MP3's and Ringtones!

With the IT development every one no has a chance to record copies of the favorite music from different internet websites. The country’s GNP is highly influenced by the music industry. Therefore, the music industry can influence the life of each and every person. The production costs in the industry are very high and producers are doing everything possible to cut the costs and to run the business as efficiently as possible.

The music industry maintains its control over the music it distributes
by the use of copyright laws. These laws allow the originator (or
owner) of the music (also books, pictures and movies) to control its
release and reproduction. People and companies that want to reproduce
or use the music must pay a fee to the owner of the music. When the
most common way to own a copy of a particular piece of music was a

vinyl record, the music industry was not overtly concerned about
unlawful duplication of its products. Improvements in technology have
changed the format of the music that available at retail outlets
(digital recordings, Compact Disks) and how some consumers acquire
copies of that music.

Personal computers now have the processors, sound cards, software, and
memory to record, play, and faithfully reproduce a particular piece of
music infinitely. One of these new advances in software is
file-sharing programs. These programs allow a person to go to an
Internet web site and by using the program download digital copies of
the music. These copies are as clean as the original recording and are
in effect free to the consumer. One such company that provides the
software and downloading service is Napster. Napster provides a web
site that allows users to gain access to music files from other users
by downloading them for their own personal use on their computer.

When one CD is not sold, many sectors of the economy
show negative effects. At the wholesale level, the artists that write
and record the music, companies that manufacture the CDs, containers
and labels, trucking companies that move the CDs to music stores all
lose money. At the retail level the owners of the music stores and
finally their employees all lose some money when a music is
distributed outside the normal distribution method (as well as the
owners and employees of used CD stores). These losses do not include
the lost tax revenues that the Federal, State and local governments do
not receive as a result of these downloads, thereby reducing the
amount of money available for public projects.

The Internet has presented the music industry with both a problem and
a solution. With so many people using the Internet to download music,
whether Napster survives or not, music downloading will continue. The
number of Napster users grew from 1 million in February 2000 to over 9
million in December. Other free services provide Internet users with
the same service as Napster. Many businesses have already used
the Internet to bypass traditional retail merchants. Companies such as
Lands End effectively by pass the retail distribution system to manage
and sell their products through catalogs and their web site.

I am not into technologies, those that change so ever fast, and always. But I do observe technological trends, along which the development of scientific applications revolves.

And of all trends, perhaps disruptive technologies are the defining path of industrial implications, a linear passage that technological progress almost invariably follows. Though the concept of “disruptive technologies” is only popularized in 1997 by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen in his best-seller “The Innovator’s Dilemma”, the phenomenon was already evidenced back in 1663, when Edward Somerset published designs for, and might have installed, a steam engine.

As put forth by Clayton Christensen, disruptive technologies are initially low performers of poor profit margins, targeting only a minute sector of the market. However, they often develop faster than industry incumbents and eventually outpace the giants to capture significant market shares as their technologies, cheaper and more efficient, could better meet prevailing consumers’ demands.

In this case, the steam engines effectively displaced horse power. The demand for steam engines was not initially high, due to the then unfamiliarity to the invention, and the ease of usage and availability of horses. However, as soon as economic activities intensified, and societies prospered, a niche market for steam engines quickly developed as people wanted modernity and faster transportation.

One epitome of modern disruptive technologies is Napster, a free and easy music sharing program that allows users to distribute any piece of recording online. The disruptee here is conventional music producers. Napster relevantly identified the “non-market”, the few who wanted to share their own music recordings for little commercial purpose, and thus provided them with what they most wanted. Napster soon blossomed and even transformed the way the internet was utilized.

Nevertheless, there are more concerns in the attempt to define disruptive technologies than simply the definition itself.

One most commonly mistaken feature for disruptive technologies is sustaining technologies. While the former brings new technological innovation, the latter refers to “successive incremental improvements to performance” incorporated into existing products of market incumbents. Sustaining technologies could be radical, too; the new improvements could herald the demise of current states of production, like how music editor softwares convenience Napster users in music customization and sharing, thereby trumping over traditional whole-file transfers. The music editors are part of a sustaining technological to Napster, not a new disruptor. Thus, disruptive and sustaining technologies could thrive together, until the next wave of disruption comes.

