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The internet is one of the best and cheapest ways to gain and exchange information through computers. Since its beginning, and its continual expansion as more countries obtain computers and internet access, the average person has benefited from this international network of information by simply paying a monthly fee to an internet service provider. Most websites provide useful information about companies, organizations, institutions; search engines make it easy for research by subject; email is faster than postal mail; blogs and comments allow for personal opinions; and files from movie videos to music audio songs are easily uploaded and downloaded to websites or shared by email attachment or ftp sites. However, copyright permissions and profits are compromised by the ease of this method of sharing, which is done by the average internet user. Court cases against file sharing websites by the music companies which own the copyright to songs or by the bands themselves are happening to protect the composers and producers. The music fans who are often the guilty parties upload music videos to YouTube.com and often, some videos are flagged and deleted due to copyright infringement. This public forum had speakers who work in the music industry to discuss the pros and cons of sharing music files and whether it would be feasible to charge the fans fees for this practise, instead of banning it entirely. There are legal websites such as iTunes.com which already charge a download fee per song, about 99 cents each, $3.99 per movie, $2.99 per tv show. Musicians and producers retain control over exhibition and profits. But music fans continue to exploit the internet by file sharing their mp3s with friends using email attachments or ftp sites. The difficulty in keeping track of each file shared between friends makes it hard for copyright protection to be enforced. Internet service and email providers would have to look into the privacy of their customers to see the contents daily and with millions of customers, this method would be impractical by time and effort. Public information on copyright laws can help cut down this practise since a lot of customers are young and ignorant of such laws. This public forum by music experts helps inform the public about the pros and cons. Most laws are to protect the composer for royalties and producer for copyright and so the consumer has to learn to follow these laws. Media and broadcasters are allowed to show or promote music to a certain extent, but not to profit directly, only for publicity's sake, and often with the permission of the artists and producers. So far, sharing has been blamed for the downturn in cd and dvd sales in stores, but then with download sales through websites, this trend of buying each song download playable on iPod and mp3 players instead, perhaps will make up the loss as more consumers become informed on the legal way to listen to music. The various music associations in this panel will help this trend and benefit musicians and producers. Many music fans can afford to pay for music concerts and certainly music in digital format, which they listen to on their iPods and Zunes.
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