http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napster
Metallica discovered that a demo of one of their songs had been circulating across the Napster network, even before it was released. This eventually led to the song being played on several radio stations across America and brought to Metallica’s attention that their entire back catalogue of studio material was also available. The band responded in 2000 by filing a lawsuit against the service offered by Napster.
In 2001, A&M records was granted a preliminary injunction against Napster for engaging in, or facilitating others in copying, downloading, uploading, transmitting, or distributing plaintiffs' copyrighted musical compositions and sound recordings. Napster appealed this ruling by the district court on the grounds of fair use.
After a failed appeal, an injunction was issued on March 5, 2001 ordering Napster to prevent the trading of copyrighted music on its network.
In July 2001, Napster shut down its entire network in order to comply with the injunction.
On September 24, 2001, the case was partially settled. Napster agreed to pay music creators and copyright owners a $26 million settlement for past, unauthorized uses of music, as well as an advance against future licensing royalties of $10 million. In order to pay those fees, Napster attempted to convert their free service to a subscription system.
Friday, 27 April 2007
Feedback #2
Well done - this is evidence of thorough research. There are still some gaps - however some very interesting statistics
Lawsuits against illegal downloading
UK Record Labels Expand Piracy Battle, Sue File Swappers
"We have been warning for months that unauthorized file-sharing is illegal," British Phonographic Industry Chairman Peter Jamieson said in a statement. "These are not people casually downloading the odd track. They are uploading music on a massive scale, stealing the livelihood of thousands of artists and the people who invest in them."
many leading music industry groups in the UK and Europe have launched a barrage of private lawsuits against dozens of individuals they say illegally swapped copyrighted music.
The British Phonographic Industry filed 28 lawsuits in Great Britain.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said it had started more than:-
400 lawsuits in Europe
50 lawsuits in France
100 lawsuits in Austria
174 lawsuits in Denmark
100 lawsuits in Germany
the Recording Industry Association of America has sued more than 3,000 alleged music pirates in the U.S.
The BPI said this came after a public warning to all UK music swappers in March and some 350,000 instant messages to known file sharers.
Jamison said the organization "resisted legal action as long as we could. We have done everything we can to raise awareness of this problem"
however, some have questioned whether targeting 12 years olds, as one lawsuit did, is an effective way of targetting piracy.
Jupiter Research analyst Mark Mulligan said the latest action was "inevitable" and puts all file sharers in the same boat.
He said "Digital youth in Europe and America are growing up with no understanding of music as a commodity. The perception that music is free and essentially disposable is one that spells long-term danger for the music industry."
However, only the users have been challenged rather than the file sharing networks. This shows the question of legality is stil not clear.
According to Jupiter, 19% of people surveyed said they would pay for song downloads over the internet, up from 16% a year ago.
"We have been warning for months that unauthorized file-sharing is illegal," British Phonographic Industry Chairman Peter Jamieson said in a statement. "These are not people casually downloading the odd track. They are uploading music on a massive scale, stealing the livelihood of thousands of artists and the people who invest in them."
many leading music industry groups in the UK and Europe have launched a barrage of private lawsuits against dozens of individuals they say illegally swapped copyrighted music.
The British Phonographic Industry filed 28 lawsuits in Great Britain.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said it had started more than:-
400 lawsuits in Europe
50 lawsuits in France
100 lawsuits in Austria
174 lawsuits in Denmark
100 lawsuits in Germany
the Recording Industry Association of America has sued more than 3,000 alleged music pirates in the U.S.
The BPI said this came after a public warning to all UK music swappers in March and some 350,000 instant messages to known file sharers.
Jamison said the organization "resisted legal action as long as we could. We have done everything we can to raise awareness of this problem"
however, some have questioned whether targeting 12 years olds, as one lawsuit did, is an effective way of targetting piracy.
Jupiter Research analyst Mark Mulligan said the latest action was "inevitable" and puts all file sharers in the same boat.
He said "Digital youth in Europe and America are growing up with no understanding of music as a commodity. The perception that music is free and essentially disposable is one that spells long-term danger for the music industry."
