Teachers and Students find new ways to use Mp3s
When the iPod was first launched, its popularity also triggered howls of protests from artists who were alarmed by the websites that listed thousands of illegal mp3’s that violated every known copyright law. Understandably, the recording industry made its money from CD sales, and mp3s circumvented the need for anyone to actually buy an album. Why pay cash when you can get the music for free?
After all, a large segment of music listeners may not have a lot of money to spend on buying albums. These include college students, who have limited allowances, are possibly dorming in out-of-state universities, and because of the school’s heavy workload, may not be able to take a lot of after-school jobs. Those who don’t have the benefit of full scholarships are also struggling with tuition fees, the cost of books, and all the expenses of getting a quality education.
In California—ironically the home of Tinseltown, which takes the greatest hit from illegal copyright infringement—students download not just music downloads, but movies. It’s a natural way of relaxing, and keeping up with the latest music trends. The fact that most students already have laptops, and have easy access to the school’s Internet connection, makes the download even more convenient.
The good news is that indulging the desire for good tunes and entertaining videos doesn’t have to come at the price of breaking the law. There are two reasons: the music industry itself has seen mp3 music downloads as a potentially strong marketing tool, which can introduce new artists or albums (“teasers”, so to speak) which in turn can encourage them to purchase the entire record. Others charge a smaller fee for the legal download of mp3 music, while making CD’s more appealing by adding bonus tracks or collector’s edition pamphlets.
MP3’s themselves have created a whole new slough of legal mp3 downloads, which violate no copyright infringement because they were always meant to be viewed on the iPod. For students, there are several course-specific study materials, which never would’ve made it to Tower Records. Medical students can find reviewers to help them memorize important information; literature majors can hear radio broadcasts of interviews with their favorite authors. In fact, Mp3’s have not only become legal reproductions of ready content, but a whole new playing field (pun intended) where the cost of mass-production is no longer a problem. Ten years ago, nobody would’ve taken the risk of mounting a radio show just on the works of feminist writers or Classical Greek poets. But in one California University, the students and faculty can tune in to the commentaries of a literary program and then discuss it in class the next day. The possibilities of legal mP3 music downloads are endless.
In some cases, MP3s have become educational tools. Instead of a report or a journal article, many faculty members have used this new medium to share papers, research data, or the highlights of an international conference. And then you have all those webloggers and podcasters out there that publish their own "radio" or music channel in daily mp3 downloads from their own sites.
In many ways, mp3 music downloads have changed the way that people share information, and the fact that it’s free and legal make it even more appealing.