The Internet and the Music Industry Essay Example for Free

The Internet and the Music Industry Essay The internet and the music industry are in a lot of conflict with each other due to the associated copyright and piracy issues.   Recorded music created by several artists can be accessed over the internet free of cost.   This has simply resulted in several changes as to the ways in which music is created and delivered.   The public has great access to the internet and is also a very convenient mean to help disseminate music.   However, copyright laws are an instrument which needs to be utilized more effectively to transmit music.    The main objective of copyright is to reward the creator for his/her work and make the work more accessible to customers, rather than to act as a hindrance to effective distribution of music.   However, with respect to copyright and the distribution of music over the internet, there are two issues or concerns:- There are issues regarding the cost of transactions and payment over the internet.   A single piece of work would involve two separate works which are individually copyright-protected.   This includes the musical work and the second includes the sound recording.   The musical work includes the musical notes and the words.   A sound recording on the other hand is the fixation of sound and could be a performance of a musical work.   When the recorded musical performance is transmitted over the internet, both the musical work and the sound recording are transmitted.   According to copyright laws, various rights and limitations are present with relation to musical work and sound recording.   This makes copyright issues application very difficult with relation to the internet. There may be several copyright exemptions and compulsory licenses given by the government for musical works.   This is to encourage dissemination of music.   However, using the internet to download music would mean that frequently the owners of the musical performance (including the musical work and the sound recording) are usually not contacted.   This makes the process of providing licenses and exemptions by the government as completely null and void.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The owner of the musical work and the sound recording would have certain rights to reproduction and public performance.   The owner of the musical work can:- Make copies or reproductions of the musical work Make licenses available to other parties Can give permission to public performance The owner of the sound recording can:- Make copies or reproductions of the sound recording Cannot provide compulsory licenses to other parties Limited right to public performance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many people feel that copyrights are becoming more and more unenforceable due to the internet.   The internet has made imposing intellectual property rights very difficult indeed.   However, some other people feel that the law is unable to meet the demands of technology currently, and within a short period of time it would be able to control the flow of music over the internet.   The Napster case is a classical example of how technology can overcome copyright justification.   However, sooner or later there would be return addressed in some way.   In the Napster case, the service provider Napster had a web service that permitted music to be swapped.   People were able to connect to each other and share and distribute music.   Several music artists began to sue Napster for alleging infringing their copyrights by distributing their music illegally. However, Napster said that it was not storing the music files in its servers, but rather the music lovers were doing so.   Napster was merely acting as a connecting media between the peers, and was only encouraging peer-to-peer exchanges, rather than making an attempt to infringe the copyright of the artists.   Napster said that if it had a centralized structure and stored the music on a central server, it would be infringing upon the rights of the artists by encouraging illegal distribution of music.   The beginning of the digital age meant that copyrights began to be overlooked, disrespected and often abused. One of the landmark cases in this regard was the Sony Corporation case, which ensured that copying could be performed.   In this case, Sony Corporation developed the video cassette recorder and marketed its product.   Several parties who felt that Sony’s VCR would be infringing upon their copyright filed laws suits against the company alleging contributory infringement of their copyrights (Sony helped the people to enable copying of copyright protected videos).   However, Sony gave the justification that the VCR use was mainly for time shifting rather than infringing on the Copyrights of the artists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today there is very poor ethics and morals regarding the need to protect the copyrights of the true owners.   Greater amount of public awareness and educational processes need to be conducted to ensure that people are aware of the need to protect copyrights.   Internet service providers are not merely peer-to-peer distributers, but are acting as strong contributory infringers of copyrights.   The legal processes should be made more stringent to ensure that internet service providers do not develop the justifications to enable illegal and mass transfer of music over the internet.   Other people feel that technology could itself be utilized as a protective mechanism to help prevent privacy and illegal transmission of music over the internet. One of these mechanisms has been encryption, which effectively helps to encode and decode music whilst transferring it over the internet.   Hackers may not only be attacking websites and servers but also clients who store music on their systems.   Another technological device to help protect copyrights has been the Digital Rights management system (DRMS).   This system helps to permit only limit copying and any excessive copying would be prevented.    The user would also have to use a key in the form of a password to gain access to the system.   With time, more and more advanced systems are coming up which could help prevent excessive copying of music over the internet.   Other system that could help prevent piracy includes watermarking, permitting music listening on a pay basis, greater use of advertisements, etc.   THE WIPO to a certain extent has prevented excessive copying by developing a strong international policy and also ensuring proper enforcement of copyright laws in member nations.   Besides, music should be made more attractive to shop online.   The music artists should ensure stronger sale of adverstisements and shopping of music online. References: Reesem, R. (2001). Copyright and Internet Music Transmissions: Existing Law, Major Controversies, Possible Solutions, University of Miami Law Review, 55, 273. http://www.utexas.edu/law/faculty/treese/Miami_Fi.pdf Reesem, R. (2001). Copyright and Internet Music Transmissions: Existing Law, Major Controversies, Possible Solutions, University of Miami Law Review, 55, 273. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=276333 Long, M. (2000). FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT: Enforcing Copyright rules on the Web, Interative Week, 7(34),

