Music Piracy

• DRM (Digital Rights Management) - is a class of technologies that are used by  hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders, and individuals with the intent to control the use of digital content and devices after sale With First-generation DRM software, the intent is to control copying; With Second-generation DRM, the intent is to control viewing, copying, printing and altering of works or devices.
• Creative Commons - is a company that allows you to share your creativity with the rest of the world, it helps develop, support and stewards legal technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing and innovation. Allowing users to use their own copyright licences known as creative commons licences.  
• Agreement between BPI and six major UK internet providers to caution illegal downloads - In 2008 BPI stuck a deal with six major UK internet providers to try and stop people from illegally downloading files. You would receive a warning then 3 strikes and you're out. However not all internet providers agreed, for example TalkTalk decided to opt out because 80% of young users said they would still do it regardless. Furthermore you only have to be accused and not found guilty to get a strike. 
• The Digital Economy Bill - This bill allows the courts to demand that ISP's cut off broadband service from alleged downloaders. This is controversial because you only have to be accused 3 times and not proven guilty in a court for copyright infringement.
•  Prosecution of Pirate Bay in April 2009 -The Pirate Bay is a website that provides torrent files and peer to peer file sharing founded in Sweden in 2003. On 31st May 2006 the police raided The Pirate Bay in 12 premises and confiscated 186 servers which cause the site to go down for 3 days. When it re opened the consumers doubled due to the media coverage. The founders were put on trial and were charged with facilitating illegal downloading of copyrighted material and were found guilty. They were sentenced to a year in Prison and a fine of 30 million SEk (€2.7m). In some countries the ISP's have been ordered to block access to the site. 
• New bundles developed with sky etc to include music downloads in a subscription to include broadband, tv etc - Virgin were the first to create bundles with everything i.e. broadband, TV, Landlines etc. Other providers followed including Sky who wanted to include music downloads or Virgin when they have Music on demand. However record companies say that it benefits the providers rather than the company. Theres a debate on when teens grow up will they pay for a package deal or will they just have broadband and illegally download everything else? Its a controversial matter. 
• Ad-sponsored legal free streaming sites (spotify) - Sites have been set up which enable legal music streaming  and are sponsored by adverts which is free to use. Although sites like spotify have unlimited plays it enables consumers to listen to free music proceeded by an advert. Another site is Spiral Frog which provided free and legal downloads which were supported by advertising until it was taken down due to outstanding loans. 
• Earlier release dates - Record companies used to release new music 6 weeks in advance on radio before a format in which people could buy. Now many songs/ albums are released on the same day in which it is played on the radio (i.e. Beyonce releasing her album with no marketing which was played on the radio and could be downloaded on the same day) this is to limit illegal downloads because its the hope that it stops people wanting the album so bad they don't want to wait for the release date and so illegally download it when they can get it quickly by paying.