Internet jukebox solves illegal gen-x dilemma
Kurt Coutu
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Technology
Internet Jukebox site Songza.com is a refreshing and legal alternative to peer to peer downloading sites such as Limewire, KaZaa or Bit torrents. This revolutionary jukebox system is the answer for anyone who wants access to unlimited free and legal music.
The introduction of Napster between 1999 and 2001 greatly changed how our generation of consumers obtained their beats. For years, my peers would complain about being overcharged for their music CDs. During the late 1990s, many new albums released were increasing in price to $20 and over. Teenagers and students, who make up a large chunk of the music industry's target audience, were having trouble affording the music they so desperately consumed. As a result, internet savvy Gen-Xers created peer to peer or P2P sharing. This allowed people to exchange music with each other for free and cut out the middle man, or record companies and retail stores.
"Peer to peer was so great while it lasted legally, now it's just great illegally," junior Jonathan Bocek said
Since our generation had already felt the sting of overpriced CDs, many justified participating in peer to peer file sharing as nothing more than swapping CDs with a friend. However, record companies began to lose serious profits and took legal recourse to stop peer to peer downloading, arguing that one CD bought legally can be dispersed into unlimited free ownership to random strangers. This legal battle between the record companies and consumers continues today as many people are brought to court for continuing to download music illegally and fined heavily for getting caught.
Songza.com provides all the same gratifications and accessibility as the P2P services we so fondly covet, and is also free. The only difference is the music you access cannot be downloaded and owned. It is simply there for internet consumers to use. Essentially, it is a search engine just like Google but strictly for music. You type in what you want to hear, the site finds it and you can listen to it. Both parties remain happy with this arrangement as Songza.com pays for licenses from all the major performing-rights organizations who then pay the publishers and writers in proportion to the number of plays they get on Songza.
The site, which was launched on Nov. 8, 2007, instantly generated significant buzz around the world for its simplicity and utility. Probably the coolest feature allows users to create playlists, so they don't have to constantly type in the songs they want to hear. You are also allowed to rate songs and introduce them to friends. The only major downside to this service is users do not own the music, it is provided by the site.
"You can't put the songs on a CD and bring them to your car or IPod, but it's good for at home, the office, or parties," senior Ned Murphy said.
"The song quality is not that great, but then again neither are MP3 or most other peer to peer downloads," senior Whitney Springborn said.
All in all, Songza.com is the safest legal way to access massive libraries of music for free. So for those who may have used P2P in the past, are currently, or have been thinking of trying it, give Songza.com a try first.
The introduction of Napster between 1999 and 2001 greatly changed how our generation of consumers obtained their beats. For years, my peers would complain about being overcharged for their music CDs. During the late 1990s, many new albums released were increasing in price to $20 and over. Teenagers and students, who make up a large chunk of the music industry's target audience, were having trouble affording the music they so desperately consumed. As a result, internet savvy Gen-Xers created peer to peer or P2P sharing. This allowed people to exchange music with each other for free and cut out the middle man, or record companies and retail stores.
"Peer to peer was so great while it lasted legally, now it's just great illegally," junior Jonathan Bocek said
Since our generation had already felt the sting of overpriced CDs, many justified participating in peer to peer file sharing as nothing more than swapping CDs with a friend. However, record companies began to lose serious profits and took legal recourse to stop peer to peer downloading, arguing that one CD bought legally can be dispersed into unlimited free ownership to random strangers. This legal battle between the record companies and consumers continues today as many people are brought to court for continuing to download music illegally and fined heavily for getting caught.
Songza.com provides all the same gratifications and accessibility as the P2P services we so fondly covet, and is also free. The only difference is the music you access cannot be downloaded and owned. It is simply there for internet consumers to use. Essentially, it is a search engine just like Google but strictly for music. You type in what you want to hear, the site finds it and you can listen to it. Both parties remain happy with this arrangement as Songza.com pays for licenses from all the major performing-rights organizations who then pay the publishers and writers in proportion to the number of plays they get on Songza.
The site, which was launched on Nov. 8, 2007, instantly generated significant buzz around the world for its simplicity and utility. Probably the coolest feature allows users to create playlists, so they don't have to constantly type in the songs they want to hear. You are also allowed to rate songs and introduce them to friends. The only major downside to this service is users do not own the music, it is provided by the site.
"You can't put the songs on a CD and bring them to your car or IPod, but it's good for at home, the office, or parties," senior Ned Murphy said.
"The song quality is not that great, but then again neither are MP3 or most other peer to peer downloads," senior Whitney Springborn said.
All in all, Songza.com is the safest legal way to access massive libraries of music for free. So for those who may have used P2P in the past, are currently, or have been thinking of trying it, give Songza.com a try first.