ASSIGNMENT: Choose an issue that is current and debatable, one that could be argued from different perspectives. The topic could be relevant at your school, in your town, or even globally. Define your position on the issue, and then find a good opportunity to add to the debate. You can consider writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper, writing a column for a magazine, or a blog for a Web site. -WITW, p. 365
Legalizing Downloading Music from the Internet
By: Cam Hall
Many people in America download music from the Internet daily as a big part of their lives. Most, if not all, of the music that these people download are transferred onto their iPods and other electronic devices by illegal processes. This happens usually by people transferring songs that are listed on certain web sites that hold bootlegged copies/versions of songs in various formats, from orignal album versions of songs (both released and non-released) and single versions of popular songs ( as well as remixes), all by a wide array of contemporary artists. A certain number of people in America feel as though this is a very serious crime and that it should not be made legal at all. In addition, there is another group of people who feel as though downloading music from the Internet should no longer be considered illegal, since it would save them the trouble of trying so hard to get their hands on specific songs that they want to transfer onto their electronic devices to listen to and not have to purchase them in stores, etc. Considering this debate, it seems better for the United States to legalize downloading music from the Internet, based on the facts that it could easily benefit the music seekers and benefit the music makers and record companies themselves that originally hold the rights to the songs.
Legalizing downloading music from the internet in the U.S. would be able to benefit the music buyers in the nation in certain ways. One way would be that it would save the music buyers the trouble of having to spend lots of money to purchase music artists' albums that hold songs on them that the buyers would not care for as much as others. By downloading music from the Internet, the music buyers would be able to obtain only the specific songs that they like by their favorite music artists and enjoy them, without having to have lost money on songs that they didn't care about by purchasing an artist's entire album. Another way is that downloading music from the Internet would allow music buyers to not have to search high and low for certain songs that they want by music artists that they like to listen to on a regular basis, since the Internet has a great big selection of songs to choose from. Many stores that sell artists' music most of the time only have a small selection of specific singles to pick from by various artists. This would lead the music buyers to end up purchasing an entire album, on which they would most likely find the single that they were looking for (this ties in with the first reason mentioned in the paragraph). So, by enabling downloading music from the Internet, people would be able to quickly locate songs that want to hold onto for a long time (all found in a matter of seconds, therefore not being time consuming) and not have to literally (sarcastically speaking) sacrifice their arms and legs to find them. Legalizing downloading music from the Internet would be able to not just benefit music buyers.
Legalizing downloading music from the Internet would be able to benefit music makers and record companies (as long as certain negotiations would be made to ensure their benefit this case). (A main negotiation to allow the following reasons/ways would be if they made a bunch of specfic music web sites that would allow the buyers to purchase albums/singles that they like, and at the same time have the Internet purchase transfer the money spent to the record companies'/music artists' accounts, and other such things, as well. This would allow the buyers to put songs on their iPods, etc., without any problems,etc.) One way would be that the music artists and their corresponding record companies would not miss out on making money that could be lost to them by music artists purchasing their music from random sites on the Web. The music buyers would be able to rely on this kind of legal Internet music purchasing site and random, unreliable ones to get their music from, therefore making the record companies' and music makers' lives a lot better. Another way would be that that music makers and record companies would be able to collect money from more than one area of purchasing music, if this was so. The record companies and their associated artists would be able to make money from internet purchases, while other people who would prefer to purchase the music by hand would buy the music at regular stores in malls, etc., that sell the music as well. Legalizing downloading music from the Internet would definately help out a certain number of people, in general.
It is really unecessary for people in today's society (in the United States) to make a fuss over people purchasing music from various sites on the Internet. All that this purchasing music on the Internet does is save people the trouble of having to go extremely out of their ways to get their hands on the music that really want to listen to, in their daily lives. In addition, it is important to think that since downloading music from the Internet is considered illegal and can be met with criminal consequences, then this law leaves iPods and other such related devices without a certain purpose that they are made to fulfill (to hold/store music for users to listen to when they want to) and they are considered legal to have while this law exists, which is definately unbelievable. Hopefully, in the future, downlading music from the Internet will be legalized so it make a certain number of peoples' lives easier and more enjoyable. The passing of a law that would legalize downloading music from the Internet (in the United States, and more so, in the entire world) would definately be a significant change for all the citizens on the Earth, in the present time.
No comments:
Post a Comment