[Marxism] RE: Downloading

[David Amis <daveamis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

While we can get a certain frisson from the major record companies panicking
at the millions in lost revenues resulting from music fans downloading
tracks from the Internet rather than buying the CD, we shouldn't get carried
away with thinking downloading is a consciously subversive or political act.
Two people I work with who download music at every available opportunity
during the day are about the most apolitical I've ever met. For them, the
act is simply one of consumer protest at the extortionate prices charged by
the record companies.

When I was with Internet Freedom, I wrote numerous articles (Are Record
Companies Net Luddites? - http://www.netfreedom.org/news.asp?item=112) on
the issue but tended to focus on the issue of the actions of the record
companies in attempting to stifle Napster and P2P technologies having the
consequence of thwarting the spread of technological innovation. So
desperate were they to protect their entrenched position, they were only too
happy to stand in the face of progressive technologies. With the series of
lawsuits issued by the RIAA, they were also prepared to use some pretty
intimidatory tactics in the process.

What is of interest is the clash of interests this has set up between
various companies and corporations who find themselves on opposite sides of
the divide. There are a number of software and hardware companies who see
P2P and file sharing as being beneficial to their bottom lines as opposed to
the RIAA who see the new technologies as a threat. Those producing the means
of distribution and storage are the clear winners while the record companies
who control and produce the content are the potential losers.

The reality is that this is a clash between an old and outmoded business
company - the record label which has tight control olver its artists - and
newer forms of enterprise that focus on software that enables storage and
distribution and the attendant hardware that goes with it. The consumer does
benefit for sure but as to whether downloading music is a political act in
any sense of the words is doubtful.

Regards,
Dave A
http://www.geocities.com/leftoutlook/index.html



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