Who would of thought that a nineteen year old could make a computer program so simple that would change the music industry forever? Sean Fanning who is behind the whole operation called his music online service Napster after his own childhood nickname. The Napster software (http://WWW.napster.com), launched early in 1999, allows Internet users to share and download MP3 files directly from any computer connected to the Napster network for free. The software is used by downloading a program from the Napster site and then connecting to the network through this software, which allows sharing (uploading and downloading) of MP3 files between all users connected to the network. Napster only limits users to uploading and downloading of MP3 files only. Many recording artists and record labels feel that they are getting cheated out of money that is rightfully theirs. The three main problems Napster has are, do they cheat recording artists, do they break copyright infringement laws and how can we solve the dilemma between music file sharing.
The reaction from recording artists, record labels, and other music industry players has been varied, but primarily anti Napster. The two main recording artists who have taken actions against Napster are Metallica and Dr. Dre. Metallica accused some 335,000 people on Napster for music piracy; which in computer terminology means, they are accused of stealing songs. There is a huge difference between sharing and stealing. All Napster does is let people share songs from one another. At some point and time somebody had to have bought that recording artists C.D., or it would not have ended up on the Napster network. People who have C.D. burners take it into their own hands to burn them. Burning songs from Napster onto your own C.D. is a copyright infringement, but Napster doesn't provide C.D. burners in their software the computers people own do. On Napsters web page they warn people about the copyright infringement laws.