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I wonder: if copyright expired after 15 years, wouldn't 99% of these problems just go away?
Not really. Recording companies still make good money off music from twenty years ago, and if anyone started a bill shortening copyright I'd bet the RIAA would lobby the shit out of Congress to get it overturned. Goddamn interest groups...
Doppelganger-X4 makes a good point, regarding the fact that recording Companies "Digitally Remaster" Old music so they can resell it to the public, thus renewing their copyright. So even old favourites(?) can't be distibuted without a license.
Anyway, the Record Companies keep throwing lawsuits at Music swapping sites, trying to shut them down, so they can "Keep Music Coming."
The Problem is though, once this occurs (Assuming file distributors no longer exist), the Record Labels <b>will raise the CD cost, because they will know that people who want one particular song will have to fork out a shit load of cash.</b>
When this happens, consumers will rise up to defy the recording industry (again) and redistribute these files as MP3s all over the internet.
But some record companies do not have <i>exclusive rights to MP3 formats of their music.</i>
Technically there is a stalemate here. Everything will become a constant loop in this scenario; Though I seriously doubt any Record company is willing to go bankrupt suing every single webmaster that distributes these files.
Very little can be done to alleviate the problem. <i><b>It may be wrong to give free mp3s away, but it is also wrong to Price gouge those who are willing to pay.</i></b>