As UCLA alumni, and people who not only love music but also
support our families by working in the music industry, we urge UCLA
and others within the University of California and California State
University systems to offer students legitimate music services.
We were very encouraged in July when the UC and CSU announced a
deal with legitimate music services Cdigix Inc., Napster, Mindawn
and Sony Connect to provide these services to campuses as an
alternative to illegal file sharing.
As part of the agreement, each UC and CSU campus would
independently decide whether to offer one or more of the services
to its students. While the announcement was heartening, to date
UCLA has not elected to offer its students such a service.
We believe UCLA should strike a deal with a legitimate music
service and join the growing number of schools that are leading by
example in a crucial battle that will have far-reaching
consequences for our culture and for the U.S. economy.
All intellectual-property industries are under siege, in large
part due to counterfeiting and online piracy. Intellectual property
is one of America’s top exports.
There are still too many people who believe it is OK ““ or,
worse yet, that they are somehow entitled ““ to steal music,
movies, games and software.
Many UCLA students will seek employment within the various
entertainment industries, just as we did.
However, in part due to cavalier attitudes toward stealing,
there are far fewer entertainment employment opportunities these
days.
Fewer aspiring artists are getting their chance, as piracy has
decimated the budgets that in the past have enabled young musicians
to work with experienced labels and producers and launch a career.
Opportunities are also shrinking for those who write music, create
videos, market and promote bands, run the sound boards, or engage
in one of the other skills intimately connected to the
industry.
By supporting a legitimate music service, UCLA would remind
students that stealing is wrong, not just because a unanimous
Supreme Court said it was, but because a school’s mission is
to instill the ethical responsibilities of members of our society,
as consumers or as they enter the workplace ““ whether it is
paying your own way or respecting the work of others.
As the Daily Bruin noted when announcing the UC/CSU deal, the
price for monthly, unlimited, on-demand access to a huge variety of
songs is only about $3 a month . A mere 10 cents a day ““ or
the price of one latte a month ““ to pay artists and others
doesn’t seem unfair.
If people need more of an incentive to stop sharing files other
than the fact that it is illegal, UCLA should provide students with
an easy-to-use, inexpensive legal alternative that meets the needs
consumers have come to expect.
We and so many artists work hard to bring music fans great
digital music experiences and will continue to do so. However, it
is critical for concerned citizens and admired institutions such as
UCLA to foster a legitimate online marketplace.
To UC and CSU systems we all say “thank you” for
taking this important step. We hope our alma mater will serve its
students ““ and its alumni ““ by adopting a legitimate
music service.
The authors of this submission are Steven Bartels, Marjorie
Fieldman, Jason Gallien, Jon Mantell, Linda Newmark, Dmitry Radbel,
Bruce Resnikoff and David Ring.