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I Want My MP3 by Bob Lefsetz I'd say the labels want to teach Napster a lesson. Punish them. After all, when you're caught perpetrating heinous, illegal activity, you're not only forced to stop, you're also made to pay a penalty. Cash. Jail time. Sometimes both. But at this point Napster itself is not the issue. The issue is, there's a DEMAND for online music. Which the labels are not fulfilling whatsoever. Oh, they talk about satisfying this demand. With this plan and that. But based on past efforts, and the vagueness of the plans outlined for the future, a satisfying distribution method does not appear to be on the horizon, rather somewhere far over the rainbow. Napster. Now if one looks at Shawn Fanning, one can see an American revolutionary. Rallying against injustice. High prices of CDs, and the inability to have what one wants delivered for a price. President Jimmy Carter pardoned the draft evaders who went to Canada. Can't we pardon Napster? Well, Jimmy didn't pardon the Weathermen. Other violent activists. He let only peaceful men off the hook. So I'm not so sure Shawn is entitled to a pardon. But that's not really the issue. Because this really isn't about Shawn at all. Rather, it's about Shawn's uncle. And Hummer Winblad. Now I've read a lot about Hummer. Read quotes from his partner Ann Winblad. And have been subjected to a number of pronouncements from Hank Barry. But having waded through/endured all of these statements/info, NOWHERE have I read that anybody on the Hummer Winblad team are big music fans. That they made an investment in Napster, are pursuing it because they want to get the music to the people. No, they're doing it out of pure GREED! They want to make MONEY! And in between, we've got the fan. Not ALL fans. College students primarily. Businesspeople and members of the general public with broadband connections. They've experienced the magic of online music. They don't want to give it up. Seeing as how it's superior to CDs. And under them, we've got the 56k masses. Who've downloaded a track or two. Or 10 or 20. Who can see the future, but aren't quite living it. It's THESE people that Orrin Hatch is concerned with. Patrick Leahy, too. They're empowered to look after the will of the people. The people want online music. These senators want to see that they get it. And if Napster is shut down, they won't. And what IF Napster is shut down? Well, there's the service that launched today that allows you to download to your hard drive songs played on Internet radio. And then play them at will. Expect more ventures like this. And progressively more ill will toward the labels. Which will hurt them and their cause, make no mistake. So it's important to have an MP3 delivery system in place. Now. Until at least the majors institute their own. That's where the labels are coming from. They've got to make MP3s available. For their own health. Both now and continuing. Furthermore, they can make money doing so. Napster? It just wants to stay in business. It just wants to make SOME money. The labels have the leverage now. They've got their injunction. They can effectively shut down Napster. So why not employ this leverage to get what they want? The labels should approach Napster. Like Tony Soprano. And say, "Here's the deal. We're going to take over your business. And for the privilege of doing this, we're going to give you somewhere between 5 and 20 percent of the net." That's right. The labels, like in a mafia bust-out, are going to completely take over Napster. Put their own functionaries in. They'll have total control. And when all the money's collected, they'll throw a taste to Napster for having come up with the idea. Maybe after they accrue some penalty figure. Maybe $20 million. Maybe $100 million. Maybe even $500 million. |
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