The same could be said of struggling artists, as well. Those artists that lost their appeal to the changing of society could promote their contribution to the industry, perhaps giving them another shot. For example, a recent Spin article stated that 30% of long-time struggling artists have gradually regained recognition as a result of free access to their music. Therefore, listeners could sample their music for free and decide if they have made some sort of comeback, not to mention whether or not they are worth the inflated prices of album-length CDs. These people, concerned with corporate price fixing, feel that listeners could hear particular songs and not have to pay full price for an album that may have only two or three songs that appeal to them. This is what you call self-interest. The concern would have to be whether there is profit sharing going on or not, such as resale of copyrighted songs. This would be the illegal aspect of this issue. However you judge this issue, both sides, both arguments hold water. News Summary As discussed earlier, the particular Spin article I came across, among many others, focused on the future of the recording industry and the subsequent effects it will have on consumer activity. The article suggests, for all intensive purposes, that the decision to accept or reject the issue should be based on intent rather than simply the act of downloading the copyrighted music, as well as the distribution of the necessary devices. It further predicts the fate of the music industry not being overrun as a result of Internet sharing, but rather as an assisting device to promote and eventually helping to sell the music. It suggests, for example, a possible way that the record companies could still turn a profit such as the concept of pay-per-view. This consists of the record companies charging a fee to web sites that have MP3 distribution software. The point that this article was trying to make was that there would have to be a trade-off so as not to force the consumer market to make such rash decisions like music piracy.