See how music editors are linked to steam engines? Not too close, but each represents one aspect of the twin engines that drive progressive technologies; disruptors breed sustainers, and sustainers feed disruptors.

This character of sustaining technologies brings us to another perspective of disruptive technologies: they not only change the way people do business, but also initiate a fresh wave of follow-up technologies that propel the disruptive technology to success. Sometimes, sustaining technologies manage to carve out a niche market for its own even when the disruptive initiator has already shut down. Music editor and maker softwares continue to healthily thrive, despite Napster’s breakdown (though many other file sharing services are functioning by that time), with products like the AV Music Morpher Gold and Sound Forge 8.

A disruptive technology is also different from a paradigm shift, which Thomas Kuhn used to describe “the process and result of a change in basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science”. In disruptive technologies, there are no assumptions, but only the rules of game of which the change is brought about by the behaviors of market incumbents and new entrants. They augment different markets that eventually merge. In Clayton Christensen’s words, newcomers to the industry almost invariably “crush the incumbents”.

While researching on disruptive technologies, I came across this one simple line that could adequately capture what these technologies are about, “A technology that no one in business wants but that goes on to be a trillion-dollar industry.” Interesting how a brand new technology that seemingly bears little value could shake up an entire industry, isn’t it?

You are probably asking, why then that no one wants it? Or how true is the money claim to these disruptive technologies? And if it is true, what are the implications to the business practice? How do market incumbents and new entrants behave?

The scope of this article could only let me take the first question. Well, it is not that dominating companies are not visionary to see a disruption is coming. They can’t. A disruptive technology is inherently not attractive initially; no one could see how Napster could boom and lead to the thriving market of audio softwares like the music editors and mixers, except the disruptors themselves. Even if one manages to foresee it, the “Innovator’s Dilemma” is there to keep them from acting.

And as the books show, technology has always evolved in waves of disruption.

Amazon.com
First, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy debate the legal war over free music downloaded on the Internet. Then, Brian Lanker, director of the new PBS documentary entitled They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II discusses his film, which tells the story of the more than 100 U.S. servicemen and civilians who served as combat artists during World War II. Their job was to depict the war as they experienced it through art, and the assignment resulted in 12,000 paintings and drawings, hidden from view for the past 50 years. Two of the artists, Robert Greenhalgh and Edward Reep, are also guests. Finally, The New Yorker magazine’s Malcolm Gladwell on the phenomenon of the fad, as detailed in his new book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com’s standard return policy will apply.

Charlie Rose with Lars Ulrich & Chuck D; Edward Reep, Robert Greenhalgh & Brian Lanker; Malcolm Gladwell

Related articles by Zemanta

• 7 Rules for Writing (danpink.com)
• The secrets of Malcolm Gladwell (blogs.ft.com)
• Forrester’s Social Influence Chart Caught My Eye… (chainringaction.blogspot.com)

• Ultra Thin
• Anti-glare
• Guarantee To Preserve Original Color Tones
• Heat, Water Resistance, Against Scratches and Shields Damage
• Not Interfere with Touch screen Technology

Product Description
The Lexerd TrueVue™ is created from an ultra-clear film that is exclusive to Lexerd for covering consumer electronics. Transparent and amazingly thin, the TrueVue is designed to precisely match the contours of every device, providing unbeatable scratch protection. Lexerd TrueVue utilizes the latest LCD screen protection technology that will keep gadgets looking great.

- Keep your device Anti-glare with the exclusive professional grade film, only available with Lexerd
- Scratch-proof – you can show off your gadget and use it without fear of scratching
- The ultra-thin film is only 0.2 mm thick and will not add bulk to your device. So you can still slip it into charging docks and handbags
- Lexerd’ s latest technology It allows the TrueVue to create precise, custom designs that hug the curves of your electronics
- TrueVue is guaranteed to preserve original color tones

Package contents:
One each of the following items: screen protector, instruction manual, lint free cloth, finger cots (to protect optical surfaces during handling)

Lexerd – Samsung YP-910 napster TrueVue Anti-glare MP3 Screen Protector

• PCMicroStore Branded Non-OEM Case. 1 Year Unconditional Warranty if purchased through PCMicroStore
• It features multifunctional design for Creative Zen. Made of hi-grade leather with suede lining
• Case has opening for the headphone jack, power button and charger/data port
• Belt loop secured by standard snap and you can enjoy video player when the belt loop standing
• Rotating 180 degree swivel belt clip. Comes bundle with LCD screen protector shield.

