[HANASHIR:3405] RE: MP3

[Andy Curry <acurry...>]

Judy,

If you have shopped for music on amazon.com, you know how MP3 - or
RealAudio - is used as a sales technique.  If you click on a "blue" song
title, you can hear a portion of that song played.

As far as downloading MP3 files, this process is no different from
downloading any other file - you can charge for downloads just as software
vendors do.  And:  I don't know about you, but I prefer to have the sound
quality of a CD ON a CD that I can enjoy without having to sit at my PC!

There is, of course, nothing to prevent the ethically challenged from
converting the files on a CD into MP3 or RealAudio format and posting them
on the web for free download.  My feeling is that we of the Jewish-music
world are not greatly endangered by this practice.

As long as the artists are appropriately compensated, I would love to see
an MP3 site for Jewish music!
 
Andy Curry

At 01:02 PM 7/6/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Adrian,
>
>Thank you so much for the very detailed response to my question.  There is
only
>one question that remains unanswered in my mind - other than the details
vis a
>vis how one plays MP3 music and stuff like that.  I apologize for harping on
>this one issue, but it still is very unclear to me.  How do the artists
(not the
>record companies, but the ARTISTS) make a living using MP3 technology?
Hey - as
>you know, I REGULARLY give away my stuff - especially my plays - at CAJE,
as do
>so many others, and I'm all in favor of doing it.  In an ideal world,
everything
>would be given away and nobody would need to worry about paying rent or
buying
>food.  Some people in the big world beyond Jewish music are making
gazillions in
>the music industry.  How would - say - Whitney Houston make money if the
way one
>got her music was by downloading it for free off the internet?  As things
have
>stood up to now - to the extent that I know what I'm talking about - an
artist
>would make a recording which would then be put out on record, or tape or CD.
>The record company and the artist would get a percentage of every such
recording
>sold.  That's very clear.  With this new technology, the picture I'm
getting is
>that the artist goes into a studio, makes a recording, puts it on the
'net, and
>everyone who wants it just TAKES it.  If people had to pay even 50 cents or a
>dollar per download, then I'd understand how an artist could make money this
>way, and the concept of pirated MP3 recordings would make sense.  But if the
>music is just given away, what difference does it make WHO gives it away; the
>artist isn't getting a dime either way.  Do you see what's perplexing me?
>
>Sorry for beating a dead horse here, but I don't like being confused.  Thanks
>again.
>
>Judy
>
>Adrian Durlester wrote:
>
>> Judy:

Andy Curry
6016 Holmes St
Kansas City MO 64110-3034

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