Assignment 2: Critique

In the article, ÐŽoIn Defense of Piracy (Well, Some Piracy)ÐŽ± (http://www.macopinion.com/columns/curmudgeon/99/01/28.html), Matthew Ruben brings forth the issue on music piracy. He argues that downloading of popular Top-40 hits from major record labels (obtained easily from the Internet in the MP3 format) should be allowed. His argument is supported with the following reasons. Firstly, the hype for a popular hit single is generally short-lived; listeners may get tired of that song and seek for newer ones quickly. Secondly, most music albums are overly-priced. Thirdly, the record industry markets low quality entertainment products; each of the CDs contains only one hit single that is of interest to the consumers, leaving them with very limited choices. This critique focuses on the validity of the mentioned claims and attempts to provide a clearer picture of the issue at hand.

To ÐŽoownÐŽ± a popular single permanently, Ruben indicates that consumers can either pay for a CD containing that single bundled with a list of unpopular hits or simply download a pirated mp3 of the same single. This presents the readers with a false dilemma. He seems to suggest that if consumers do not accept conditions of owning the CDs legally, they should turn to piracy as a solution. However there are still better alternatives. For instance, several music compilations comprising of the Top-40 hits (such as ÐŽoNow! ThatЎЇs What I Call MusicÐŽ±) are available in the market. Impulsive consumers driven by hype can get a copy of the CD full of the hits they want off the shelves at their local music store. The tracks in these compilations are often reviewed regularly and new volumes are marketed accordingly. There is also the option of buying legal mp3s from online music stores.

Ruben asserts that there is nothing ethically wrong with archiving pirated mp3 if copyright laws are disregarded. However, this is not necessarily so. The Recording Industry Association (Singapore) states that copying music illegally ÐŽois stealing the intellectual input of the creative peopleÐŽ±. In addition, The Recording Industry Association of America also concluded that ÐŽostealing is still illegal, unethical, and all too frequentÐŽ±. Most societies relegate stealing, in whichever form it is committed, as unethical, and the downloading and archiving of pirated mp3 is often seen as the unauthorised possession of intellectual property. The number of archived pirated mp3 will also accumulate, and Ruben does not provide any explanation of the validity of doing, since these songs will eventually lose their hype.

Ruben makes the assumption that the CDs on sale usually contain only one popular song, and ignores the possibility that some of the ÐŽojunkÐŽ± will actually become popular. The truth is that many of the albums do contain more than one popular single; the other singles become Top-40 hits at different time intervals. Ruben also believes that the Top-40 hits are just a small portion of all the songs available in the market, and thus they should be allowed to be pirated. However, he does not specify the exact criteria for songs to fall into his category of ÐŽopopular Top-40 singlesÐŽ±, and disregards the existence of music charts, which rank of the latest Top-40 hit singles in as many as 25 countries. Most of these charts are also updated weekly (Top40-Charts.com).

In the attempt to diminish anti-piracy advocatesЎЇ arguments,