MP3, the music industry's nemesis?

Ever since tape recorders were invented, music fans have been copying music for their own pleasure or to share the pleasure with others. The destruction of the music industry did not happen and the World continued to turn, along with vinyl albums, cassette spools and now the compact disc.

Now the music industry claims to have a new enemy and this time it isn't the PMRC. No, this time it's MP3. That harmless, three character, audio file name that has record labels throwing their toys out of the pram. But why the tantrums?

Like an angry mob, they have deemed MP3 the anti-christ of music, claiming that this small file will kill the industry and everyone will suffer.

Really? Funny, I actually see it being a benefit. Here's why.

I love music. I couldn't live without it. My CD collection spans many different genres from death metal to pop. If I like what a band is doing, it goes into my collection regardless of what category they fall into. I now own music CDs that fifteen years ago I would have been embarrassed to admit to buying let alone listen to. For most of these CDs, if it wasn't for the Internet I would never have given them a chance.

You see, when it comes to owning music, I am extremely materialistic. In my teens, every LP I ever owned was always protected with a plastic cover. Some album art was just too good to be covered in dust, scratches or damage from a pet that had a unique urge to mark everything in sight. I loved my music collection like a new born child. I nursed it, helped it grow. And now all that loving is focused on CDs. Not as good a package as an LP was, but hey, the sound quality is much, much better. I can handle the trade off. I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when the UPS man drives up to my front door and hands me an Amazon.com box packed full of my latest selections.

Okay, hang on. It would seem I am in favor of CD and against MP3, right? Wrong. As I said earlier, many of the new CDs in my collection are from bands I have discovered online either from Internet radio stations or from MP3 downloads. But, being the materialistic person I am, if I like the album I will buy the CD. Sure, bands that already exist in my collection will have their new releases pre-ordered weeks in advance but that's because I know them well enough. I love all of Moby's music so buying his latest release, Hotel, was a safe bet. And I wasn't disappointed (incase he's reading this).

So, from my point of view, MP3 does nothing but promote bands, especially unsigned bands like myself. I would never have had the exposure I'm getting now without the use of MP3. My main goal is to write music that I want to listen to and if somebody else is emotionally touched by it then I have done my job correctly. That is what is important to me. Sure, I would sign a deal in a heart beat if I had the opportunity, but my view on MP3 would not alter. Download away people and hear my latest. If you like it, great. If you like it so much that you want to purchase it, even better. Exposure, exposure, exposure.

Things are changing and to say where MP3 downloads will be in the next ten years is hard to say. Napster changed the way we look at MP3 but it was quickly halted with allegations of promoting piracy. Now it's back and working with the record companies to sell music online with iTunes as competition. I'm sad to say, I would never purchase an MP3 online. I just couldn't do it. I can't pay for a file that could possibly be deleted, lost or destroyed from a virus meltdown. And it's not just music. I'm the same with software. If there is an option to purchase a disc format over a downloadable file, I pick the disc every time. I like getting something to hold in my hands after I have faithfully waved my credit card around.

So what has got the record companies so spooked?

Recent trends show that music sales are dropping. Anything from a mild reduction to drastic, depending on what you read and who is being interviewed. And the poor MP3 is the patsy. I don't believe that MP3 is solely to blame for this. Why not blame satellite radio? Why not blame record contract schedule requirements reflecting in a reduction in an artist's performance as they try to meet deadlines? Advancements in game consoles and online gaming? DVD sales? You can play pin the tail on the donkey all day with an even greater list, but not one is a single root cause. Although Lars Ulrich did a good job himself at damaging Metallica's reputation over this issue. Thank heavens he sold his paintings for millions of dollars else how else would he have paid the bills. I am a fan, but that left a taste in my mouth worse than what James Hetfield had after rehab.

In my opinion, there are aspects of the Internet that are not being fully policed or questioned as much as MP3 currently is or will be. Child pornography, viruses, spam-mail, pop-up ads, security failures, scams and worst of all, pages upon pages of useless information. In my vision of utopia, these are all controlled and policed to the fullest while MP3 just carries right along unaffected, unabated, uncontrolled and unenforced so that we all have the chance to experience new music and help give the unsigned bands the exposure they truly deserve.

The music industry made us all want to be musicians. Thanks to PCs, the Internet and MP3 we all can be. And that my friends, is what they are scared of.

Back to Articles index