Damnation of a Canyon Essay -- Edward Abbey Nature Environment Essays

The Damnation of a Canyon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not many people know of the used-to-be 150-mile excursion that the Glen Canyon had to offer. Not many people know how to sail a raft down a river for a week. Not many people know how to interact with nature and the animals that come with it. We seem to come from a world that is dependent on time and consumed in money. Edward Abbey is what you would call an extreme environmentalist. He talks about how it was an environmental disaster to place a dam in which to create Lake Powell, a reservoir formed on the border of Utah and Arizona. He is one of the few that have actually seen the way Glen Canyon was before they changed it into a reservoir. Today, that lake is used by over a million people, and is one of the biggest recreation hot spots in the western United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, Edward Abbey admits to being a certain bias and that he is a, â€Å"butterfly chaser, googley eyed bleeding heart and wild conservative.† So, in other words he is intending this article to be read by environmental activist who will support his opinion and the action that he is trying to take. Edward Abbey worked as a seasonal park ranger for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area back in 1967, so of course he would be against any environmental action taken to change the canyon. He stated that before the damnation of the canyon that there were streams, waterfalls, plunge pools, and plenty of wildlife. Now you can only find that on a small scale and that these thing...

The Government of Athens and Sparthans

The country of Greece in 400-500 B.C. was led to greatness by two great city-states. These city-states were Athens and Sparta. These two states were as different as night and day. They were rivals and very diverse. As you read you will find out their differences between their form of culture and government. The city-state of Athens adopted a form of government which is now called democracy. Democracy is when the government is ruled by the people. This government consisted of an assembly , a jury , and there was a council of 500 men over 30 . The council decided such matters as to declare war or to spend money. The council was used to make decisions for the Athenian government. All men that were citizens were able to participate in an assembly , hold office , vote , and serve on a jury. Slaves could not do any of these things because they were not counted as citizens . The Athenian government was as similar as the American government today (Meigas 32). Unlike the government of Athens the government of Sparta flourished as an aristocracy . This type of government is when a place is ruled by a small number of people from the upper class . There was a Council of Elders , an assembly , and the five ephors. The Council of Elders was made up of two kings and 28 men over the age of 60. This council decided on making laws. The assembly was made out of all male citizens over 30. The assembly did many things. It elected government workers and voted on laws that were introduced by the Council of Elders. The ephors were selected by the assembly. The ephors were overseers. They controlled slaves , conducted business with foreign countries , and negotiated with the kings (Hornblower 35). The men of ancient Athens were very educated. From their childhood until the ages of six or seven the men were taught home by their mother or a male slave. After the age of seven they attended a normal day school. At school they learned drama, public speaking, reading, writing, and mathematics . When they reached the age of fourteen they attended a higher school for four more years. At the higher school they learned more math , more science , and things about the government. When the men reached the age of 18 the were required to attend military school for 2 more years. The Athenian men were skilled architects , poets , and artists. From them is where we get great works known as The Odyssey and The Iliad by the writer known as Homer (Meigas 123). The men of ancient Sparta were very cunning , slick , and strong. During their childhood the Spartan men were taken away from their parents. Being taken away at the age of seven , they were sent to military school. If a child was not strong , he/she was left on a cliff to die of exposure. In the military school they lived in barracks. They were taught survival skills , the endurance of pain , discipline , and toughness at the school. They were given little food and were encouraged to steal. If they were caught stealing they would get a beating. They were also beaten up by older children in fights , so they could become tough and strong. At the age of 20 the Spartan men finally became soldiers. Once they got married , they were only allowed to live in their own homes with their family at the age of 30. At this age they were considered equals. The military service for the Spartan men ended at the age of 60 (Connolly 230). The Athenian women were very literate and educated. The women were not counted as citizens and they were not allowed to hold property. The women received the same education as the Athenian men did. Although the education was the same, the women were not allowed to leave the household. They did not go shopping or to run errands. Their husband did most of these things. The main job of the women was to run the household. She managed the family†s money , the children , and the slaves. She also spun wool and created artistic pottery (Hornblower 145). In Sparta the lives of women were unlike the lives of any other Greek polis. The Spartan state didn't take the academic education of a female seriously. The physical education that the women had was very tough and grueling. They learned gymnastics and aerobics. They also had more freedom then women of other city-states. They were able to move from place to place , do the shopping , and control the house. They also had a lot of freedom from their husbands because their husbands lived in barracks. Most of the time the Spartan women worked on fields and were medics to the injured Spartan soldiers. They were considered as mothers to all Spartan soldiers (Connolly 260). This is how the culture and the government of the Greek city-states of Sparta and Athens was different. Each state had a different type of education and a different momentum of how the government wanted their polis to be. These city-states again were very diverse and different. In my writing you saw how different they were.

