isday, August 29, 2000
Page 7
THE BATTALION
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Everything for free
MP3 free-for-all about to end, record companies adopt technology
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Graduate Students. Notes-Nte:
ig notetakers for the Fall Semester t>
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ie A&M campus or call 84 6-2255.
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2. Lynntech. Inc., 7610 Easlr;
on, Texas 77840 . 979-694.8523
years, a
sex does sell, online opportunists ranging
from established corporations to disgrun
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friends, worked to make a buck off of sex
on the Internet. However, sex’s reign as
the top search request was ended by three
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same spectrum of people, from huge
record companies to garage bands, will
soon try to make money off MP3s and
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RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
prove that the controversial file format
can sell as well as sex.
But this is an entirely new concept —
up until now, the term “MP3” has been
synonymous with “free.” Programs like
Winamp, Napster and Gnutella have bol
stered the popularity of MP3s and
strengthened the belief that they are meant
to be downloaded at no cost. Unfortunate
ly for consumers, the MP3 free-for-all is
likely coming to an end. Nonetheless,
MP3 listeners should embrace the future
of the fonnat because it will benefit all sides in
volved.
While the world of music typically has
Piracy Online
Special Series
Part 2 oF 3
been controlled by record companies, the
Internet has been the consumer’s turf.
When the two worlds collided, consumers
had an advantage — digital music became
widely available at no cost. Ian Clarke, the
23-year-old programmer who developed
the file-trading software Freenet, summed
up the record companies’ position when
he said, “If you’re selling water in the
desert, and it starts to rain, you need a new
business model.”
There are already signs that record la
bels are changing their models and em
bracing MP3 as the next big thing in mu
sic distribution. Four major record
companies have settled lawsuits with
MP3.com, choosing to let the Website dis
tribute their music while collecting rev
enue fees. Instead of suing any and all
things MP3-related, the industry seems
ready to support the new format. Though
record companies cannot stop the down
pour of free illegal MP3s, when one is
powerful enough to control the weather, as
record companies are, the forecast calls
for bluer skies.
Record companies are already in
vesting in high-tech alternatives.
Some legal experts suggest record
companies could release software
thdt subscribers could use to ac-
cessfa label’s MP3s. Similarly,
Napster could continue
operation with users
paying a per-download
fee with those revenues
going to record labels.
Whatever happens,
the change to legal, but
not free, MP3s will oc
cur on the Internet —
where consumers still
have the upper hand.
Although record com
panies will be gaining a
new source of revenue,
listeners will influence
that revenue by choos
ing which artists to download and, conse
quently, which artists get paid.
Artists also stand to benefit from the
elimination of completely free MP3
downloads. Musicians should not have to
settle for spreading their MP3s through
programs like Napster where copyright
laws are sacrificed for the sake of new ex- „
posure. While garnering new listeners is
good for artists, Napster is not a necessary
way to get that exposure.
When a listener hears of a band, it is as
easy to type in the band’s name followed
by a “.com” as it is to type it in a Napster
search field. And if listeners go to that
band’s Website, they will usually get pic
tures, biographies and information un
available on Napster. Many times visitors
can download some of the band’s MP3s as
well. Musicians and groups are posting
MP3 tracks from their CDs and from live
concerts on their Websites. Direct down
loads from a band’s website will be the fu
ture for free and legal MP3s — especially
for independent and smaller-label artists.
For example, it is unlikely that a listener
first hears about Hole by going to its web
site and downloading one of 50 MP3s the
band has posted. However, it is quite possi
ble for an A&M student to attend North by
Northgate, watch local band Blue Earth
play at Shadow Canyon, and go to the
band’s Website to see pictures, merchan
dise, tour information and, of course, MP3s
from the latest album. Not only do artists
control which tracks are on their Websites,
but they can also track how many visitors
and downloads their Websites have—which '
they cannot do with Napster. J
As Napster backers watched their
beloved program lose the first round of its
court battle against the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA), many
users responded by downloading new
MP3s in a frenzy with the attitude of “Get
em while they are still free.”
In reality, an Internet without a Napster
free-for-all would bring a positive balance
to the current MP3 controversy. Record
companies trying to shut down Napster
will see new revenues from MP3 services, ,
,no matter what form they may take.
At the same time, listeners-will enjoy
not having to worry about getting kicked
off Napster or having the authorities ever
knock on their door. And in the end, artists
who embrace MP3s as an effective new
form of music distribution will gain the
most by exposing listeners to their music ,
while being able to control where and how -
much listeners can download their files.
As for those Internet junkies who col
lected gigabytes of MP3s while Napster
creator Shawn Fanning was still failing
out of college, well, there is a reason they
have watched the RIAA lawsuits without
looks of concern.
Illegal MP3s will always be available 1
on the Internet for users who know how
and where to get them. A shut-down of
Napster simply ensures a better download
for listeners, musicians and record labels.
Eric Dickens is a senior English major..
for new 3bdrm/2bth duplex,
). 492-8069.
ouse 1 ri 693-7045 mrTiales Chalk messages
-L.
natesl 3bdrm/2bth house in
ill 778-0078, (512)273-0171
Mail Call
viewed as vandalism
It has come to my attention that gay
!ceT d bJokyart e $2 b 7 d 5Sa“» Students here at A&M have begun an
alternate form of advertising to pro
mote their agenda.
