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Depeche Mode Music For Millions Is Spread Illegally On The Net (Computer Sweden Ingår, 1997)
- Thread starter demoderus
- Start date
*Music for millions is spread illegally on the net*
Now can anyone download the latest album from Depeche Mode or U2 from
the web without paying.
That is possible thanks to the new compression standard for sound, Mpeg 3, which gives relatively small sound files but still has CD-quality. But it's illegal to put protected music on your web site.
No wonder that the record industry choke of the morning coffee. Suddenly anyone can download virtually any song or sound file from the Internet with full stereo and CD-quality.
One minute of stereo sound with full CD-quality take uncompressed about 12 MB disc space. Compressed with MP3 the same sound file takes only 1 MB without reduced quality.
One CD-record can store approximately 15 hours compressed music or 60 hours compressed speech.
The future is obvious, but the record industry is taken by surprise. Instead for sitting behind the wheel, it now only can stand and watch as the market for recorded CD's may slowly disappear.
- The record companies is really scared. In a couple of years the CD sales will decrease. You can download your record on CD or DAT-tape CD-sales will decrease or simply disappear, says Johan Åberg on Stim, the organization that supply the rights to perform music in Sweden.
*Gone faster than expected*
- The record companies has to be more active. But it's difficult if there is one legal web site that is commercial and one illegal where everything is for free.
Lars Gustafsson represents "The record industries international organization" IFPI. He admits that the development is faster than expected
-In long terms it's a threat against the record sales. We have a meeting today where we will discuss what we have to do to face the future.
It's gone fast and the laws just isn't updated fast enough.
But Lars Gustafsson is not only negative to the Mpeg 3-technique and believes that sales of records will work similar to this in the future.
- This technology makes it possible for small record labels to release music. The large amount of archives with Mpeg 3-compressed music on the web today all break the law and it's also illegal to download the files.
A simple search with the search engine Altavista on the words: MP3 (Mpeg3) and archive gives 10 000 hits.
*Disclaimer Makes no difference*
Many archives has a "disclaimer" where it's said that all visitors download at their own risk and also point out that it's illegal. Just as many site-owners swear themselves free from their juridical responsibility. They mean that it's other people that upload files to the archives, and only look at themselves as an innocent intermediary. But that's wrong, says Johan Åberg.
- That's bull. A disclaimer does not take away the responsibility from the site-owner, it's totally irrelevant when we talk about copyright laws. If you have uploaded files, or letting someone else upload them, you have actively taken part in multiply the music, says Johan Åberg.
Stim has so far been passive to this new technology.
- So far we have only watched the development and seen it grow.
But we will probably see that actions will be taken against this in the future.
Stim is part of a global organization and this issue is being discussed at the very moment.
A good example is BSA who track down software piracy, according to Johan Åberg.
- BSA is really active when it comes to catch software piracy.
Perhaps we can be as successful and get some convicted cases.
Stim and IFPI has located several swedish archives with loads of gigabyte Mpeg 3-compresses music, but have decided if they are going to take any actions.
Computer Sweden Ingår, April, 30th 1997
Translation from swedish : Matthias Nyquist