Thanks to the Internet, some of the best things in music areillegal and driving down music-industry revenues.
In response to the proliferation of peer-to-peer file sharingprograms, the music industry has targeted individual file sharerswith example-setting lawsuits. Simultaneously, several companieshave launched cheap alternatives to stealing newly released songsonline.
Wal-Mart announced its own pay-for-play Web site Tuesday, as ittries to compete with companies like Apple with larger musiclibraries and no censorship restrictions.
Wal-Mart, a company that advertises "always low prices," ischarging 88 cents per song, undercutting Apple's iTunes program by11 cents.
Wal-Mart representatives said it will adhere to its corporatepolicy of not selling songs from albums with parental advisorystickers, officials told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Students at The University of Memphis have mixed viewpoints onthe issue of free versus pay.
Senior journalism major Lauren Reuter said she would chooseactual CDs over downloaded music no matter how cheap downloadinggets.
"I prefer actual CDs as opposed to downloads because they aretangible," Reuter said.
The music industry saw an upsurge in CD and DVD sales in 2003,prompting the RIAA to call 2003 a good year for record sales. Salesfigures for 2003 do not reflect sales of recorded music downloadedfrom pay-for-play sites, according to CNet News.
However, some students "don't want to pay for downloaded (music)they can get free from other sites," said Angel Richardson, juniorengineering major.
But others are willing to do just that. Apple has reported salesof 2.5 million songs per week and has sold more than 50 millionsongs since launching the iTunes store in April 2003, according toCNet.
Apple executives expect to sell more than 100 million songs byApril, they told CNet.
Other companies have launched floundering pay-for-play sites,including Coca-Cola and Roxio, maker of a popular CD-burningsoftware. Roxio purchased the Napster name in October but has beenunable to duplicate Napster's early success. That same month, Applereleased iTunes for Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Wal-Mart unveiled its site a day before the RIAA sued 532people, including people at 21 different universities.
To avoid such lawsuits and to compensate artists and techniciansfor their work, Carrie Webb, freshman vocalist performance major,said paying 88 to 99 cents per song is a fair price.
"The people who make the songs should be paid for what they do,"Webb said.
Microsoft, another industry behemoth, is set to enter thepay-for-play marketplace this fall, according to CNet.