SERVICES For the past week, they have been
, . " ,, ,, ,, Vandalizing our campus with chalk. In
ssai/insurance discount. M-T(6r the morning when most students are
Dm), Fri.&sat.- Fri(6pm-8pm) m thinking about what they have to do to-
Dom a e m ' 2 $2 3 5 0 /cTih. Lowes, “at day, they are swamped with such pro-
mv. Dr., ste.217. 846-6117, » paganda as “Queer Aggies R Here.”
. (CP-0017). y l t js a shame that they stoop to such
^iow levels as to sneak around at night
’ nc |}nd illegally deface the campus. Acting
the way that they did creates an eye-
WEIGHT LOSS sore for everyone on campus and caus
es unnecessary work for the already
i 6 in B/cTcrsh,“5“ burdened ground crew - requiring ad
ditional workers, who are paid for by in
creasing student fees.
I The best example to follow is that of
Gahndi. Through obeying the rules and
doing things legally, he set an example
for us all. If they want their rights re
spected by others, they should start by
respecting everyone eise’s rights by fol-
place to live? www.housinglOIJi®
sing!.
ses, 695-6983.
rs access to
d Press
continuously updated news cor
he world’s oldest, largest ne#5
ttalion's web page.
e-minutfi news report comliing Die latestlfitiiis
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let-
rs must be 300 words or less and include the au-
pr's name, class and phone number.
■ The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters
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jed m person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid stu-
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edu
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014 Reed McDonald
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lowing the guidelines of the University.
David Rushing
Class of ‘01
In support of ‘wildcat,’
off-campus bonfire
In response to David Lee’s Aug. 28
column.
I completely disagree with what
David Lee said in his Aug. 28 opinion
column “Through Unity, Strength.”
KTFB is doing us all a true favor. Al
though I praise Dr. Bowen for finding a
way to keep Bonfire in some senses, it
is unfortunate that, due to legal issues
today, the University is not able to car
ry on Bonfire as it has evolved.
From what I read about their “wildcat”
bonfire, they have made the changes
deemed necessary by the Special Com
mission on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire.
I would like to remind people that
this “wildcat" bonfire is separate from
the University. That means that Dr.
Bowen, Dr. Southerland, as well as any
other A&M official may express all the
displeasure they care to. However, to
my knowledge, they cannot legally en
force any punishments.
I urge Aggies to support the “wild
cat” bonfire. One thing that should not
happen is having this activity split the
student body. I believe that an off-cam
pus “wildcat" bonfire truly would show
the Aggie Spirit in a student-run bonfire
supported wholeheartedly by Old Ags.
Gig ’em.
John Hart
Class of ‘01
Bull Board
Good Bull — Finally, Walton Hall
has been remodeled and has air con
ditioning in every room. Coincidentally,
it is one of the most-requested male
dorms this semester.
Even with individual air conditioners
in each room, the price for a semester
of “luxury” is still cheaper than all oth
er air-conditioned dorms on cam
pus. Now, the only nonair-condi
tioned dorm on campus is Hart
Hall.
So if Mother Nature is the
preference, the windows will not
close at Hart. But if the smell of
cold processed air tickles the
fancy, T. 0. Walton.
Bad Bull — As incoming
students start beginning-of-
the-semester tasks, they are
welcomed by none other than
Parking, Traffic and Transporta
tion Services (PITS).
After students complete a
busy day of classes, they
discover clever fluores
cent orange and yellow
notes liberally posted to
their vehicles. These un
welcoming warnings are
PITS’ way of invading what
might otherwise be a memo
rable move-in experience.
PTTS wastes no time engraving
their infamous calling card as a writ
ten proclamation: “We hold the
force, and we will tow your car.”
— Cay/a Carr
Good Bull — Ideally, few character
traits are more appealing than un
abashed honesty. In the case of pop
music princess Jessica Simpson, this
standard certainly applies. During Sat
ur
day’s broadcast
of “Total Request
Live” (“TRL”)
on MTV, the
topic of Simp
son’s flatu
lence was raised. It seems
that on an earlier broad
cast of “TRL” this summer, the bomb
shell admitted that she “likes to fart.”'
Way to go, Jessica. Although her com
ment is disgusting, a person has to re-"
spect her honesty. It bravely flies in the -
face of the spotless, manufactured im
ages that dominate the pop music-
scene today. Just remember to open a
window.
— David Lee
Bad Bull -
Cincinnati Red Ken
Griffey Jr. is not as
cool as he thinks he is. The man who
called ESPN in 1998 to com
plain that Mark McGwire and
Sammy Sosa were getting too
much air time at his expense
needs his pacifier back. Earlier
this season, Griffey called ESPN
again to complain that St. Louis
Cardinals center fielder Jim Ed
monds was being hyped more
than he was.
Could it be that Ed- ,
monds is a legitimate 2
MVP candidate and Griffey is ,
hitting .250?
As juvenile as this complaint is,
Griffey hit a new low last week. He con
fronted Hall of Fame broadcaster Mar
ty Brenneman after Brenneman ripped
Griffey for jogging to first on a hit, turn
ing a double into a single. No hustle, no
love, Junior.
The Reds are paying Griffey $108 -
million. He can buy a television net
work if he wants, but he cannot buy
class.
— Mark Passwaters