Media Convergence - Music File Sharing

Mix Tapes/Cassette Tapes
Maybe one of the earliest forms of file sharing were cassette tapes, mixtapes as they are affectionately called by some. It has been said that personal mixtapes were, ""the most widely practiced American art form."

Previous to the use of cassette tapes, making personal pop mixes was difficult for the causal music listener, with no access to equipment capable of doing so. However, when cassette tapes and music recorders became more popular, requirements for getting music recordings were reduced to only blank cassette tapes and a recording device connected to a source of prerecorded music such as the radio.


Boombox
The first "Radiorecorder" was released in 1969 by Philips of the Netherlands, and was the first time that a radio broadcast could be recorded without the use of cables or microphones.

CDs
The jump to the digital age opened up a whole new ballgame and the advent of the recordable compact disk marked a new era of file sharing. Music was no longer confined to a single piece of hardware, but also existed digitally, meaning those files could now be shared and distributed.

Personal mixes became easier than ever because, not only could songs be downloaded to a PC and then burnt to a writable CD, but songs could also be uploaded to the internet and other types of software for distribution and pirating.

For a brief period of time, several record companies attempted to create CDs with copy protection. However, these CDs were not compatible with certain audio players and were eventually seen as violations to fair use copyright law.

view source

This jump eventually set into motion a chain events that led to music situation we live in today. First, according to some sources, it hurt the growth of CD sales. It caused loss of sales in music retail stores. Most notable is, some sources have stated that between 2004 and 2009 a total of $30 billion worth of songs were downloaded illegally (original article).

Brief History of Digital File Sharing
1970s - Floppy disk became the first instance of removable media.  Removable media becomes target of media efforts against sharing of intellectual property.
1980s - File sharing done by modem over landline telephone.
1990s - Basic ideas for filesharing established.  File compression technology improves, but is only available to general public toward the end of the decade. MP3.com is created.  Napster is created, which utilizes centralized structure for servers.
2000s - Gnutella is created as a decentralized sharing network.  Napster is shut down.  Various other file sharing services are launched such as Morpheus and Kazaa, and are subsequently modified or shut down.  Legal file sharing service, "iTunes" is launched.
2010s - BitTorrent protocol and clients become more stable.  Pirate Bay trial verdict was announced.  Megaupload shut down and internet hacktivist group Anonymous responds by attacking various organizations.

How does it work?
P2P - Users connect to a peer-to-peer network to search for shared files on the computers of other users connected to the network.  Larger files are usually broken up into smaller chunks obtained from multiple peers, which are then reassembled by the downloader.
Examples: Napster, Morpheus, BitTorrent

File Sync and Sharing Services - Special folders are created on each of the computers or mobile devices, and then are synchronized.  Files placed in these folders are viewable on both, or multiple computers.
Examples: Dropbox or Google Drive
(source)

A Case for File Sharing
Practicality:

• There are usually only a few songs on an album you like anyway
• It can be used as a publicity tool for bands
• Music listeners and artists stop thinking about music in terms of buyer/seller relationships
• Artistic integrity might not be at the top of producer's priority list
• Many songs would not have been bought even if P2P programs didn't exist at all
• One study suggests that there is no direct relationship between P2P file-sharing and CD purchases (in Canada). (source)

Legality:

• It's legal if artist allow their work to be shared -

"We encourage and promote the free exchange of our own music on the Internet using file sharing programs and P2P networks.  We consider this new opportunity to share our music and ideas with others, and for others to share our music and ideas with each other, to be good for us, good for society and, good for art." (Statement from band Negativland)

"But in the midst of the firestorm, countless other bands have been quietly benefiting from the increased exposure that P2P programs provided, and despite legal setbacks, filesharing has inevitably fallen into its natural role as the next big publicity tool." (original article)

To Be Continued 

New Device: Glass

When first watching the video “A Day Made of Glass” I was pretty blown away. This is the kind of stuff that we only see in the movies. I feel like I saw of some this similar technology in scenes from Iron Man and The Jetsons. Seriously, it’s the kind of technology that science fictions writers could only dream about. 

