Music's Online Future: Regulated by Internet Service Providers?

As I mentioned in last week's post entitled, "The Oasis: A Place of Simple Pleasures in a Digital Age," the music industry is currently undergoing a drastic process of reorganization as major labels are desperately scrambling to ensure their "piece of the pie" in the new, technology-based world of popular music. The core of the dilemma currently being faced by these large corporations is, of course, illegal music downloading. While searching the blogosphere for more information on the subject, I continually came across posts concerning the issue of internet service providers' role in how music downloading should be regulated on the internet, and found it to be a very compelling question.

The issue appears to have first been reported on back in March as EMI, Sony BMG, Vivendi Universal, and Warner Music, (also known as the "Big Four" labels), took legal action against the largest internet service provider in Ireland, called Eircom. The grounds on which the lawsuit was based had to do with the "Big Four" accusing Eircom of allowing copyrighted material to pass through their network, encouraging illegal downloading. Now the corporations are attempting to require internet service providers to cleanse themselves of all copyrighted material. Eircom is only the beginning.

This new approach to battling illegal music downloading could potentially lead to deep, long-lasting ramifications in the music industry, which would greatly affect the popularity and function of music festivals in society. Given that, I decided to search out and comment on two separate blogs on the subject, to see what others out there were thinking, and to contribute my own thoughts on the matter. The first post I commented on was entitled "Big Music Targets You!" written by Jon Newton, the founder and editor of p2pnet, a news service focused on digital media and file sharing. In it, Newton claims that this is an attempt by the corporations to "gain total and exclusive control of how music is distributed online." The other post I responded to is entitled, "Are You Taking the ISP?" from the Sentric Music Blog, which focuses more specifically on how this issue would affect how much control internet service providers will gain over our personal information if we allow them to regulate and filter what we do. The comments I sent can be found on the appropriate blog, as well as being posted below.

"Big Music Targets You!"
Comment:
I would like to thank you for laying out a clear, well-constructed analysis of the issue concerning internet service providers and big business' attempt to gain more control over online file sharing. It is obvious that you have a very sophisticated understanding of the deal being proposed, and what it would mean within the music industry. Clearly very few people outside of the big businesses themselves like the idea of being more heavily regulated, especially when it comes to something they're already getting for free. My question for you however, is not whether this adjustment in the world of online music will cause more difficulty in attaining free music files, which it obviously will; but rather, how will it effect the quality of popular music? If one were to stop and take a look at record sales from last year (2007), they would see that the top five album-selling artists were, in order of first to fifth: Chris Daughtry, Akon, Fergie, Hannah Montana, and Carrie Underwood. Obviously, if one knows anything about contemporary music, they will find this grotesque and appalling. That means the top five artists, as far as record sales are concerned, included two R&B singers with questionable talent, a fifteen year old from the Disney Channel and, dare I say it... two contenders from American Idol! Clearly popular music is in a whole heap of trouble. Of course, there are undoubtedly a number of reasons why this has happened, but I would like to suggest that illegal music downloading is partly to blame. The problem is that the majority of people who listen to good music these days are downloading it illegally. That means that the major labels are throwing all of their money into promoting the acts they think do have a chance of selling. Unfortunately, that leaves their target demographic at a place less than to be desired. In other words, I would say that young adults are controlling the market right now, and not only that, but since the record companies know that's what is selling, the media has become saturated with advertisements and promotions for such acts. So, my question is, do you think that if the major record labels force internet service providers to regulate their networks so that many people have little choice but to buy their music again, it will return some dignity to the face of popular, contemporary music?

"Are You Taking the ISP?"
Comment:
First of all, I want to thank you for attempting to view this subject with some amount of objectivity. Unfortunately, most of the blogs I searched through while attempting to gain more insight on the matter of internet service providers becoming regulated simply shot the idea down without even discussing the pros. It's like you hint at in your post, one of the key reasons why so many people download illegally is because it is so simple to do now, and it can be done so quickly. If the internet service providers began restricting the bandwidth of those caught downloading illegally however, it would undoubtedly impair their desire to do so again. What really concerns me about the whole thing is the issue of privacy. I like your quote, "If the ISP's are expected to start checking our downloading habits then we are getting a step closer to that inevitable Orwellian future that we all know will haunt our grandchildren? Someone quite rightly suggested what the government is proposing is similar to asking the Royal Mail to monitor the content of every envelope posted." I don't think that many would feel comfortable with the idea that their internet service provider was essentially spying on them. The funny thing is that the ISP's being threatened with lawsuits say they feel the exact same way, "(They) say it would be almost impossible to check and stop illegal downloaders. The industry has cited data-protection curbs that prevent them from inspecting the contents of data files." As uncomfortable as regulations may make us feel, let's face it, we have to do something. The music industry has been, and still is, taking a huge financial hit. All of the entertainment industries have. I suppose the question that we all have to ask ourselves is, how important is entertainment to us? At what cost are we willing to save it, to prevent the movie and music industries from crumbling? Can we accept the thought of paying for our favorite songs again? I suppose that only time will tell.

