The Revolution Will Be DIGITiZED: file Downloading on the internet

摘要

A few years ago, downloading music from the Internet was simple: you installed Napster and you were good to go. It may or may not have been legal, but by simply loading the Napster program onto your PC, and going online, a wealth of music was available to listen to and to exchange. Tens of thousands of other people were also online and file sharing was a breeze, especially if you were an early adopter of broadband. Then the environment began to change. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) created a PR nightmare for themselves by threatening users of peer-to-peer networks. When the RIAA managed to shut Napster down in 2001, their work only increased. Instead of one technology to monitor, a thousand flowers seemed to bloom in Napster's place.