Is DRM the best way to save the music industry?
I would have to say that DRM isn’t the best way to save the music industry. Even though I don’t think there is a way to save the music industry while keeping everyone happy, there are many reasons as to why downloading (legally and illegally) can have its positive points.
Lots of music lovers would say that by downloading one song from an album and deciding if they like the music would make them go to a shop and buy the CD. Also, if someone hears a band they like on myspace or somewhere else on the internet from a different country, it is sometimes almost impossible to find their album in the shops. This means that illegal downloading is the only way to get their songs.
By allowing free sample listening of music, word of mouth is free publicity for a band and expands their marketing immensely. Also, it creates fans for the band who will want to buy their next album and create a whole audience for their music.Some people say that charts are completely pointless now because people like to download songs. But others might argue that there is no reason to have charts anyway. This is because lots of bands release many songs from their album so people would rather just buy the album instead of each individual song.
1 comment:
You have touched on some of the points that have often been made to defend the practice of online music sharing but one question you don't seem to ask is whether the industry actually needs saving. It is true that CD sales have declined but there is of evidence to suggest that the reasons for this may run rather deeper than digital music stealing. Your post addresses part of this question but there is plenty of room for further expansion upon these points (even within such a tight word count)
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