However, only the users have been challenged rather than the file sharing networks. This shows the question of legality is stil not clear.
According to Jupiter, 19% of people surveyed said they would pay for song downloads over the internet, up from 16% a year ago.
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Write a list of general terms related to NMTs
Institution
technology
convergence
peer to peer files sharing
Write a list of key terminology related to your chosen technology
DRM (Digital Rights Management)
From your blog, select 10 statements (stats, quotations) that you have found during your research which relate to debates on audiences’ changing experiences, institutions response to technology, the future etc. NAME ANY SOURCES
“since the explosion of myspace, many bands have taken the opportunity to try to raise their profile in the public domain. fans can now listen to songs and leave messages for their favourite bands” see bands on myspace
piracy - illegal downloads.
BitTorrent tries to make customers pay
music and mobile phones
Institution
technology
convergence
peer to peer files sharing
Write a list of key terminology related to your chosen technology
DRM (Digital Rights Management)
From your blog, select 10 statements (stats, quotations) that you have found during your research which relate to debates on audiences’ changing experiences, institutions response to technology, the future etc. NAME ANY SOURCES
“since the explosion of myspace, many bands have taken the opportunity to try to raise their profile in the public domain. fans can now listen to songs and leave messages for their favourite bands” see bands on myspace
piracy - illegal downloads.
BitTorrent tries to make customers pay
music and mobile phones
exam question examples
audience question:- how has new media technology changed audience consumption patterns? (advantages and disadvantages)
institution question:- how have institutions had to react to new media technologies?
(upgrades, convergence, etc)
institution question:- how have institutions had to react to new media technologies?
(upgrades, convergence, etc)
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
digital television
1984 - sky channel satelitte tv and bidding wars for coverage of key sporting events.
1998 - digital statellite TV (DST) was introducedd with 200 channel service, internet and fully interactivity within two years
TV becomes a multimedia station
digital terrestrial television (DTT) has been heralded the future of television.
new advances include; remote control, plasma screens, surround sound etc
DTT - ITV digital, Freeview - picked up by set-top box
DST - SkyDigital, signals are recieved by satellite dish
DCT - Telewest, NTL - fibre optic cacling connected to subscriber television texts.
narrowcasting - opposite to broadcasting.
-specialist channels
1998 - digital statellite TV (DST) was introducedd with 200 channel service, internet and fully interactivity within two years
TV becomes a multimedia station
digital terrestrial television (DTT) has been heralded the future of television.
new advances include; remote control, plasma screens, surround sound etc
DTT - ITV digital, Freeview - picked up by set-top box
DST - SkyDigital, signals are recieved by satellite dish
DCT - Telewest, NTL - fibre optic cacling connected to subscriber television texts.
narrowcasting - opposite to broadcasting.
-specialist channels
Monday, 23 April 2007
films
What are the advantages of digital projection for the consumers?
better quality of sound and image. perfect copy.
Why has there been a slow take-up?
Why is 'Hollywood' driving this technological change?
What does digital projection offer in the way of the "future" for cinemas?
Extended question: how is digital distribution changing the way we consume other media?
better quality of sound and image. perfect copy.
Why has there been a slow take-up?
Why is 'Hollywood' driving this technological change?
What does digital projection offer in the way of the "future" for cinemas?
Extended question: how is digital distribution changing the way we consume other media?
piracy figures
CD piracy generates an estimated £77 million annually for criminal enterprise; increasing by 37% in 2004 alone.
Counterfeiters are increasingly using internet sites to sell their fakes; eBay piracy figures (infringing auctions removed) are below;
2001: 2,315
2002: 3,491
2003: 5,649
2004: 14,318
2005: 57,463
2006: 199,295
The problem is focused primarily around areas with high Asian populations, and at an estimated 70% the level of piracy in Bollywood film and music is far higher than the average UK rate of around 5%.
