Music has been an issue for me lately. What with my previous stories about the “decline of the album format” (and why I think it’s a good thing) and how music swappers apparently buy more music, you’d think I’d gotten the matter out of my system. No.
Copying is Theft - and other legal myths is an article that everybody who’s ever heard of MP3s should read. No matter what you’ve come to believe (or how much the RIAA pays you), the title is real. The article points out that the supreme court defines copying as infringement of copyright. Sure, it sounds obvious, but there’s so much more to it. And while some may argue that theft is never legitimate, copying can be. Read the article, it’s worth your time.
Now, I don’t want anybody to get confused and think that I’m against compensating musicians and other artists for their work. The arts are one thing, but music business is an entirely different story. The RIAA isn’t out protecting artists (any action on behalf of artists is likely deducted from royalties anyway), it’s protecting their business interests.
Finally, in an only somewhat related fashion, I’d like to point folks to an AppleTurns story about BuyMusic.com’s worthlessness.
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