Build a Better House - With Dirt

Tomorrows homes may be made of glass and steel—or they may resemble the shelters built by our prehistoric ancestors. Architects and engineers are taking a new look at ancient building techniques, including building with earth products. Imagine a magical building material. Its cheap, perhaps even free. Its plentiful everywhere, worldwide. Its strong enough to hold up under extreme weather conditions. Its inexpensive to heat and cool. And its so easy to use that workers can learn the necessary skills in a few hours. This miraculous substance isnt only cheap as dirt, it is dirt, and its winning new respect from architects, engineers, and designers. One look at the Great Wall of China will tell you how durable earthen construction can be. And, concerns for the environment and energy conservation make ordinary dirt look downright appealing. What does an earth house look like? Perhaps it will resemble the 400-year-old Taos Pueblo. Or, tomorrows earth homes may take on surprising new forms. Types of Earth Construction An earth house can be made in a variety of ways: AdobeRammed EarthCob (mud with straw)Compressed Earth BlocksStraw Bale (not really earth, but very organic) Or, the house may be made with concrete but earth sheltered underground . Learning the Craft How many people live or work in buildings constructed of earth? The folks at eartharchitecture.org estimate that 50% of the worlds population spend much of their time in earthen architecture. In a global market economy, its time that more developed nations take note of this statistic. Traditional adobe homes in the American Southwest have wooden beams and flat roofs, but Simone Swan and her students at the Adobe Alliance have discovered the African mode of construction, with arches and domes. The result? Beautiful, ultra-strong, and energy-efficient homes, echoing the adobe domes built along the Nile centuries ago and being built today like earth igloos in places like Namibie and Ghana in Africa. No one can argue with the environmental benefits of using mud and straw. But the ecological building movement does have critics. In an interview with The Independent, Patrick Hannay, from the Welsh School of Architecture, attacked the straw bale structures at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. There would appear to be little aesthetic leadership here, Hannay said. But, you be the judge. Does responsible architecture have to be unsightly? Can a cob, straw bale, or earth sheltered home be attractive and comfortable? Would you like to live in one? Designing a More Beautiful Mud Hut The African earth igloos, however, come with a stigma. Because of primitive construction methods, mud huts have been associated with housing for the poor, even if building with mud is a proven architecture. The Nka Foundation is trying to change the mud hut image with an international competition. Nka, an African word for artistry, challenges designers to give these ancient building practices a modern aesthetic that is missing. The challenge outlined by the Nka Foundation is this: The challenge is to design a single-family unit of about 30 x 40 feet on a plot of 60 x 60 feet to be built by maximum use of earth and local labor in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The client of your design is the middle-income family in any township of your choice in the Ashanti Region. Total costs of constructing the design entry must not exceed $6,000; land value is excluded from this price point. The entry should serve as an example to the local people that mud architecture can be beautiful and durable. The need for this competition tells us several things: How something is built can have little to do with aesthetics. A home can be well-made but ugly.Attaining status through architecture is nothing new; creating an image transcends socio-economic class. Design and construction materials, the essential tools of architecture, have the power to make or break stigma. Architecture has a long history of design principles that often get lost through the years. Roman architect Vitruvius set a standard with 3 Rules of Architecture—Firmness, Commodity, and Delight. Heres hoping that earth igloo construction will rise to the level of being built with more beauty and delight. Learn More: Winners of the Mud House Design 2014 CompetitionTour a village of earth-walled homes in Loreto Bay, MexicoAdobe Mud: Building With Earth by Catherine Wanek, Mother Earth News, June/July 2009Earth Architecture by Ronald Rael, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010Earth Architecture in Iran: Earth Buildings, Mud Architecture, Sustainable Architecture, Rammed Earth, Mud Bricks by Hamed Niroumand, LAP, 2011Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings: Design and Construction by Paul Graham McHenry, Jr., University of Arizona Press, 1989 Sources: Architecture: A house made of straw by Nonie Niesewand, The Independent, May 24, 1999; eartharchitecture.org; 2014 Mud House Design Competition [accessed June 6, 2015]