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Opinion

EMI's change is music to consumers' ears

Reid Midgett
Opinion Columnist

The music industry has settled into an uncomfortable but stable situation. Label heads realize that hard-copy CDs are a dying breed, and purchasing music online is the wave of the future. Steve Jobs, the creator of Apple and its world-conquering lineup of products, realized this long ago when he started iTunes, which now accounts for 70 percent of all downloaded music. Songs can be downloaded for only 99 cents, cheaper than most legal outlets and in one large library available to everyone with an Internet connection.

Yet the music industry still has its claws sunk deep in every facet of music downloading. Despite the access and ease of iTunes, there exists in every song a copyright restriction, meaning songs cannot flow freely from computer to computer. The music can play only on the computer it was bought on.

This is not a new practice. Major music labels have been using various copyright restriction software for a long time, whether it limits access to a certain number of computers or completely denies the ability for music to be played in something other than a CD player. In order to reduce piracy, these labels deny the consumer the right to put music they bought onto their own computers.

But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. EMI, the world's third-largest recording company, announced its online catalog would soon be available copyright restriction-free on iTunes -- available to the masses as pure music and nothing more.

With this vast collection of untainted music in the consumers' hands, mix tapes and sharing music will once again be a worthwhile endeavor.

Sure, this is a scheme by EMI to make more money. Along with making the music with no copyright restrictions, each song will cost 30 percent more than other songs on iTunes. And yes, each and every iTunes user will gladly buy the more expensive songs in order to have more freedom. EMI will make more money, along with gaining a reputation for pleasing its customers and taking a step away from the negative image that defines the music industry.

So a recording company will make more money. This is old news in the eyes of a music fan. The fact that music will once again become a tool for social exchange and audio freedom overshadows the tired image of corrupt music moguls. And what is more exciting is that Apple, a company known for keeping products limited to only working on its own hardware, is joining hands with EMI and accepting this change.

One can hope EMI's move will cause others in the music industry to follow suit. The industry has been stubborn and greedy for far too long and must accept that people will find the music they want in the easiest way possible. If labels will only bend to the will of the people and offer their music with no copyright restrictions, it will be beneficial for all sides.

Music should be legally obtained and shared with others, and the music industry has taken one step closer to realizing that ideal.

Midgett, a communication junior, 
can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu