MP3 ABC's
Luke Martyn

With the advent of computers and the Internet, many people have found new ways to exploit this relatively young form of bootlegged music. Initially, the Internet facilitated the exchange of basic information, most of which consisted of text. For the past couple of years however, the exchange of music has become a popular extension of this new medium. More specifically, MPEG Layer3 (MP3) has taken over the Internet music world.

MP3’s, and other similar music compression formats, compress music from the traditional WAV format that we encounter with our run of the mill CD’s. The compression ratio is usually around 12:1, which makes it a great deal easier to transmit these files digitally. This compression produces music that is close to traditional CD quality, which has the potential for severely negative repercussions to the music industry.

It is relatively simple to create MP3’s, as all you need is a CD drive on your computer and software that can be acquired free from the Internet.

It is illegal to reproduce music without the consent of the appropriate members. However, with the Internet there are no firm ground rules. Until recently this lack of accountability has facilitated the free exchange of MP3’s.

Legislation has been passed in the U.S. to ban the reproduction of music over the Internet. This has been somewhat successful in deterring a small percentage of people from posting music on their web sites. The problem officials encounter is the vast number of web sites containing illegal music. It is virtually impossible for regulating bodies to keep up with the continual growth of the Internet and MP3’s.

There are many people who question if there is any harm in reproducing music over the Internet. The harm is done when a potential record consumer finds MP3’s and downloads them for free instead of going to a record store and buying a CD.

The majority of the damage is absorbed by the record companies and ultimately the artists that produce records. Record companies have already lost billions of dollars in potential revenue to MP3’s.

For many new artists, MP3’s can be a positive way of distributing music to the fans, however, it can also be detrimental to those who are trying to make a living.

The more popular artists have the most to lose, as people are actively pursuing their songs instead of purchasing music from the traditional sources.

Many users of MP3s agree the free exchange of music is morally wrong, but the Internet’s anonymity seems to facilitate a breach in our moral fibre. The problem of bootlegging is not a new one. When the cassette tape was introduced to the market in the 70’s, the record companies had to deal with the same problems as today, except on a much smaller scale. The decision of whether or not to pursue this medium should be up to you.

If you would like to investigate further, visit these sites: www.mp3.com or www.vqf.com.