On Wednesday it was announced that Limewire will be facing serious consequences, as it has lost a case brought against in August 2006 by RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The software which has been regularly used to download music files is facing closure. 

We all know the arguments against such p2p software, as this is not a new topic in the music industry arena. Copyright infringement, unfair competition, etc.. The Digital Economy Bill had recently been passed in the UK to ban illegal downloading and save the future of the music industry.

What I want to ask you is: Should we fight to abolish the downloading of music? Or... Living in a society where information flows freely is it our right to have access to free music?

There is also another question in my mind- Whether the effect of downloading will be different on niche genres (such as for example classical music) and more popular ones?

I am sympathetic to the view that copyright is essentially a transient phenomenon, and that the material value of culture needs to be constantly reassessed in light of technological changes. I don't think that was at the top of Peter Mandelson's priorities with the Digital Economy Bill, although the multinationals he was representing seem to be savvy to the alternative revenue streams that the internet has opened up, even if they are determined to protect the old ones.

With regard to classical music, I feel that that public funding, especially of orchestras, should carry a responsibility to make at least some content freely available online. This is happening to a certain extent, but rights protected streaming is currently the norm, while free downloading remains a rare exception.