The ethics of podcasting
September 13th 2006 06:26
I just saw a thread on a forum about whether or not it was illegal to listen to podcasts. Why it would be considered to be illegal is if you were listening to a music radio show, meaning you are really just downloading a bunch of mp3s together with someone talking between.
A normal radio station needs a license and through its relationship with APRA, artists are paid royalties.
When someone downloads a podcast then, they are pretty much getting free music. Is this a problem? I don't think so. At least I don't when it does include the podcaster talking between songs. It is a way of being creative without actually being in the band. Just like a zine creator or a website maker, it is about discussing and celebrating the music - something of great worth. It is also promoting music to a new crowd.
My problem with it is that the file size is generally very large. This means you have to have broadband to download it. I don't have broadband and I know that many other don't also. The problem is then that the people who can usually afford to buy the music also have access to free podcasts.
The pros and the cons...
A normal radio station needs a license and through its relationship with APRA, artists are paid royalties.
When someone downloads a podcast then, they are pretty much getting free music. Is this a problem? I don't think so. At least I don't when it does include the podcaster talking between songs. It is a way of being creative without actually being in the band. Just like a zine creator or a website maker, it is about discussing and celebrating the music - something of great worth. It is also promoting music to a new crowd.
My problem with it is that the file size is generally very large. This means you have to have broadband to download it. I don't have broadband and I know that many other don't also. The problem is then that the people who can usually afford to buy the music also have access to free podcasts.
The pros and the cons...
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