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  3. The music industry, hurt by a decline in CD sales and the continued free swapping of files on the Internet, took the drastic act

The music industry, hurt by a decline in CD sales and the continued free swapping of files on the Internet, took the drastic act

admin2011-03-10  26
问题     The music industry, hurt by a decline in CD sales and the continued free swapping of files on the Internet, took the drastic action last week filing more than 250 lawsuits against consumers. But whatever catharsis record executives and their lawyers may feel, the courts cannot solve the music industry’s fundamental problem. Nor does the answer lie in getting people to pay for each music file they download from the Internet.
    Instead of clinging to late-20th-century distribution technologies, like the digital disk and the downloaded file, the music business should move into the 21st century with a revamped business model using innovative technology, several industry’s experts say. They want the music industry to do unto the file-swapping services what the services did Unto the music companies--eclipse them with better technology and superior customer convenience.
   Their vision might be called "everywhere Internet audio". Music fans instead of downloading files on KaZaA--whether they were using computers, home stereos, radios or handheld devices--would have access to all music the record companies hold in their vaults. Listeners could request that any song be immediately streamed to them via the Internet.
   If consumers could do this, the argument goes, they would have no interest in amassing thousands of songs on their hard drives. There would be no "theft" of music, because no one would bother to take possession of the song. To clinch music fans loyalty to the new system, and make them willing to pay for it, the music companies and the supporting industry would need to provide attractively priced, easy-to-use services to give consumers full access to the hundreds of thousands of songs available to them.     Consumers could still ask for song titles or artists, as they do now on KaZaA. But they could also, for example request rock "n" roll tunes like Hat that appeared for more than three weeks in Billboard’s Top 10 during the 1960’s. Or they could ask for early 1990’s guitarists that sound like Eric Clapton, or new artists similar in style to Alanis Morissette.
   Requests could be intricate, like asking for music subsequently recorded by the original members of the Lovin’s Spoonful. Or they could be simple, like requesting light jazz for dinner-party background music. The system would be interactive and could learn each user’s tastes. As listeners voted thumbs up or down to tunes (should they choose to), the service would amend their personal libraries accordingly.
   If it worked, it would be as if we each had our own private satellite radio channels--customizable collection of tunes for hundreds of millions of audiences of one. It is a compelling business model, and the current music companies, as the owners of the content, could be at the fore of the system.
   A tiny taste of such an approach is available on Internet radio networks like live365.com. On such services, listeners can essentially customize a radio station to their individual tastes. But crucial to the future of everywhere Internet audio, many believe, lies in widespread wireless Internet access, because wireless means portability. "Wireless gives the record companies a chance to do it all over again, and this time get it right," said Jim Griffin, the former head Of technology at Geffen Records and now the chief executive of the music publisher Cherry Lane Digital. Mr. Griffin is also a founder of pholist.org, home of an active online discussion of music’s future on the Internet.
   Many of the brightest industry insiders, academies, lawyers, musicians, industry critics, broadcasters and venture capitalists assemble at pholist.org daily to debate the music business beyond downloading. Many say wireless holds the key. Myriad portable devices already offer Internet access. Some, like the BlackBerry, maintain an always-on wireless Internet connection. Some business-oriented devices, like the Palm Tungsten, now play high-fidelity music in the MP3 format. Newer cellphones also offer MP3 functions, and include extra features like digital cameras and FM radios.
   The seers once thought portable devices would connect to the Internet via cellphone technology. But it now appears that Hi-Fi hotspots--wireless Internet access hubs--may eventually provide blanket coverage in urban areas and became the dominant means of connection. But there are big obstacles to overcome. To make "everywhere Internet audio" profitable, the music industry must develop a system to collect money from users and divide it fairly among performers, song-writers and others involved in creating music. How this would work is already causing hot debate. Mr. Griffin and many others in the pholist.org discussion advocate an Internet fee that would create a revenue pool to be distributed according to song popularity. Current recording industry sales in the United States work out to about $2.50 a month per person.
   As CD’s sales declined, a digital musical surcharge, or something similar, could be assessed by Internet providers. At regular intervals, the industry could sample what music is being streamed to users, to determine the distribution of money to the responsible parties. By using sampling, as opposed to detailed census techniques, listeners would not have to worry about invasions of their privacy. This idea would turn the recording industry’s business model upside down. Institutions are genetically averse to massive change. But the payoff could be huge. Right now, for example, the industry incurs large costs from its CD distribution model. The industry also has many intermediaries, including distributors and promoters. To take a band from obscurity to popularity is expensive, but that is what music labels must do if they want shelf space at the record store. Recording companies are in constant quest of superstars, because fewer than 10 percent of CDs released make a profit. Revenues generated by the best sellers must try to cover the losses incurred by less popular releases.
    In this context, the Internet could be a godsend to musicians as well. It can distribute a digital copy of a song to a few or to millions of listeners with virtually no cost difference. Music companies would have more incentive to nurture minor artists. As a society and culture, many argue, we would be much better served by such an approach.
    Market forces alone would not produce such a system. It would take enormous industry cooperation, which could only occur with government approval, lest it be deemed a violation of antitrust laws. The need for cooperation and leadership is clear. Children should not wind up in court because they are fanatical about their favorite pop stars. If the music industry devised an affordable, equitable, and convenient alternative to file sharing, the fans would come, money in hand.
Which of the following statements best explains "wireless holds the key"?
选项 A、Wireless Internet access is crucial to the development of music industry.
B、Wireless telephone should be used universally.
C、Wireless Internet connection is applicable without question.
D、Wireless Internet connection will be the most profitable means of connection.
答案A
解析 下列哪种说法是对“wireless holds the key”最贴切的解释?短语hold the key意为“起控制、支配作用”。
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