In the decade-long wake that followed Napster's demise, a multitude of essays and theses were written that told one of two similar stories concerning the MP3. First, thanks to the MP3, musicians and listeners can now bypass the music industry. Freed from the nefarious tactics of the music industry, the production and consumption of music has been democratized, contributing to a more authentic musical culture. The second story is that the MP3 is a legal battleground between the interests of capitalism and the normative claims of activists who argue that information wants and needs to be free. These similar discourses, intellectual property on the one hand and techno-utopianism on the other, have had a great influence on how people think about the MP3.
展开▼
