UK ISP offers legal file-sharing! Meanwhile, Singapore arrests some more file-sharers...
(via BoingBoing)
UK-based ISP Playlouder MSP has struck a deal with SONY BMG that will allow it's users to download any song in the record label's catalog for free as well as file-share their own music collection with other users of the ISP. Well it's about bloody time someone finally figured out a solution that makes both the consumers and producers of music happy. Bravo!
Meanwhile, back here in Singapore, the RIAS got the police to arrest 3 people for sharing their music collections on the net. Under Singapore's new anti-piracy laws, these 3 barbarous blackguards can face up to 5 years jail time or a S$10,000 fine. Oh and I just found out apparently these guys received prior warnings before finally getting busted. Well in that case the RIAS's tactics aren't really all that hardline. Just a bit over the top... Anyway I bet these guys won't get full sentences. After all, the main purpose of these arrests is really to create examples out of these guys, right? But really, what were they doing sharing their music online on IRC? It's not like they're earning money from it!
Well, it's kind of ironic that these 2 events happen within a week of each other. Seeing as how they represent two almost diametrically opposite ways of dealing with the problem of Internet music piracy, and the underlying problem of the traditional means of music distribution, CDs, being displaced by newer and more efficient means of distribution in the form of P2P networks on the net.
So we see one party co-opting the new distribution systems, legalizing and limiting their use while the other fights to keep the old system viable. Only history will really tell but right now I think its reasonably safe to say the future of music distribution is online. And the bottom-line for the RIAS is that they don't want to lose music sales to piracy. So I think they're better off implementing a similar system to what Playlouder MSP has done rather than keep trying to scare people off P2P systems by arresting a few every now and then. P2P's not going away anytime soon and you can't get it rid of it. So they've gotta find a better way to deal with it.
Note: I edited this post extensively cos well... terrorist jokes aren't funny anymore and besides, no matter how miffed I am at not being able to rip my new CDs to my hard disk because of weird copy protection schemes (though that's kind of a moot point here as it's illegal to rip songs from your CDs onto your hard disk!) ranting about the issue isn't going to change much. Though wow, ripping songs is illegal? Weird. Thats one law I bet is never going to get enforced. C'mon, if people can't convert their CDs to MP3s, Creative Zen MP3 player sales will plummet! Sure die, leh.
