pay service.

The question is did this action stop the new trend of downloading free music on the Internet? It is an acknowledged fact that music trends have been changing through the years. Initially there was the 45rpm record (single), followed by the 33rpm (lp) or long playing record also known as an album. Then came the eight-track tape, CD and DVD. Record companies therefore must accept that they are simply trying to fight technology, a war they will not win. The industry claims legislation is on their side, which it is as evidenced here in the UK by The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended by the Copyright and Trade Marks (Offences and Enforcement) Act 2002 protecting copyrighted material....