The distribution and sharing of digital content is a problem that has troubled the music industry for some time now. People all around the world have been “sharing” music files across the internet for a number of years now, much to the frustration of musicians and producers who feel they are being robbed of their rightful earnings.
Nowadays it seems, the same sting is being felt by news publishers as they struggle to profit from material they broadcast onto the internet. As Michael Body wrote in an article for The Australian “If you're in a business that's involved in intellectual property, you're going to be affected by this. The Rupert Murdochs of this world know the value of it”. However, It seems at this point that is would be impossible to put a stop to people sharing files.
The challenge lies in determining effective ways in which to monetise the sharing of digital content. When the music industry’s won its legal battle over file sharing network Napster, compensation was awarded but this didn’t stop the activity and other similar networks began to surface anyway. So will media more outlets begin to charge for the viewing of their content? Or will this affect the business they have built to date based on advertising revenue?
There are countless factors that need to be considered on this matter. What is for sure is that now the internet has been so warmly welcomed by society, the once “free information for all” world-wide-web, can no longer be considered “free”.
Reference: Roadkill on digital highway: how music is fighting back
Image Source: Mighty Gadget
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