The record industry has launched a massive campaign against music downloaders. Record labels are sending subpoenas to colleges for the names of users who are downloading music. Elon, to some extent, supports this. Chris Fulkerson, Director of Instructional & Campus Technologies, sent out an e-mail with a memo attached discussing this policy. The memo states that,

"`85the University will be forced to provide the names and addresses of persons using the University’s internet connection when presented a legal subpoena,`85taken out by the RIAA`85in their search for illegal file sharing `85.this would include students, faculty or staff."

This is a fair policy, but we shouldn’t have to deal with the record industry coming after us for downloading some music.

The record industry claims that it’s losing money because people download songs and don’t buy CD's. First off, downloading music isn’t the only reason why people don’t buy CD's. We also don’t buy them because they’re expensive and they often don’t have more than a few good songs on them.

It’s not like students making a huge profit from downloading either. Most people don’t make CD's and sell them.

However, now most all computers come with CD burners so everyone can make their own CD. Thus, the only person who has a CD I burn is me, and I‘m the only person who listens to it.

However, if the record industry really wants money for downloads, why don’t they lobby for a law requiring a fee be charged for songs uploaded to the music sharing sites like Kazaa? That way, they’re still making money, and the sites themselves can cover the fee from their advertising profits. Thus, music is free for us and the record industry gets money.