If the RIAA wanted to sieze control of an established distribution method, there's an easier way to do it than by suing Napster and miring themselves in a year or two of litigation.
If I'm not mistaken, the Napster protocol itself is open. The RIAA could theoretically offer the material of all of its artists on a server of their own. Create their own client which would allow the purchase of albums or single tracks, and knock $4 of the cost of every album's "sticker price." They would still reap an insane profit. Current Napster users could connect and browse, but future clients would need to support the purchase option.
More to the point, if you're referring to the internet as the "established distribution method," then anyone that didn't just crawl out from under a rock knows that if Napster loses this lawsuit and is forced to disband or take measures to prevent the piracy of music, Gnutella will likely take its place. It's a similar system, but run by its users; in other words, no one to sue!
The RIAA will likely win this round, but they will never be able to successfully stamp out internet-based theft of music. Their best bet is to get involved on their own terms, sweeten the deal for the audience, and hope to make a buck off the craze.
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If the RIAA wanted to sieze control of an established distribution method, there's an easier way to do it than by suing Napster and miring themselves in a year or two of litigation.
If I'm not mistaken, the Napster protocol itself is open. The RIAA could theoretically offer the material of all of its artists on a server of their own. Create their own client which would allow the purchase of albums or single tracks, and knock $4 of the cost of every album's "sticker price." They would still reap an insane profit. Current Napster users could connect and browse, but future clients would need to support the purchase option.
More to the point, if you're referring to the internet as the "established distribution method," then anyone that didn't just crawl out from under a rock knows that if Napster loses this lawsuit and is forced to disband or take measures to prevent the piracy of music, Gnutella will likely take its place. It's a similar system, but run by its users; in other words, no one to sue!
The RIAA will likely win this round, but they will never be able to successfully stamp out internet-based theft of music. Their best bet is to get involved on their own terms, sweeten the deal for the audience, and hope to make a buck off the craze.