I recently conducted a poll, asking if people use Napster/Macster. An overwhelming majority stated that they use it to bootleg all the music they want. This mind set is wreaking havoc on the Recording Industry's collective brain. But why?

Over the years, the Recording Industry has had a monopoly over music. Then the MPEG Layer 3 encoding (better known as MP3) came along, their monopoly was in danger. For the first time in history, people could very easily exchange copyrighted music, at CD quality sound, while incurring no cost. This got the RIAA into a frenzy. Because of this new technology, they foresee a loss of millions of dollars each year. But I see it differently.

The main argument for MP3s is that people will buy more music. Buy downloading MP3s, and finding new bands/music types, people will start buying more CDs from these less well-known artists. Of course, the RIAA thinks the exact opposite will happen. They think nobody will buy the CDs, mainly because people can so easily get the music for free. This may be true for some people, but I believe more music will be bought because of MP3s.

SoundJam, a popular MP3 player

The next most popular argument in favor of MP3s is the old "They would do it anyway" phrase. This means that the people who only pirate music (and don't buy any), would record it off the radio if it weren't for MP3s. The RIAA doesn't believe this either. They think everyone will be pirating music, not just those who would record it. Although the RIAA is partially correct here, the hard core pirates will get the music for free, no matter what. And many people don't even know of MP3s yet.

So, this leaves me in a dilemma. I'm a huge anti-piracy advocate for software, but this isn't software. For a while, I was completely against downloading copyrighted music, but that has changed. I myself have downloaded some illegal songs, and didn't feel any remorse. Because of this, I have formulated my own argument.

Before the days of the MP3, I didn't really listen to any music, and completely deterred from the racks of CDs in stores. But this new technology has opened a door for me. I am now listening to much more music, and I'm even looking through the various CDs at stores. Furthermore, I have begun wanting CDs, even though I know I can get my music for free.

What does this mean for the RIAA? Well, mainly it means that more people, like myself, will become interested in music than ever before. Not only will they be interested in music, but they will begin buying music. In fact, the RIAA may come out of this making more money that before the time of MP3s. I can't wait what their counter argument will be for this.

Macster, the Mac version of Napster

With all this controversy, the RIAA has filed suit against Napster, the most popular trading source for MP3s. Napster has appealed this suit, and is currently still running, until the trial date that is. At that time, Napster could be shut down for good, and much of the music trading will be lost. But I'm sure other companies such as Gnutella will step up to the plate, continuing this trend.

Only time will tell what happens to these sources of illegal music, and the recording industry as a whole. Personally, I think the RIAA should embrace this new technology. They stand to make more money by doing so, than trying to turn back the clocks, and erase MP3s from the face of this earth. So I end this with two words: Go Napster!