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flow of digital downloading. The new online libraries such as iTunes and Napster offer downloads for ninety-nine cents per song. Products such as Pepsi have given away free downloads as prizes, but in this day and age, free downloads are increasingly less common. To combat those who resort to burning or ripping compact discs, the music industry has developed anti-piracy technology. CD's equipped with this technology can only be burned a pre-specified number of times, and are very difficult to rip onto computer hard drives. These measures are intended to discourage and limit illegal distribution simply by making it a hassle to copy the CD.

Why is the industry going to such great lengths to prevent pirating? The bottom line is that free music keeps artists from earning money. When Napster originated as a file-sharing program, millions of people would swap songs for free in the convenience of their own homes. This occurrence greatly disturbed Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich, whose ensuing lawsuits both called attention to the appalling realities of piracy and brought down the Napster company. Some look at that example and scorn the fact that an already rich rock star is so preoccupied with making money that he would tackle an entire corporation. While this is certainly an understandable viewpoint, there are other artists who are legitimately hurt by free music. When I was in high school, I started a rock band with three of my friends. After playing a few gigs and writing several songs, we decided it was time to do some recording. To do this, we had to purchase all of our own recording equipment, and hope we made enough money off of the CD's to pay for the equipment. After a few of our peers bought our music, and good word spread, we had people come up to us and tell us they burned our CD from a friend (to avoid incurring a mere five dollar fee) and that it was good stuff. We were heartbroken that people liked our music, but were not willing enough to support us starving musicians, and as a result, we were barely able to scrounge up the funds for the recording equipment.

With that being said, online music can also be an extremely beneficial way for new artists to get exposure. During the aforementioned Napster explosion, independent bands decided to take advantage of the downloading frenzy. They would put their songs on the Internet, and label them as rare bootlegs of various popular groups so that thousands of people would download and listen to their music. That method, dubbed "Napster-bombing" instantly exposed their music to thousands of people. These days, artists can post their songs online for free at places such as myspace.com. After moving
on from my high school rock band, I have created a great deal of my own music, which I have posted on that website. That way, anyone on the Internet (including record labels) can hear my music for free, and I can refer anyone to my online music. This high accessibility music market is a great resource for any artist seeking exposure.

The music industry, whether we like it or not, is undergoing a massive makeover, loved by some and feared by others among artists and people of the industry alike. Does this mean we are on the dawn of a musical apocalypse? Probably not. Does this mean free music will be accepted on some level as the norm? Most likely. While music will not cease to exist, changes in media and the industry will simply force us all to cope with a new era.

Learn more about this author, Mark de Jong.
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