Product Description
PCMicroStore Branded Non-OEM Case. 1 Year Unconditional Warranty if purchased through PCMicroStore

PCMICROSTORE Brand Creative Lab Zen Small Wonder 4gb 8gb 16gb Premium Leather Case Cover with Video Stand and Swivel Belt Clip – Bundle with LCD Screen Protector Shield , BLACK

YouTube is quickly becoming the most popular site on the Internet for an obvious reason: it’s a great way to see anything-pretty much anything at all-that you’ve ever wanted to see. Any television show, any kid falling off of a trampoline and breaking his ankle, any clip from any movie, anything.

YouTube allows its users to upload content onto their massive servers for the world to see, and provides big exposure to those with an interesting idea; one YouTube user decided to put his cell phone number on the website in order to see how many calls he’d get. Many other users have developed huge amounts of viewers for their independent movies and comedy skits.

The problem is that YouTube doesn’t regulate what goes on their site, and as a result, there are hundreds of television shows and movie clips hosted illegally. Right now, when a network or studio asks to have a clip removed, YouTube usually complies. The problem is that since their content isn’t monitored, it’s basically impossible to ensure that nothing copyrighted is on the site, so YouTube is constantly in violation of hundreds of copyright laws.

It’s a reflection of Napster’s heyday. Back in the late nineties, Napster was the digital music download service, with its peer to peer software promoting countless independent artistsand countless acts of piracy. After lengthy lawsuits from the RIAA, Napster was forced to shut down. It’s currently in a new incarnation that charges subscriptions to allow its users to legally obtain copyrighted musicbut it’s not nearly as free or as massive.

We may see the same thing with YouTube. No matter how you look at it, it’s just not legal or practical to allow anyone from anywhere in the world to post anything at all to a website without inevitably breaking hundreds of laws. And the copyright holders deserve money for the work, as much as the recording industry deserved money for the copyrighted work that Napster users were pirating.

The Brazilian government recently ruled against YouTube, ordering the service to comply with that country’s laws. The real test will come when the American government inevitably looks at YouTube’s practices. If history is any indicationand it always iswe won’t see YouTube continue to operate in the same way once the American government is through with it. It happened to Napster, Grokster, and other peer to peer companies. YouTube’s practices are essentially no different, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to survive as an unmoderated source of video for much longer.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Downloading music for free helps unheard musicians (freemp3-search.com)
• Bringing P2P in from the cold (go.theregister.com)
• Of Course On-Demand Music Replaces Sales – It’s Supposed To (wired.com)

File sharing, mainly practised on P2P networks is a very constructive and practical technology, and like all technologies is neither good nor bad, it just depends on it is use by the user. Don’t be scared off by the likes of the Napster chaos or Kazaa horror stories. You can use it and greatly benefit from it’s abilities without worrying about a knock at the door, with a few simple guidelines, but first what is file sharing and P2P anyway.

File sharing is as the name implies, a way to share files or information between private or public computer users over the internet. Most email applications or apps, spreadsheet apps, database apps and instant messengers have a file sharing system built in; look at Word, Excel, MSN Messenger, Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger. They all provide a way to share your files with people connected to you through the internet. There are no restrictions on what you can share, except in size perhaps, between other users or friends. This is no different to lending a book you bought to a friend to read, it is just done digitally over a network and file sharing is a 100% worldwide legal technology. Sharing files can be a crucial part of many professions, e.g. critical updates of software, immediate access to the latest medical white papers, specific weather updates for deep sea vessels etc.

The average file share user, who wants to publicly share a file with many people or wants to download a particular public file, turns to a P2P or peer to peer network. P2P first generation came into existence as a popular tool around 1999, the most famous or infamous being Napster, which officially closed 2001 with an estimated 26.4 million users in its prime. The technology Napster used was first generation centralised P2P, and this is one of the reasons they were forced to close. Napster acted as a centralised database for all its users and files being downloaded, users had to go through their servers to access the files. This in terms of copyright infringement meant that Napster had control and knowledge of what was being downloaded, and were therefore liable for their server contents, which included copyrighted music tracks. Facing several multi-million dollar lawsuits, Napster had no choice but to close down as a free public file sharing network.

