Digital Wellness Blog 2: Copyright
I think by this point most people have at least been tempted to “borrow” someone else’s copyrighted material. Maybe it’s a new song from an artist you love who hasn’t quite released their album. Maybe it’s a picture that is just perfect for that presentation that is due in just a few minutes. Perhaps it is that lab manual or textbook available on reserve in the library on campus.
Being a teenager and young adult during the era that gave way to the infamous Napster and the file sharing craze, was a time ripe with temptation. This was the time when music transitioned from cd to digital and it was like entering the garden of Eden. Up to that point I had to somehow gather enough money to buy singles and full albums, and convince someone to take me to the mall. If that miraculously happened, I had to rely on hope that the single was even available. It also meant paying outrageous prices for albums just for that one song from the radio, that was never played enough.
Then all of a sudden there was another option, all of a sudden everything changed. The music industry was the first to be taken over by Peer to Peer P2P file sharing sites such as Napster and Limewire. Seemingly, overnight music was available with the click of a mouse, near instantaneously (as fast as dial up would allow). Movies, tv, cartoons, books, images, comics, and computer programs soon followed.
Many feared the music and film industries would never recover. They proved to be quite resilient, though it did require rapid changes to the business model. According to IFPI, “digital revenues now account for more than half (58.9%) of the global recorded music market. Total streaming revenues increased by 34.0%. By the end of 2018, there were 255 million users of paid subscription accounts globally.” The research company also reports continued growth the last four years, 9.7% in 2018.
The publishing industry has seen similar declines since digital technology took over the industry.
Engagement with streaming drives growth of global music market. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2020, from https://www.ifpi.org/facts-and-stats.php
Albanese, A. (2019, October 24). Congress Looking into Anticompetitive Behavior in the Digital Library Market. Retrieved February 28, 2020, from https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/81549-congress-investigating-anticompetitive-behavior-in-the-digital-library-market.html
