Losing Tradition

As we were discussing the progress of technology the other day in class, the first thing that came to mind was music. Today, most people either buy music on iTunes or "share" music on databases like Limewire or Kazaa. There are still people that go out and buy CD's at music stores, but those numbers have decreased substantially. In an article in the New York Times today, it discussed a court case involving the illegality of "sharing" music. Nesson, a professor at Boston University, argued that "the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999 is unconstitutional because it effectively lets a private group -- the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA -- carry out civil enforcement of a criminal law" (New York Times). To me, "sharing" music does sound illegal, but it is very difficult to stop. The problem of money is not necessarily what bothers me however; it is more the loss of our traditional ways of supporting our favorite artists. As a result of sharing music, we are unable to do so.