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Free MP3 Downloads and History – Who Will Pay for the
Music?
While free MP3 downloads may have seemed to give rise to
questions about paying for music, those same questions had been asked
before.
A few years ago, there was quite a stir as those in the entertainment
industry and those who were providing and downloading free MP3 files
squared off. The court battle made the news of the moment, but also
made history as responsibility was assigned.
The federal copyright laws are fairly clear about most aspects of music
reproduction. The question of providing music for free dates back to
the early days of radio. Those first artists who were recording records
and making their living from those sells were among the first to pose
the question of how to make a living from their talent and work.
A century ago, music came in three basic formats – bands performed
live, radios offered the latest hits or selected favorites, and those
lucky enough to have a record player could collect the hottest songs to
be played over and over. For many, live music was the favorite source,
though the opportunities to hear those musicians were naturally limited
in several ways. The bands only performed at specific locations and for
a limited time. That meant a person who wanted to hear the music had to
make a trip in order to listen.
Records – a far cry from the free MP3 downloads available today - also
had some limitations but were much more convenient. You had to have a
record player and there was the constant need to change the record. The
radio was more convenient but also had some limitations. There were few
stations and the music they offered was limited by the records they had
on hand. But the advance of the radio industry soon gave rise to the
question this new technology had on the music industry, and to the
question of who would pay for the music being broadcast.
