I have one thing to say to this. I know this is the way it is going to be, but I am a musician and I have this silly idea that I could/should be paid for my performance/music. How many other professions out there, from trash collector to doctor, are going to do their job for free? (Or more to the point, at a drastically reduced rate as a result of a great many people getting the service for free)?

-- Joe Horner

Mr. Snyder's comments remind me of the debate that raged among radio stations at the advent of television. In the end the networks that embraced this new technology (NBC, CBS, ABC, etc.) survived those who buried their heads in the sand and collectively bemoaned the march of progress. The fact that 3 billion songs were downloaded in 2002 should be an indication to the RIAA that their clients are missing out on market share; the record companies that see MP3s as a cheap, successful alternative to CDs will be the pioneers of 21st century music distribution. The RIAA should embrace this new medium just as the major television networks did a half century ago. In an economy where a CD-RW costs as much as a CD player it is easy to see that the pre-pressed CD is becoming an expensive and obsolete medium. How many 8-tracks, or record players, does Sony make these days?

-- John David Short

John and Ben Snyder have composed a thoughtful and provocative statement on the changing face of the music business, what MP3s and MP3 downloading have to do with it, and why record companies are losing money. But one element that their article, and many articles like it, fail to address is the hardly inconsequential business of selling used, legitimate CDs. I would estimate that I buy at least half of my CDs used, either from a small, locally owned shop in my town or from an online used retailer -- and if the CD I'm buying came out more than six months ago, I'm almost 100 percent likely to buy it used. In these financially tight times, it makes more sense for people to buy CDs used for eight or nine dollars if they're guaranteed to play like new (and from a reputable retailer, like SecondSpin or Musical Energi, they are). While this business is legitimate and can't be stopped by the petulant profit-obsession of the recording industry, Hilary Rosen and her ilk would do well to examine this trend, if only to be reminded that $15 or more really is a lot of money to pay for a CD when you don't make six or seven figures like she does.

(By the way, I am not affiliated with the retailers I mentioned -- I just know them both as reputable businesses with fair pricing, and have made many purchases from both.)

-- Abigail Myers

Wow! That piece by John Snyder was the most thoughtful and provocative piece that I have ever read concerning the current debate over intellectual property and digital rights. Frankly, I could not agree more with his position.

When the recording industry complains about file swapping and "lost revenue" they don't even think about whether or not the person receiving the file would ever have bought the record. This is like an NFL blackout, really. Millions of people watched the Super Bowl on TV, while about 80,000 got into the stadium. Are those millions of people that were not at the game "lost revenue" for the stadium? No, because the NFL has figured out a way to get revenue by casting its product to a wider audience.

-- Dan Carmack

The entertainment companies have to embrace the experience. After all, they are not in the business of selling piece of anodized plastic, or are they? When I think of all the music I purchased first on vinyl -- yes, I'm that old -- then cassette and finally CD, it's all been the same ole music. Yet I purchased this music to enjoy the experience in different manners. Cassette made music portable and CDs added the ability to play specific tracks easily.

Now the ultimate portability is downloading. But only the music business can kill a scenario where there are millions of users comfortable with the interface and user experience. They are scared and, if I was in their shoes, I would be also. But the reality is that people buy the music for the experience. The ultimate form factor is download, as it can be used in various ways. Why should I have to pay for physical-world assets, plastic and paper, when I just want the music? The music companies should embrace file sharing as the ultimate low-cost distribution mechanism. It would gain tremendous acceptance if there was a one-stop shop for all music and it was priced fairly.

What is the value? One-stop shopping. All I can eat. What I would like to see are more community aspects. The record companies have no respect for their customers' time. Funny, did you know that 92 percent of all recording artists with one hit song don't have another? Why is that? Because the record companies don't know who their customer is. What a direct-marketing opportunity! One of the things we learned from the recent Internet explosion is that to control the entire food chain is very expensive and the chances of succeeding are close to nil. In any other business a potential business partner with 50,000,000 customers would be a very important partner. Why keep reinventing the wheel? It's there, partner.

The real big picture is that the Internet and the music people and everyone else in the entertainment business have to invent new content that will be exclusively available on the Net. It will be what I call "lean-back gaming": It will be an experience that keeps you interested, yet does not require the "lean forward" experience of gaming but the "lean back" experience of watching TV or listening to music.

-- Miles Rose

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