A Day Made of Glass 1

A Day Made of Glass 2

Now, this isn’t necessarily a device in and of itself, but almost a new way of viewing living.  It is a concept that is pretty revolutionary concept. Imagine a house, a store, an organization that has access to this technology. How would things be completely changed? How would it change advertising, medicine, and even movie nights with the family? Well, in a lot of ways perhaps. It would change the way that people would interact with the world and their surroundings.

Imagine connectivity on your mobile device and in your surroundings. Imagine further the integration of your device with your surroundings. Almost every surface becomes a possible screen, a possible way to gather information. Even in nature, the transparent nature of this glass opens up many possibilities and the ability to superimpose other images onto surroundings creating an immersive experience wherever you are.

Convergence
In responding to consumer values, this technology creates access points in almost every setting, home, work, stores, even in intimate places such as a bathroom. It is very useful in that information and connection can be achieved wherever you look. One thing that did occur to me, however, was that people who have lost the ability to see would be very disadvantaged if the world was “made of glass.”

Consumerism
In regards to consumerism, since the product is glass, it is very adaptable and can become whatever a user would desire it to be as far as color and appearance is concerned. Hearken back to the point in the second video where the little girls in the car completely change the layout of the dashboard to become a little more “fun” for them. The convenience of this product is astounding. As I have mentioned over and over, this literally makes everything a workable surface. Your device is everywhere and can integrate with many, many different surfaces.

Interactivity
Addressing interactivity, as I mentioned the glass can be made to accommodate all sorts of styles, although the styles are more digital than they are physical, meaning, industries that produce phone covers may go out of business unless the new style becomes something becomes something that is transparent and you can stick to your glass.

Regarding control, it appears that there is a great amount of control over your environment; although I don’t know what would happen if someone was to hack into the glass and project images or different programs. I think of hacktivists and the destruction that could be done as far as propaganda and safety is concerned. The security of this device is a bit questionable because at this point, literally, people could watch every move you make. They could follow you from your bedroom, to your bathroom, to work, to the store, and back home. For some people that might be a little disconcerting. If such were possible, there would need to be some serious firewalling and security measures taken to ensure that this is does not happen.

Technological Determinism
In terms of technological determinism, although I don’t necessarily believe that technology influences how the future plays out, this particular technology would do a number of things to change the world as we now experience it. First, as seen, there would be unlimited amounts of information being streamed for us to see. Weather, news, messages, there would be almost no escape. Second, there would unlimited connectivity. Wherever you go you could be connected, not just by text, but actual images. I think this would lead to further convergence, to where technology would become more and more invisible, meaning it would just be a part of our daily lives.

In agreeing with technological determinism it would completely shift the way that we humans think about being connected, not only to others, but also with our surroundings. Being in nature might actually be a scary thing for some people, because you wouldn’t be able to control your surroundings.

Market Paradigm Shifts
This technology/device would completely change the market. There would be less of a focus in developing physical innovations, as far as devices are concerned, and more of an influx of new and exciting ways to utilize this unlimited connectivity and unlimited interaction with environment. I think of the “Skyview” app that was shared in class, and try to imagine that type of technology, but happening in a classroom ceiling, happening in nature, or anywhere for that matter. We could even over lay past events literally where they happened and watch them play out.

Conclusion
I know I have raved about this technology, but there is no denying that its development would change the way that we interact with our environment and open up Pandora’s Box regarding new innovations, but also the severity of computer crimes. Privacy would be a thing of the past in a world made of glass.

On a more serious note, it would change corporate advertising and the focus of how to get people’s attention. Also, with the increased ability to connect with people and display capabilities medicine would change and even the way we communicate would be different.

So this would be my recommendation as far as new devices are concerned. I recommend looking into this market, because if this does happen the way that Corning has proposed it will, it will literally be a game changer in terms of connectivity and introduce a new screen for us to view information on. The new screen wouldn’t be limited to devices or things separate from your environment, the new screen would be the environment itself.