A raid in Southall in September 2005 uncovered the largest ever factory discovered in Western Europe - capable of producing more than 50,000 fake DVDs and CDs a day. It was concealed at a residential address in Southall, where officers seized a day's worth of production - worth £400,000.
Counterfeiters are increasingly using internet sites to sell their fakes; eBay piracy figures (infringing auctions removed) are below;
2001: 2,315
2002: 3,491
2003: 5,649
2004: 14,318
2005: 57,463
2006: 199,295
The problem is focused primarily around areas with high Asian populations, and at an estimated 70% the level of piracy in Bollywood film and music is far higher than the average UK rate of around 5%.
A raid in Southall in September 2005 uncovered the largest ever factory discovered in Western Europe - capable of producing more than 50,000 fake DVDs and CDs a day. It was concealed at a residential address in Southall, where officers seized a day's worth of production - worth £400,000.
Friday, 20 April 2007
Bands on Myspace
since the explosion of myspace, many bands have taken the opportunity to try to raise their profile in the public domain. fans can now listen to songs and leave messages for their favourite bands.
“Bands are going to MySpace because it’s free and they don’t have to know how to do a Web site,” said Tom Anderson, the site’s co-founder and president. “But the biggest reason is because there are 43 million people on MySpace.”
MySpace Music is the prime convergence point for bands and fans. Users can search for artists by name, genre, location or keyword. The section promotes new and well-established acts through exclusive content such as streaming audio and video.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11114166/
“Bands are going to MySpace because it’s free and they don’t have to know how to do a Web site,” said Tom Anderson, the site’s co-founder and president. “But the biggest reason is because there are 43 million people on MySpace.”
MySpace Music is the prime convergence point for bands and fans. Users can search for artists by name, genre, location or keyword. The section promotes new and well-established acts through exclusive content such as streaming audio and video.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11114166/
Hypothesis
how has the digitalisation of music changed the way we consume and buy music?
What does the increase in illegal downloading mean for record labels and ultimately musicians?
Why has there been such an increase in the number of music bands creating websites on operators such as myspace? Has this raised their profile?
What does the increase in illegal downloading mean for record labels and ultimately musicians?
Why has there been such an increase in the number of music bands creating websites on operators such as myspace? Has this raised their profile?
BPI
The bpi promotes and protects its 300-plus membership. it represent hundreds of record labels in the UK. Its anti-piracy work is to protect the UK record companies against piracy. A BPI investigation showed that around 80% of counterfeiters are estimated to be illegally claiming benefits.
Pirate copies - duplicates of original sound recordings, which are then marketed on other labels with different packaging and graphics.
For years, downloading music has been mainly an illegal activity. But in the pst two years many new legal download sites have launched. This means UK consumers can be provided with the opportunity to access a diverse range of music legally.
Why is commercial piracy growing?
Pirate copies - duplicates of original sound recordings, which are then marketed on other labels with different packaging and graphics.
For years, downloading music has been mainly an illegal activity. But in the pst two years many new legal download sites have launched. This means UK consumers can be provided with the opportunity to access a diverse range of music legally.
Why is commercial piracy growing?
- duplication equipment has become more affordable and is now easier to use
- the low-risk, high-return aspect of counterfeiting has made it attractive
Copy-Protected CDs
Sony BMG's decided to use copy-protection software to prevent people ripping some 50-odd CDs - from internationally known artists such as Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys and Santana - to MP3s. however, this did not seem to be an issue here in the UK as none of the CDs issued here had the software.
- however, the BPI, says "lost sales" caused by file sharing alone rose 35% from £278m in 2003 to £376m in 2004.
- The UK's first copy-protected CD, Natalie Imbruglia's White Lilies Island (BMG), was returned en masse by customers in November 2001 after it failed to play on certain CD and DVD players - but compared to the US, and certainly the rest of Europe, the UK has remained almost unaffected.
- Four years ago, there were widespread calls within the five major record labels to use it, but only Sony and BMG released any copy-protected product in the UK.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,1720882,00.html
BitTorrent tries to make customers pay
BitTorrent is now making moves to convert their current user base into paying customers. this article shows the interview between Ashwin Navin, the president and chief executive of BitTorrent, and Kate Bulkley of the Guardian.
