YouTube and MP3s

["Jack Boeve" <JBoeve@xxxxxxxx>]

[Posted on behalf of Robert Holley]

I am wondering if I've missed a discussion somewhere on how music videos
on You Tube are providing another backdoor to acquiring "free" MP3's.

I don't exactly know why music videos are so freely available on You
Tube and other similar sources though I've guessed that the copyright
holders think that they provide good publicity to increase sales. I
haven't encountered a single case where a music video that I've listened
to has disappeared. On the other hand, I've often discovered that a
search for MP3's leads to a dead link or to a notice that the
copyrighted material has been removed.

The new wrinkle is that many programs, often free, now download You Tube
music videos and convert them to MP3's. Lots more music is available
this way than through looking for "illegal" MP3's on the Internet.

I'm surprised that this new backdoor hasn't attracted more attention
since I subscribe to multiple computer daily updates that would cover
such things.
Am I missing something? Does anyone have any evidence that the RIAA
plans to try to turn off this source?

It's such an easy way to obtain copyrighted materials without the
dangers of peer to peer or going to dangerous sites that might infect
the user's computer with malware.

As a quick second question, I'm also assuming that the covers of most
songs violate copyright since the performers have most likely not
obtained the rights to perform them.

Thanks for any information. I'd like to report on this when I teach my
unit on copyright later in the semester.

Bob

Robert P. Holley
Professor, Library & Information Science Program Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202
313-577-4021 (phone)
313-577-7563 (fax)
aa3805@xxxxxxxxx (email)