Media conglomerate Viacom Inc. is suing YouTube for $1 billion, claiming that the video-sharing site had built a business by using the Internet to "willfully infringe copyrights on a huge scale."
The Buggles' hit number Video Killed the Radio Star back (1979) talks about the golden old days of radio.
But what is Youtube killing?
Has mp3 killed music or musicians?
Technology is a funny thing; Big multi-national monopolies use technology to make mo, mo, and mo money. What these big businesses don't want is the ordinary person to be able to use the technology.
Imagine you could buy different parts of a car from a giant Chinese mart, assemble it yourself... what will happen to the likes of General Motors and Toyota?
Internet simplified technology; it is a social technology revolution. In spite of the fact that companies like Microsoft have been trying to influence and control the way we use our computers, there have been brave young men and women who have come up with different solutions and applications to beat the giants.
The popularity of pop and rock music in big consumer countries like India and China is largely due to the mp3 revolution. More and more youngsters listen to that sort of music these days, simply because it is easily accessible.
Bruce Springsteen is my favourite singer. A young friend of mine, who is more like my kid brother - never liked Springsteen that much. Simply cause the only song he ever heard was 'Streets of Philadelphia' on MTV. He thought Springsteen music was a bit constipated.
After listening to Ghost of Tom Joad and a few other numbers (thanks to mp3), he is a die-hard Springsteen fan today. If there is a Springsteen Concert in India, I can assure you Jithin will pay to be at The Boss's concert.
Greedy Music and Film producers conveniently forget the fact that youtube and mp3 has opened up the Asian market for them.
Singers like Springsteen, Bryan Adams and the lot - have to break away from these big labels. If music is all about money, lets make music of our own. If movies is all about fleecing people; lets make movies of our own.
Sustainable music and movies - for the people, by the people, of the people.
The likes of Viacom do not have our support.
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