Song Swapping
Song swapping, ever heard of it? It is an all too fast growing trend to hit internet users worldwide within recent years that is driving a wedge between manufacturers, and consumers. Songs are created in recording studios daily all across the world with the intention of being sold commercially to the general public. The manufacturers pay the artists based on how many copies are sold, and since most artists don't front any money to get things started, they generally only collect around ten cents per album sold. What is left over is taken to cover production costs, and finally, to line the pockets of the well known record companies themselves. With the internet becoming increasingly more popular every day, people are finding ways around the expensive costs to hear songs they like. Most people don't want to pay for an entire CD when they are only interested in a few songs.
English: Music industry: Pie chart of music format...
English: Tube RIAA Amplifier
RIAA - kurva, Ritat självSo, how are songs being downloaded for FREE? Why is there not being more done about this to control it? Is it even in the best interests of everyone to have it stopped? Is it even possible? There are many varying opinions on this sometimes VERY controversial topic. What are the consumers doing about the lawsuits put in front of them, and what are the record companies doing about their decreasing sales? Is this good for society, or bad, and how far are certain people willing to go to have it stopped?
According to Neil Strauss, a writer for the New York Times who has been writing for some time on this topic, "The record industry's trade group issued an alarming statistic. Music shipments, it said, were down 15.8 percent in comparison to the previous year. This, according to the trade group the Record Industry Association of...