Halting the world of mp3s has been a hot topic these days.  The music industry and their artists want it to be controlled (i.e. they get money for it) and the consumers want it to continue to be a free while the government continues to put bans on anything that even remotely resembles an mp3 song-swapping program.  This debate is one Im sure has been covered umpteen times from several other journalists who have most certainly done an admiral job at covering the issue.  So I apologize in advance, youre going to get my take on it now.  It is true.  I have remained on the edge of this debate for a long time.  I havent really brushed up too much other than what I read on Yahoo! News.  Before I go any further, however, Id like to point out that very often an outside look is just as refreshing as an inside look.

            I will be the first to admit it.  I download and listen to these dreaded files known to the world as mp3s.  I heard about them ages ago, during my junior year of high school and the whole thing sounded very complex.  The word alone seemed like something a missile should be named after, not a music file and I didnt want any part of the mp3 hoopla.  Besides, the word mp3 sounds too much like MTV and I hate MTV so no good could come of this mp3 thing.  Alas, like every other poor sap, I became addicted to these little 5 megabyte files.  It was so wonderful.  I can put around 180 songs on one CD!  Who wouldnt be upset with that?  Soon after I and half the world jumped on the mp3 bandwagon, the music industry started crying out, claiming that they were losing money.  Not because of the files themselves (the music industry was making a bundle on neat mp3 players), but that people, like myself at one time, were not buying their CDs.  Soon artists were making as little as $30 million a year and the music industry itself churned in only a couple billion.  It was a very dark time for capitalism.  The sun would rise however, when our faithful government stepped in to help out our nearly homeless rockstars.  Now, mp3s are harder to find than ever and making the consumers feel like Mad Max in the Road Warrior, trying so desperately to find gas or in this case; music.

                        Even with all the constraints on mp3s these days, artists continue to moan and whine.  A part of me has been holding my back contempt for them for some time.  That time has passed.  I must protest artists who wont allow their albums to be released on mp3.  For example, being a relatively fond fan of Madonna music, I was happy to hear of a new album on the way.  I went to download a few tracks to see if good old Madonna was as good as she ever was.  What did I get?  I got her cursing at me, telling me to F@#K off.  Well, Madonna, F@#K You!  Im not buying your album. 

            Artists claim they are afraid that if the mp3 exists, we wont buy their CDs.  Thats true, but its not the downloading fiasco that really chills them to their bones.  In truth, they fear for a very different reason.  Music today is very mediocre and artists know it.  People arent buying the new Madonna album not because they got it off the internet, but because they dont like it    Chances are they got it off the internet and said to themselves, Oh my God, is a robot singing this, or Madonna?  After finally listening to the album, my guess would be that its a robot. 

            Eminem on the other hand, had his album The Eminem Show leaked to the internet weeks before the CD was to be released, but that didnt seem to hurt sales for the Mom hating rap star.  In fact, it might have helped.  Like the styles of Eminem or not, hes got some interesting things to say and he isnt afraid of telling his fans how he feels.  Thats what really sells; feelings.  Artists today have forgotten that fact.  Let us hope they dont forget anymorethey might lose us.  If the mp3 is halted, we will be forced to buy their crappy CDs and listen to music that isnt even worth being tagged to a WB movie of the weekor the theme song to Enterprise.

            Another problem I have with all this complaining is that this isnt the first time music has been swapped.  I dont remember the Feds breaking down my door when I made my friend or girlfriend a mix tape.  Lets face it; the mix tape has been around for ages.  Now its done on a much bigger scale of course, but it still has its roots in that age old art.  Just see High Fidelity and you will know how important the mix tape can be.  It can make or break a friendship or even a love.  Ok, so that got a little poetic, but rememberwhat made the mix tape possible?  The duel cassette recorder.  Who was behind this genius?  The music industry.  Now they sink their teeth into making the mp3 player.  With such condoning going on, Im not sure that buying albums is such a good thing.  Like I said earlier though, I used to turn my back on purchasing CDs, but thats all changed. 

            So why the change of heart for our starving artists who need our hard earned cash so that they can buy all they want and give nothing back to the community?  Well, it all came down to ethics reallymy own personal ethics.  It didnt seem right for artists to bitch and complain, but it wasnt very ethical for me to steal either.  Now, I download a song or two from an artist.  If I deem their music fit for me to enjoy the rest of my life, I buy their album and put money into their pocket.  Everyones happy.  Everyone should stand up and think about what they are doing.  If the industry wants to be responsible, stop the production of mp3 players or have the artists churn out something thats worth our cash in the first place. And for the consumers; dont download every little Billboard top 10 and forget the artists behind them.  If you like a song that you downloaded, support that artist, buy their CD and hopefully we can weed out all the awful no-talent ass clowns that infect our music world.  I for one dont want to be a part of the problem.  I do, however, wish to be a part of the solution.