A nascent proposal being put together by one or more major labels would allow college students and alumni to upload and download all the music they want from file sharing services without worrying about being sued by the major labels.
Schools would pay the major labels for a "covenant not to sue" that would cover the sharing of their music by students and alumni. Most likely, the fee would be passed on to students as part of tuition.
If you're a student who likes major label music and doesn't want to get sued for sharing it, this appears to be a positive development. But The Register mentions two valid causes for concern:
If every college and university inthe country participated in the program, millions of new dollars wouldflow to the major labels. There should be a way for indielabels and unsigned artists to get their fair share, since their music is being shared too. A transparentroyalty calculation process in which any artist can participate would have to be put into place in orderfor such a service to be remotely fair.
In addition, publishers' concerns need to be addressed. We don't need songwriters cut out of the equation, especially because these deals could form the foundation for related ISP- and device-tied unlimited music services.
See Also:
- Want Better Music? Don't Stiff the Songwriters
- Music One Step Closer to Becoming an ISP Feature
- Sony/BMG Supports Unlimited Music, Says Profits Rose 15 Percent
(The Register; Photo: jasoba fett)
