The Insidious Virus of Illegal Music Downloading

Ti avevo già segnalato il forte articolo di Courtney Love su come l’industria discografica sfrutta gli artisti. Riguardo a Napster, Courtney dice:

Recording artists have essentially been giving their music away for free under the old system, so new technology that exposes our music to a larger audience can only be a good thing. Why aren’t these companies working with us to create some peace?

There were a billion music downloads last year, but music sales are up. Where’s the evidence that downloads hurt business? Downloads are creating more demand.

Why aren’t record companies embracing this great opportunity? Why aren’t they trying to talk to the kids passing compilations around to learn what they like? Why is the RIAA suing the companies that are stimulating this new demand? What’s the point of going after people swapping cruddy-sounding MP3s? Cash! Cash they have no intention of passing onto us, the writers of their profits.

Tanto per essere giornalisticamente obiettivi, ti presento l’altra faccia: il presidente della National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Michael Greene, durante la cerimonia di consegna dei Grammy Awards, e in diretta televisiva, ha fatto questo discorso:

No question the most insidious virus in our midst is the illegal downloading of music on the Net. It goes by many names and its apologists offer a myriad of excuses. This illegal file-sharing and ripping of music files is pervasive, out of control and oh so criminal. Many of the nominees here tonight, especially the new, less-established artists, are in immediate danger of being marginalized out of our business. Ripping is stealing their livelihood one digital file at a time, leaving their musical dreams haplessly snared in this World Wide Web of theft and indifference.

Nota la chiara, concisa semplicità del primo, e nota l’abbondanza di aggettivi emozionali del secondo.

Uno dei due ha la faccia come quella di Piero Picceni della Banca Popolare di Sondrio: ma da buon giornalista serio e obiettivo non ti dico chi

...ma ti do un aiutino.