Napster benefits musicians and listeners

Many reliable sources bestow the title of "Person of the Year," and I, being a reliable source, will join that group. The committee (my parents' cat, Buffy, and myself) has decided on Napster founder Shawn Fanning! \n(Other nominees included Jay-Z, Carmen Electra and IU President Myles Brand, just to name a few.)\nFor those of you who've been wandering in the desert for the past year or so, Fanning is a 20-year-old college drop-out and creator of Napster.com, a Web site designed by a music fan for other music fans. Its 38 million users can download and share music files using MP3 technology for free. \nAt first, this seemed like the wave of the future. People from all different walks of life could share their favorite songs with one another across the Internet. Kids could listen to an album at no cost, decide whether it was crap and avoid making the $20 mistake of purchasing the CD. \nThis was surely the Promised Land. \nBut leave it to the greedy corporate fat cats to call the cops on this technological kegger. Not two months after the company had gotten off the ground, five major record labels (EMI, BMG, Sony, Time Warner and Universal) had all filed suits against both Napster and Fanning, claiming copyright infringement. \nThen Metallica sued Napster and IU, among others. In response, IU banned, un-banned and re-banned Napster. But while IU has curtailed Napster's use among its students, the Web site continues to be a favorite with the rest of the free world.\nAlthough some artists have spoken out against Napster, much of the music community seems to think its invention has been a blessing rather than a curse. Among the artists who've endorsed Fanning's product: U2's Bono, Madonna, Dave Matthews, Moby and Prince. \nThese artists believe that easily accessible music is the true worldwide currency, not dollars and cents. Besides, most musicians see little profit from album sales. The average artist earns pennies on every CD sold, with the vast majority of the money going straight into the pockets of record label executives. \nThe real money is in, and always has been in, touring. And what better way to promote a tour than to have your album available worldwide via the Internet?\nEven if you do buy the argument that CD sales are vital to a musician's livelihood, you cannot argue with numbers that suggest Napster's positive impact on the industry. The CD industry grew by six percent from June 1999 to June 2000, according to the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA). Manufacturers shipped 420 million CDs in the first six months of this year -- more than any other six-month period in CD sales history! \nAnd that makes me want to hurl in some chief executive officer's gold-plated pooper. \nWhy? Because record companies are shadier than President Bill Clinton's private video collection. And, frankly, they don't deserve my money. The recording industry, in typically hypocritical fashion, has brought suit against Napster for violating copyright laws. But has anyone checked their rap sheets lately? Of course not. \nWhen we take a closer look at the recording industry, we see that it was recently under investigation by the FTC for possible violations of anti-trust laws. According to the FTC, record labels have been engaged in non-competitive pricing practices that have added about $500 million to CD prices since 1997.\nThe five major labels agreed to pay for advertising their artists' CDs in record stores if the record stores agreed to sell the CDs above a minimum price -- a blatant violation of federal law. \nBut there was no settlement. The investigation ended this summer with the record labels agreeing to "stop it," which is usually how a mother scolds her son for stealing $5 from her purse.\nUnfortunately, the purse belonged to you and me, and we had about $500 million tucked neatly between a pack of gum and a disposable camera. But it's OK, because they promised not to steal from us ever again!\nI say Shawn Fanning is a savior. He is a well-intentioned individual who has provided society with a wonderful tool. Unfortunately, it is probable that Napster will become subscriber-based in the near future. \nAnd it is likely that the record companies will continue to manipulate consumers (and artists) until the day monkeys fly from my butt. Whatever happens in the future, let us not forget what Fanning, my Person of the Year, has done for music lovers in 2000. \nNow where did I put that Mariah Carey CD I burned?