Ashwin Navin says:-
"BitTorrent was never specifically designed for the purpose of stealing content, but it was designed to deliver content efficiently and if we can be a distributor of content using our tools we can be more efficient than all of our competitors"
"BitTorrent does have a lot of traffic and we make some money from advertising, but that's not where we think we'll be wildly profitable."
Ashwin Navin says:-
"BitTorrent was never specifically designed for the purpose of stealing content, but it was designed to deliver content efficiently and if we can be a distributor of content using our tools we can be more efficient than all of our competitors"
"BitTorrent does have a lot of traffic and we make some money from advertising, but that's not where we think we'll be wildly profitable."
music and mobile phones
music can now be played through more modern mobile phones and also transferred between separate mobile phones via bluetooth. as almost everyone now owns a mobile phone, the mobile phone industry is extremley lucrative and many comppanies are trying to find avenues into the industry. hence, the development of the iPhone.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/02/happy_birthday_outrage/
Microsoft is apparently offering copyrighted music for free download and without regard for common IP decency and in flagrant breach of several, if not dozens, of international laws.
Microsoft is apparently offering copyrighted music for free download and without regard for common IP decency and in flagrant breach of several, if not dozens, of international laws.
iPod
The iPod is a perfect example of convergence technology. you can now buy movies from the iTunes Store and sync them to your iPod as well as having music and games on your iPod.
An 80 GB iPod can hold up to 20,000 songs, up to 25,000 photos, and up to 100 hours of video. IPods are also now extremly personalised. they come in different colours, and there are now 3 different types of iPod, each of which has different features and facilities. Apple also provide the download facility iTunes, and are soon to provide Apple TV. They currently dominate the mp3 player market and are hoping to develop this further with their unveiling of the iPhone.
iPod was launched in 2001 with the the line-up consisting of the video-capable fifth generation iPod, the smaller iPod nano, and the display-less iPod shuffle by october 2005
On Monday, April 9, 2007, Apple announced that over 100 million iPods had been sold worldwide.
however, the iPod is known to be temperamental. the battery is known to run out after 18 months whilst the warranty runs out after a year. when the battery of an iPod needs replacing it cost more to replace the battery rather than have the battery fixed. also, when the iPod nano was first brought out, a batch had to be recalled as many of them had snapped.
however, by ensuring the songs downloaded from itunes can only be used on iPods and no other mp3 players, apple have made sure that their customers are less likely to download from another provider or buy another mp3 player.
iPod Sales
Since its launch, the iPod has gained fans from Downing Street to Hollywood and it has been reported that iPods take up approximately 60% of the mp3 player market. There are now more than 4,000 accessories for all the different versions of the iPod. Despite a brief dip last year, sales have picked up. In the three months to December, Apple delivered 21m players - an increase of 50% on the previous year's run-up to Christmas.
An 80 GB iPod can hold up to 20,000 songs, up to 25,000 photos, and up to 100 hours of video. IPods are also now extremly personalised. they come in different colours, and there are now 3 different types of iPod, each of which has different features and facilities. Apple also provide the download facility iTunes, and are soon to provide Apple TV. They currently dominate the mp3 player market and are hoping to develop this further with their unveiling of the iPhone.
iPod was launched in 2001 with the the line-up consisting of the video-capable fifth generation iPod, the smaller iPod nano, and the display-less iPod shuffle by october 2005
On Monday, April 9, 2007, Apple announced that over 100 million iPods had been sold worldwide.
however, the iPod is known to be temperamental. the battery is known to run out after 18 months whilst the warranty runs out after a year. when the battery of an iPod needs replacing it cost more to replace the battery rather than have the battery fixed. also, when the iPod nano was first brought out, a batch had to be recalled as many of them had snapped.
however, by ensuring the songs downloaded from itunes can only be used on iPods and no other mp3 players, apple have made sure that their customers are less likely to download from another provider or buy another mp3 player.
