The
Biggest Newsmakers of Y2K
By Disco
Stu - Editor in Chief : Issue 5, Vol. II
Young college
student, Sean Fanning, invented an MP3 swapping
software app that allows you to share MP3 music
files for free. The program, called Napster, hasn't
exactly made anyone rich yet, but it's
influencing the music industry and our growing internet-ized culture faster than you can say
"sue me." It sounds too good to be true--it's
gotta be illegal, right?
So say artists
like Metallica and Dr. Dre, who have filed suit
against the small California company,
consequently sending off a whole wave of
controversy that involves every musician,
producer, and executive in the business today.
The artists have tried to block Napster's foray
into the mainstream, citing that it illegally
distributes their music for free. Other artists,
meanwhile, namely Limp Bizkit, the Offspring, and
Chuck D, have rushed to the aid of Sean Fanning
and Napster; they say that ignoring such a
powerful device (with 44 million users and
counting) would be foolish and it can't be shoved
to the back of the proverbial shelf.
So, why are
Napster and Sean Fanning chosen over everyone
else as Renegade Monkey Nuns' number one newsmaker of the year? Well, other than the fact
it has dominated the entertainment, technology,
and legal news for most of 2000, this Napster
deal won't go away at the end of the year.
Napster has set a precedent with not only the
music industry, but in other sectors as well:
other companies are now popping up with similar
file swapping software that share more than just
music files.
It also has
obvious financial implications for the future.
Uploading a whole CD to Napster or a similar
program can mean that an artist won't have to pay
executives, promoters, or the higher-ups for
every album he/she sells on the internet; instead,
all the profits would go to the artist. And that's
one of the reasons Bertelsmann AG, one of the
world's biggest media companies, hopes to
anticipate by allying itself with Napster. They
recognize the potential of file-sharing programs
and its effects on the entertainment industry.
When all is said and done, it will all come down
to convenience. It's all about the music, man.
So, go download as
many free songs from Napster as you can, because
the Supreme Court might just close it down.
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