my ambivalent attitude

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Thousands of individual in Singapore must have flinched (me included) when police released news of raiding 7 homes for illegal downloading of songs a few weeks ago, though no arrests were made. And it might have been life back to normal for most, as a survey quickly showed that although most students knew that downloading of songs is illegal, they would continue to do so. What did the RIAS hope to achieve by disclosing information to the police? Clearly, the ONLY aim is to instil fear, not in the culprits, but in the parents, in a way "instigating" them to warn their children against music downloading and thus serving as a deterrent. If not, what then? Using the law to curb illegal downloading does not solve the root problem and is simply impractical. Let me try to encapsulate the opinions made in an article not long ago in the newspaper about the loopholes of this method.

For one, It's difficult to pinpoint the real offender because in the case of insecure wireless network eg. the one used in my home, neighbours might be able to tap into the network and do illegal downloading. Besides, the extent of the problem is too large and if full enforcement is to be conducted, at least half of the population will be prosecuted. And it is understandable for the working population to download some songs to preview and in the case of affection for the album, be willing to pay for the full CD. Furthermore, even if downloading is prohibited, can the police really stop piracy? People can easily pass audio files to their friends and relatives through storage devices and burnt CDs. To be frank, the practice is unstoppable and only reforms in the music industry can turn the tables around. Albums are but a waste of resources unless people adore the singer and are willing to pay for the full album. If not, music clips can be sold cheaply online. This might be truly the future of the market.

Anyway, faced with this predicament, we should decide whether to heed or not to heed.

scribbled at 10:55 AM