Chuck D Takes the Congressional Mike

The Napster-MP3 debate finally hit Capitol Hill today, as musicians, execs and Internet policy wonks made their cases both for and against music-swapping on the Internet. It's a debate already raging in courtrooms and among music fans, thanks to high-profile lawsuits against Napster by Metallica and Dr. Dre.

Today's arguments before the House Small Business Committee were no different: Pro-industry forces say Napster and its brethren will suck profits from artists and hobble the industry, while pro-Internet folks like Chuck D say Napster will simply keep record labels in check. Public Enemy frontman Chuck D has been a vocal proponent of the Internet revolution, launching his own site, Rapstation.com, and expounding on the wonders of MP3 song-swapping.

But already, there's proof that music downloads have hurt the recording industry's business. According to a study released today by the digital rights firm Reciprocal Inc., music sales dropped considerably at stores near college campuses--where Napster is most popular, thanks to speedy network connections.

Music sales were up 12 percent during the first three months of 2000, but they've dropped 4 percent at stores located within five miles of college campuses. Those retailers usually account for half of all albums bought.

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Tom Silverman, chief executive of rap label Tommy Boy Records, told lawmakers that Napster's popularity shows a "culture of infringement," in which "perfectly reasonable people who would never walk into a Tower Records and steal a compact disc because they believe it to be wrong are doing the same thing on the Internet when they seek out and download illegal copies of music."

Both sides, however, seem to agree that new anti-piracy laws are not needed...at least not now.

But the idea has come up. A think tank called the Progressive Policy Institute is now pushing its own Internet "compromise," saying copyright laws should be changed so companies like Napster will have to collect personal information about its users. That way, judges can grant injunctions against Internet pirates more easily.

It's a new idea (and probably equally scary to invasion-of-privacy watchdogs), but lawmakers say they're just trying to get a handle on the whole Napster debate.

"We're still seeing what the courts are doing with the current laws," Representative James Talent (Republican-Missouri) tells the Associated Press. "What I wanted to with this hearing is law the groundwork for whatever action we may think is appropriate."

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Related News Stories · Online Music Industry Tells Congress to Leave It Alone - NY Times (registration req'd) (May 25, 2000) · Napster Gets a Hearing - (May 24, 2000) · Study finds Napster use may cut into record sales - Yahoo! News/CNET (May 24, 2000) · Mr. D goes to Washington - MSNBC (May 24, 2000) · Glaser: Keep e-music simple, stupid - ZDNet/Yahoo! News (May 24, 2000) More In Full Coverage

Related Web Sites · Napster - learn more about the application that locates and downloads MP3s, and read its terms of use, which touches on copyright issues. · Recording Industry Association of America - site includes an Internet-related FAQ, and sections on MP3, and Web licensing. · The Need to Revisit the Digital Millennium Copyright Act - argues that the DCMA needs to be amended to hold Napster, its users, and similar services accountable for copyright violations while maintaining protections from liability for service providers that are innocent bystanders to digital piracy. From the Progressive Policy Institute. · Metallica Chat Transcript - the band discusses its dispute with digital music company Napster. From Metallica.com, May 3. · Chuck D & Lars on the Charlie Rose Show - excerpts from the May 12, 2000 show in which the two musicians squared off over the Napster contoversy. From Rapstation. More In Full Coverage

Opinion & Editorials · Interactive Stereo Rocks - Washington Post (May 25, 2000) · Why MP3 Won't Win - ZDNet/Yahoo! News (May 19, 2000) · Music companies challenge Internet - Abilene Reporter-News (May 18, 2000)

Magazine Articles · Net Loss - Village Voice (May 23, 2000) · Get a Record Deal Today - ZDNet (May 18, 2000) · Download and be damned - Sydney Morning Herald (May 18, 2000)

Audio · Napster: Fighting Irrelevance - Wired News (May 15, 2000) · MP3 & Napster: Stealing music, or power to the people? - Which Way, LA?/KCRW News (May 3, 2000) · MP3.com Found in Copyright Violation - NPR (Apr 28, 2000) More In Full Coverage

Video · MP3.com CEO Michael Robertson on RIAA lawsuit - CNBC (May 3, 2000) · MP3 technology worries recording industry - CBC.CA (Feb 24, 2000) · MP3 Music Controversy - New England Cable News (Apr 16, 1999)

Message Boards · FoRK Archive: Napster - The Quiet Revolution · Rap Board: Dr. Dre Threatens Napster · MP3.Files.Org

Related Full Coverage · Digital Copyright Law · Yahoo! UK & Ireland: Internet Music

Yahoo! Categories · Distributed File Sharing · Digital Music Distribution · Internet Broadcasts More In Full Coverage