The Oasis: A Place of Simple Pleasures in a Digital Age

It may seem somewhat ironic to create a blog dealing with issues relating to music festivals. These social events are, after all, one of the western world's last remaining escapes from the grip of technology. The point of the music festival is to give one an excellent excuse to venture out away from the computer, away from the Xbox, the TV, the email, and yes, even the blogosphere. Music festivals are meant to allow people to "get away from it all." To leave their air-conditioned homes and truly experience something. With all of the advancements we have made during the last thirty years in this "Age of Information," (which shows absolutely no signs of slowing down), one can clearly see the rising importance of the sort of "rest from technology" that something like a music festival can provide.

Another significant aspect of music festivals in the "Age of Information" is their ability to bring people together. As Robin Seamer, creator of the "Breaking More Waves" blog puts it, "Society is becoming more insular, with many sitting at home, wired into their PC's, developing a new way of socializing through Facebook, Myspace and Bebo. Modern society is losing the ability or opportunity to truly experience something with a deeper emotional or social connection. Live music still offers this opportunity, and festivals are a natural extension of this opportunity." As our civilization becomes ever-increasingly introverted on the individual level, the importance of social events that bring large amounts of people together in a peaceful manner is growingly important. Without the sense of community that comes along with the shared experiences that things like music festivals offer people, individuals will undoubtedly become even more isolated and narrow in their beliefs, with a restricted outlook on life and society.

Music festivals aren't only good for the artists performing and the people attending, however, they're also good for the surrounding community. Although, admittedly, many locals may not be particularly pleased when tens of thousands of people descend upon them for whatever the event may be, none can deny the boost it gives the local economy; especially in rural communities where many of these festivals take place. In addition to generating money for neighboring businesses, many festivals also donate a percentage of their earnings to worthy causes as well. As reported on the "Buzz Radio" blog, the upcoming event, "The Detour Festival," which will take place on October 4th in downtown Los Angeles, will give, "A portion of (the) proceeds from the $40.50 ticket price will benefit the non-profit organization Tree People, which works to find sustainable solutions to urban ecosystem problems."

As we all know, the music industry is changing rapidly before our eyes due to digital music downloading capabilities and products such as the IPod. As this mutation is occurring, music festivals are just as quickly becoming havens for music lovers. If things continue going the way they are now, then the record labels will continue to lose money, meaning less artists can be signed, meaning that less bands will receive wide distribution and radio play. If this happens then music festivals will become even more important as they will be one of the final places to go and experience a multitude of musical options without becoming lost in a virtual sea of talentless acts who post themselves on the web. Meanwhile, however, if these festivals become a more prominent feature in our culture we must be sure and keep them from becoming too corporatized, as it says in the "Blog for Music, Singers, Songs and More," "...overcrowded or commercial festivals tend to put people off, and give music festivals a bad name in the process."

All of the things I have written about music festivals are true: they do give people a break from technology, they do bring us together to celebrate something cultural as a society, and they do support local economies as well as giving to good causes. So, one may be wondering why the topic of the first post ever in this blog seems to be nothing short of an appeal to the reader over the legitimacy of the theme: music festivals. Well, in truth, that is exactly what it is. If one were to use the term "vacation," it may not seem like a matter of much importance. In reality, however, taking some time off from the hustle and bustle of contemporary, western society can be very significant. It allows for one's "batteries to charge," for their head to clear, and for their mind to focus. At first glance, the seemingly dispensable music festival may appear unworthy of a blog's attention. Those of us who retain joyful memories of our experiences at them know differently, however. We know the feeling of freedom and the sense of inspiration that can strike you and change you upon attendance, and we wish for you to experience that with us.