iPod Sales
Since its launch, the iPod has gained fans from Downing Street to Hollywood and it has been reported that iPods take up approximately 60% of the mp3 player market. There are now more than 4,000 accessories for all the different versions of the iPod. Despite a brief dip last year, sales have picked up. In the three months to December, Apple delivered 21m players - an increase of 50% on the previous year's run-up to Christmas.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
DRM free music
DRM free music means that:
- record label can sell to customers without worrying about interoperability
- iPod owners can buy from new outlets
- Apple can sell to non-iPod users
- music can be sold to people that couldn't be reached before
- allows many stores to reach previously troublesome markets
- other retailers can offers downloads from a big label
- crucially, customers can hopefully stop worrying about interoperability
- EMI said its entire catalogue would be available as unprotected tracks for any retailer who wants to sell them. On iTunes, these higher quality tracks will cost 99p, while lower grade, DRM-laden versions will cost 79p.
Steve Jobs predicted that other major labels will follow suit shortly and that half the iTunes music store's 5m tracks would be available as unprotected versions by the end of the year.
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Recent developments in music industry
I have chosen music industry and the Internet to research.
This article, on the Guardian website, shows the developments that bands are choosing to make in order to make sure they are up to date with current technologies and therefor make the most money. another article that relates to this is:-stars compose new ways to use music.
apple have introduced a new service called "complete my album". this allows customers to download an album for a cheaper price than previously. this move has been encouraged for a long time. this shows that even new developments such as downloading can constantly be further improved.
illegal downloads
"Illegal music download sites will never be eradicated", the president of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has admitted. "the music industry is convinced illegal music downloads are having a detrimental effect on record sales."
This article, on the Guardian website, shows the developments that bands are choosing to make in order to make sure they are up to date with current technologies and therefor make the most money. another article that relates to this is:-stars compose new ways to use music.
apple have introduced a new service called "complete my album". this allows customers to download an album for a cheaper price than previously. this move has been encouraged for a long time. this shows that even new developments such as downloading can constantly be further improved.
illegal downloads
"Illegal music download sites will never be eradicated", the president of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has admitted. "the music industry is convinced illegal music downloads are having a detrimental effect on record sales."
The scale of the problem is huge - in 2001 IFPI and affiliated national groups were responsible for the removal of:
1,060 unauthorised servers
28,000 pirate web and music sites
700 million unauthorised music files
"In the US there are a handful of legitimate offerings but in Europe there are almost no real legitimate forms available."
however, free music downloads, whether illegal or legal, will always be more popular than having to pay for legal downloads.
Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPhone and Apple TV (a device to stream music and movies from a computer to the living room) at the annual Mac world Expo in San Francisco.
the phone has no conventional buttons and instead uses as large touch screen.
the touch keyboard is available for text messaging and there is a built-in two mega pixel camera.
the iPhone is an example of convergence technology. it combines music and mobile phone technology to create a state of the art phone with touch screen technology.
Steve Jobs -
"the iPhone is literally 5 years ahead of any other mobile phone"
"the touch pad ignores unintended touches. It's super-smart"
"the iPod changed everything in 2001. We're goin to do it again in 2007"
there are two version of the iPhone available, one with 4GB storage space and the other with 8GB.
5 Areas of Study
Technology
-understand what the technology allows audiences and institutions to do that they couldn’t do before.
-what is the chosen technology?
-how is it marketed? Who to?
-which companies provide it? How much does it cost
-hot/cold media? Push/pull technology?
-is it a new media, or an old media that is undergoing radical transformation?
-who is responsible for developing it? Why?
Institutions
-find evidence of new media technologies allowing institutions to work in new ways, reach their audience in new ways, make greater profit etc.
-research issues in the business pages and broadsheet newspapers.
-How are they constructing marketing campaigns to launch new products?
-are they reacting to audience demands or having to educate users?
-issues of privacy, financial losses
Audience
-what are audiences not doing so they can spend more time interacting with new media technologies?
