Limewire Shutdown

          So I’ll admit that I download music, like most other people who also see the absurdity in paying almost $2 for a song, albeit not very often.  But the very fact that they took away my freedom to download songs, via Limewire, makes me want to do it even more now.  I just can’t understand the justification behind the decision to shutdown Limewire, and here’s why:    

            I was reading an article about the situation and it said that the US judge who made the decision said that the record companies "have suffered – and will continue to suffer – irreparable harm from LimeWire's inducement of widespread infringement of their works.”  The record companies are suffering? Really? Later the article said, “The RIAA said LimeWire has cost the music industry hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.  According RIAA figures, US recorded music sales fell to $7.7bn in 2009 from $14.5bn in 1999. The rise to prominence of peer-to-peer filesharing networks is singled out as a primary factor for this decline by the RIAA.” 

            Ok, so let’s assume that over $7 billion is not enough for the RIAA.  The individual artists must be even worse off if the RIAA claims to be “suffering” right?  Below is a list of the top 10 earning bands of 2010, according to Forbes:

1.  U2: $130 million

2.  AC/DC: $114 million

3.  Beyonce: $87 million

4.  Bruce Springsteen: $70 million

5.  Britney Spears: $64 million

6.  Jay-Z: $63 million

7.  Lady Gaga: $62 million

8.  Madonna: $58 million

9.  Kenny Chesney: $50 million

10.  Black Eyed Peas (tie): $48 million

       Coldplay (tie): $48 million

I’m not sure about you, or these artists, but I think they’re doing just fine.  I'm assuming that a majority of this money comes from endorsements and touring but these artists are still making a big chunk of change.  Coldplay hasn’t even put out a new album since 2008 and they are still tied for #10.  Even Britney Spears with all her drama and craziness has managed to be #5.  This tells me that people are willing to pay big bucks to see them perform and not to hear the live songs, which is obviously true in Britney’s case since she lip syncs anyway. 

I applaud bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead who put their music online so anyone can have it.  They obviously understand that making music is not just about making the most money.  They allow their fans to be interactive with their music which in turn makes the fans have a deeper connection with the band. 

We spent a lot of time talking about remix culture in class and most of us thought that it was an important part of creativity and innovation in today’s culture.  I think everyone agreed that remixing takes a lot of talent and ingenuity, especially after seeing the remix manifesto movie.  The people who are apart of the remix culture are not only very creative but they are also taking a big risk by sharing their art and making it available to everyone.  As we talked about in class on Monday, remixing allows more people to experience different genres that they may otherwise not have even thought or heard about.

Forbes article:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/16/u2-lady-gaga-ac-dc-business-entertainment-top-earning-musicians.html

Limewire Shutdown article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/oct/27/limewire-shut-down

Technology and Social Interaction

          For one of my other sociology classes this quarter, we had to write a paper that looked at online dating and we were asked to look at some popular dating sites and view profiles of their members.  I went to match.com because it was the only legitimate dating site that I could think of that didn’t make you fill out a huge personality questionnaire to see the profiles.  Anyway, I was kind of surprised to find there are a ton of young people subscribed to be on it and that a lot of them seemed to be using the site as a way to meet people that they could just hang out with.  Many said that they had just moved to the bay area and wanted someone who could show them around.   

            I think being able to connect with people is an important part of our lives.  Sometimes an online community is that method of connection for someone, for whatever reason.  The eHarmony website said that it is responsible for 5% of new marriages in the U.S.  Whether that statistic is true or not, I have no idea but, if it is true, it goes to show that people are able to make lasting and meaningful connections online. 

            I guess technology has made it easier to stay in touch with people without having to actually see them face to face.  I know for me personally, it’s so much easier to text someone than to call them or meet up with them.  That way I can be doing other things while talking to them.  I still love hanging out with my friends and actually getting to do stuff with them but it’s getting harder to find time in our schedules where we are free at the same time.  It also makes it so much easier to stay in contact with people who have moved away for college or work or whatever since I am finding it increasingly harder to stay connected with people when we’re all going in different directions. 

            Maybe technology is not a good or bad thing, maybe it’s just different.  When I’m busy with my life and don’t really have time to hang out with friends, it makes me feel better to be able to talk with them over text and stay somewhat connected in each other’s lives.  It also helps people connect with each other who may be looking for a certain community to belong to.  For example, in class we learned about fan and slash fiction and we read a story that was posted in an online fan fiction website.  Without these types of communities, the people who write these stories would probably not be able to express themselves, possibly from the fear of being judged by people around them.  For them, online communities provide a safe outlet for them to post what they want and have it viewed by others who are interested in what they are doing.  However, it may be best to take online communities with a grain of salt because we don’t really know who we are talking to and what their intentions are.