Competing with free. And that's an order!

Created by Steven Worona (EDUCAUSE) on July 30, 2008

M*A*S*H fans may remember the episode where Major Burns, frustrated at the low turnout for his morning calisthenics, whines, "But Colonel Potter, we'd get so many more if you'd just order them to volunteer."

For years, the entertainment industry has been promoting its own version of morning calisthenics to our college and university campuses, so-called commercial music services such as CDigix, Ruckus, and Napster. And the results have been similar: Even when offered for free, students stayed away in droves. The selection of songs was too small or the music couldn't be downloaded to iPods or the content couldn't be moved from device to device.

And so, following Major Burns' lead, Big Music and Big Hollywood have gone to Colonel Congress, and the Capitol Hill brass have delivered. Buried in the just-released Higher Education Act is a provision ordering every college and university in the country to "offer alternatives to illegal downloading". The inevitable result? Precious tuition and tax dollars diverted from academic needs to corporate vendors for the purchase of services that no one will use.

When pressed, the entertainment industry explains the failure of campus-based commercial music services with the complaint, "You can't compete with free!" But the $16 billion spent by Americans last year on bottled water and the 5 billion iTunes tracks sold to date by Apple put the lie to that explanation.

Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has a much better explanation: "The best way to combat piracy is to bring content to market on a well-timed, well-priced basis." But Congress is telling the entertainment industry not to bother following Iger's advice; campuses are now required to buy whatever the market offers.

Steve

This message reflects the opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of EDUCAUSE or its members.

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		Competing with free. And that's an order! Created by Steven Worona (EDUCAUSE) on July 30, 2008 MASH fans may remember the episode where Major Burns, frustrated at the low turnout for his morning calisthenics, whines, "But Colonel Potter, we'd get so many more if you'd just order* them to volunteer." For years, the entertainment industry has been promoting its own version of morning calisthenics to our college and university campuses, so-called commercial music services such as CDigix, Ruckus, and Napster. And the results have been similar: Even when offered for free, students stayed away in droves. The selection of songs was too small or the music couldn't be downloaded to iPods or the content couldn't be moved from device to device. And so, following Major Burns' lead, Big Music and Big Hollywood have gone to Colonel Congress, and the Capitol Hill brass have delivered. Buried in the just-released Higher Education Act is a provision ordering every college and university in the country to "offer alternatives to illegal downloading". The inevitable result? Precious tuition and tax dollars diverted from academic needs to corporate vendors for the purchase of services that no one will use. When pressed, the entertainment industry explains the failure of campus-based commercial music services with the complaint, "You can't compete with free!" But the $16 billion spent by Americans last year on bottled water and the 5 billion iTunes tracks sold to date by Apple put the lie to that explanation. Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has a much better explanation: "The best way to combat piracy is to bring content to market on a well-timed, well-priced basis." But Congress is telling the entertainment industry not to bother following Iger's advice; campuses are now required to buy whatever the market offers. Steve This message reflects the opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of EDUCAUSE or its members. Higher Education Act \| mpaa \| P2P \| RIAA Steve's blog Login or register to post comments 226 reads
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