Solving the Problem (P.S. Fezzes are Cool)

The recording industry is in turmoil. Sales and revenues are dropping each year. Illegal downloading is seen as the major culprit. That may be true but few tears should be shed for a company like Sony. Yes, they are seeing decreased profits--but they are complicit in it! Sony not only has a music division but also an electronics one. They manufacture, market, and sell the very CD burners that are allowing people to rip music tracks. Where they see loss in one area, there is growth in another. The ones to pity are the artists. They are the ones who are losing out on revenue even if they see an increase in popularity.

So what is the answer? A idea would be to have a fee built into the cost of the equipment used to download songs. Money paid would go into a fund that would be distributed to record companies and their artists. Don't have a CD burner? You don't have to pay. Also, sites that allow you to copy videos and then rip music from them should not longer be free. Their fees should also include a payment to the record labels. Obviously, these are simple suggestions to fix a complex problem. However, something needs to be done or the situation will be unsustainable- no successful musician will continue to work for free!

Will solutions such as these solve the problem entirely? No, of course there will always be those that will find a way to skirt the fees. However, I think that majority of people would just pay the fee and stop their illegal downloading.

Case in point--Dr. Who.

I have been a fan of this British television since my days in college. After a hiatus, a few years ago the show was brought back and the fans have gone crazy for it on both sides of the Atlantic. At first, the American fans would have to wait impatiently for the shows to air in the UK and then several months later on American television. Then came the Internet and mere hours after airing, British fans would upload the episodes onto youtube and other streaming sites as fast as the BBC could take them down. Then, last year, it was decided to air David Tennant's final episodes on BBCAmerica hours after they aired on the BBC. The fans rejoiced! The ratings went through the roof!

That was short lived. When the new season with Matt Smith premiered, BBCAmerica aired them 3 weeks after the BBC. The American fans weren't about to wait to see the new Doctor...the new TARDIS...or the return of the Weeping Angels... back to youtube and the other sites! The ratings fell, especially when the episodes that were considered flops aired.

This December, the Christmas special aired on BBCAmerica just hours after it did in UK. Again, the ratings soared. Who knows what will happen when the next season starts this spring.

So, the lesson is-if you make it easy for people to do the right thing, they won't do the wrong thing.