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Piracy on a massive a scale is badly damaging sales of legitimate music. The victims are the hundreds of thousands of people currently employed directly or indirectly by the music industry, and governments who lose millions in tax revenue every year. Local artists and culture also lose out, as piracy undermines investment in the development of local talent. And local repertoire, let's not forget, is the backbone of this industry, accounting for over two thirds of global music sales. .
In contrast, there are those consumer groups that feel it is a good way to promote little-known artists" music, thus becoming the springboard for their shot at success. 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. 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. .
Organizations foremost among the primary industry groups battling MP3 sites is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). These are the people responsible for encouraging mostly high school and college students that MP3 piracy is illegal and morally wrong. They barricade the web sites that distribute copyrighted music and push for legislation banning the use of MP3 devices and distribution programs. .
Since 1998, when they first sued Diamond Multimedia for their manufacture of the Rio MP3 player, the RIAA preaches copyright infringement and has pursued a dozen court battles. They have even begun to influence universities with their so-called Soundbyting campaign, which aims to persuade students not to download music because they may be subjected to serious penalties resulting in fines and prison.
