My Opinion...

In my opinion, the most important things to consider in the debate over music downloading are the artist and the law. It is important to consider the artist first, because his or her income is at stake. This is especially important for emerging artists, who depend on the sale of music for much of their income. In addition to hurting the artists, downloading music from unauthorized sites is also illegal. This fact was also very important in leading me to believe that illegal downloading is wrong. No matter how strongly people disagree with the price of music or the fact that downloading should be illegal, downloading IS illegal and therefore people should not do it.

The Music Industry in Danger

The CQ Researcher article discusses the future of the music industry at length, focusing on the effect of illegally downloading music on the entire music industry as a whole. This article appears to place heavy emphasis on the fact that the music industry simply cannot keep up with the pace of people finding new ways to acquire music for very little cost or no cost at all. It goes into great detail about the severely negative impact that this has on artists, as well as producers and labels. The second article is a case study. It offers a scenario, and asks people to react to it. It is not surprising that many people seem sympathetic of the fictional John, and don't seem to think that illegal file sharing is a huge issue. Both articles discuss illegal internet file sharing as a major issue facing our society.

A New Museum!

If I was given money to create a museum with a purpose, I would create a museum dedicated to the wildlife living in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. This museum would show visitors the important of preserving the nature of the reef. Visitors would be able to see some of the animals that live and around the reef, as well as view videos and workshops on the effects of humans on the Great Barrier Reef. The goal of this museum is ultimately to educate visitors on the global effects of both climate change and pollution. Emphasis on the Great Barrier Reef will act as an interesting microcosm for the rest of out planet.