The Great Napster Debate continues as the MP3-sharing program has received a reprieve and will stay active at least until the case comes to trial. The core issue -- consumers obtaining music without paying proceeds to the artists that made the recording -- is not new, as it's just a variation on the home taping "scare" of the 70's and '80's and the never-to-be-settled "problem" of bootlegging. Yes, MP3 files are digital recordings, which means they can be copied over and over without any loss in sound quality. Yes, it is not difficult to envision ALL music being traded digitally, because after all, it IS digital, so what's the point of spending $1.70 to get on the subway and physically bring myself to HMV if I can download the same product while sitting at home in front of my computer? This merely shows that copying MP3 files is easier and of better quality than the tried and true methods of home taping and bootlegging. However, the driving force behind all three is FREE PUBLICITY. Collectors have based an entire counterculture around tracking down hard-to-find concert bootlegs. Artists don't receive a cent for them, but bootlegs pad their fan base, spawn a cult of mythology around the artist and generally raise their profile amongst fans and critics alike. What's to complain about there? Similarly, home taping is a complete non-issue if NOBODY WANTS THE RECORD. Metallica might bitch and complain about kids downloading their albums for free, but they're only doing so because Metallica's music is in demand. Metallica must be doing SOMETHING right if so many people want their music. If people want their music, then they'll want to attend gigs, buy merchandise, etc.

On a different, but related topic, word-of-mouth popularity, or "coolness" if you will, correlates little with actual popularity, or "sales". Just because bootleg albums CAN be found, doesn't mean everybody WILL buy them instead of trekking to the closest music outlet. Just because my FRIEND bought the Britney Spears album doesn't mean I am going to tape it off her rather than buy my own copy. And just because I can sample tracks from the upcoming Madonna album using Napster doesn't mean I'll never buy that or any other Madonna CD. The Velvet Underground are one of the most namedropped bands ever. Musicians love them, critics purr over them and fans revere them. From all that has been written about them, you'd think the whole world must have heard their music by now. You'd think the band would be bathing in royalties. Surprise -- "The Velvet Underground and Nico" has sold in the neighbourhood of one million copies. Yeah, that's a lot of records, but it means that the VU are roughly 1/50th as popular as the Backstreet Boys.