-how is the technology consumed?
-who by?
-advantages for the consumer; convergence, interactivity, quality, choice, control
-counter arguments; information rich/poor, cultural imperialism, piracy, surveillance, fragmented society.
Issues
-encourage illegal activity?
-increased spending?
-harm children?
-will shops close or people lose jobs as a result?
-is it generating any moral panics?
The future
-What could happen if the technology is extended?
-How could media practices be different in the future, based on the potential of current technologies?
-understand what the technology allows audiences and institutions to do that they couldn’t do before.
-what is the chosen technology?
-how is it marketed? Who to?
-which companies provide it? How much does it cost
-hot/cold media? Push/pull technology?
-is it a new media, or an old media that is undergoing radical transformation?
-who is responsible for developing it? Why?
Institutions
-find evidence of new media technologies allowing institutions to work in new ways, reach their audience in new ways, make greater profit etc.
-research issues in the business pages and broadsheet newspapers.
-How are they constructing marketing campaigns to launch new products?
-are they reacting to audience demands or having to educate users?
-issues of privacy, financial losses
Audience
-what are audiences not doing so they can spend more time interacting with new media technologies?
-how is the technology consumed?
-who by?
-advantages for the consumer; convergence, interactivity, quality, choice, control
-counter arguments; information rich/poor, cultural imperialism, piracy, surveillance, fragmented society.
Issues
-encourage illegal activity?
-increased spending?
-harm children?
-will shops close or people lose jobs as a result?
-is it generating any moral panics?
The future
-What could happen if the technology is extended?
-How could media practices be different in the future, based on the potential of current technologies?
Monday, 26 March 2007
The future of blogging
www.robinsloan.com/epic
this video raises the following debates:-
this video raises the following debates:-
- Google chooses and presents the news by using a computer. Moral debate?
- copyright? who would be responsible?
- this could lead to custom content packages. this means your actions on the Internet are monitored and you would be provided with news which the computer feels you are most interested in. this would mean that if you use the Internet regularly and look at many different subject areas then you will be provided with a good spectrum of news. however, many people only use the Internet occasionally and only for trivial needs. for example downloading music and talking to friends then you won't be provided with all events occurring in the world. even though these mite be important to you if you were informed of them.
Bloggers and journalism
John Naughton - Writers who work for nothing: it's a licence to print money.
In recent years, there has been a rise in the use of user generated content. This involves members of the public sending pictures of events, such as the July 7th bombings in London, to networks such as the BBC. Without developments such as camera phones and e-mail this would not be possible. Researchers have predicted that by 2010 more than 70% of digital content in the world will have been created by consumers.
Those employed in mainstream media ask:-
In recent years, there has been a rise in the use of user generated content. This involves members of the public sending pictures of events, such as the July 7th bombings in London, to networks such as the BBC. Without developments such as camera phones and e-mail this would not be possible. Researchers have predicted that by 2010 more than 70% of digital content in the world will have been created by consumers.
Those employed in mainstream media ask:-
- what will support this?
- who will pay for the bandwidth needed to host the 100 million video streams YouTube provides every day?
Before the development of user-generated content consumers didn't create media and only consumed.
Nick Carr "one of the fundamental economic characteristics of Web 2.0 is the distribution of production into the hands of the few. It's a sharecropping system, but the sharecroppers are generally happy because their interest lies in self-expression or socialising, not in making money, and besides, the economic value of each of their individual contributions is trivial. It's only by aggregating those contributions on a massive scale - on a web scale - that the business becomes lucrative."
Emily Bell - We're all reporters in the digital democracy
Previously, the public's contribution to the media has been limited to items such as letter's pages in newspapers.
the speed, volume and type of response that has been made possible by the Internet, broadband media and digitised media has changed in recent years contributing to the increase in user-generated content in the media.
even since the terror attacks on september 11th 2001, the way news is reported has changed dramatically due to the public become so much more involved in the way news in reported. this is shown by reports of the july 7th bombings and the tsunami on boxing day 2004.
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