It is interesting to note however that some musicians like Radiohead who used Napster as a way to promote a forthcoming album, greatly benefited from the exposure. Their track Kid A which was released

Related articles by Zemanta

• Want Music Just Download It (freemp3-search.com)
• Sources: Spotify Takes Investment From Sean Parker At Founders Fund (techcrunch.com)
• Turn Google into Your Personal Napster with a Bookmarklet [Google School] (lifehacker.com)

• Soft Antenna Ball Topper
• Computer Toy
• Great Pen or Pencil Topper
• Dashboard Toy

Product Description
This smiley antenna ball topper can help you locate your car in a crowded parking lot really fast. If you add the cool Buddies spring stand accessory it can also become a automobile dashboard or computer toy. Not for use with retractable antennas. HAVE A NICE DAY! Come on over and see our huge selection of other antenna ball toppers at our Amazon storefront: http://www.amazon.com/s.html/002-2627897-3651218?ie=UTF8&index=merchants&me=A1FS99TXK5K04A

Smiley Original Antenna Ball Topper

The Down-Low-Der’ Club

Throughout history, music either partnered to forge alliances or conflicted with adversaries. Early on, music was embraced by the radio and film industry, then it took a back seat to television. Eventually, television incorporated music into its programming, and the two became a happy pair. When the cassette came along, it turned the music industry upside-down because there were copyright infringement concerns regarding the duplication of existing recordings. The same thing occurred again with the introduction of the digital audio tape recorder, which makes perfect copies of compact discs. With the introduction of the computer and stand-alone CD burners, the copyright issue came up again. For the most part, the record industry was pacified with the imposition of taxes on blank cassettes, blank digital tapes, and after a while, blank CD’s.

These battles were minuscule in comparison to the record industry’s biggest war to date: with the Internet. File sharing and music downloads literally took the industry by storm. It posed concerns that could severely damage the record industry, according to inside sources. Of course, it all depends on what side you’re on. On one hand, downloading songs from the Internet often means that the music was unpaid for. This is similar to making a close friend or family member a CD, but if the music wasn’t purchased, then writers, artists, producers, record companies and publishers don’t get paid for work they did (or didn’t do).

A complaint regarding this situation was presented in the court proceedings that momentarily’ shut down operations for Napster in July of 2001, after more than a year of lawsuits through the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Napster was the first popular peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing platform, and the biggest free online music source on the Internet. Napster attained approximately 20 million users in July of 2000. Prior to their notification that there was no more negotiation,’ Napster contended that:

the recording industry was fighting a losing battle

technology litigation was slow and ineffective

computers were connected to share information – including music

Others remained hopeful justice would prevail – millions of free downloads were considered as infringements on the rights of copyright holders. Because it was an Internet service provider, Napster argued it wasn’t responsible for the actions of users. While users insisted

Peer-to-peer (or P2P) file sharing systems connect users (called nodes) directly together. Some are true networked systems while other contain an element of the client-server structure. That is they contain an element of the original Napster centralized server system where clients are fed by a central server. Examples of this are the original Napster (Napster is now a ‘pay for music’ site) and OpenNap which replicates the original Napster functionality.

It was the central server which eventually destroyed the Napster system sins, once the server was forced to close, the whole system ceased to function. The P2P systems are now much more widely used. In these every user can be connected to every other user who is logged on. When you download music or movie files you can be doing so from you next door neighbour, or someone on the other side of the world. You have access to literally millions and millions of files: everything on the other users’ hard disks in fact, and everyone has access to yours. There is no central server, so the system cannot be shut down.

Examples are eDonkey, which is combined with Overnet, the FastTrack network and the Gnutella network. Software which operates on these networks is:

Limewire and Bearshare who both use the Gnutella network. Morpheus which uses all three networks. Kazaa and eMule which operate on the eDonkey/Overnet networks and Ares with its own network. Microsoft has its own system in WinMX, but it is reputed to be complex and has its limitations.

There is also BitTorrent. This has a following among those interested in sharing audio-visual files such as Movies and TV shows. The original and official BitTorrent client tends to monopolize a connection so that other internet business cannot be carried during downloading though this has been resolved in an alternative free version

BitTorrent is different form of P2P file sharing. With normal systems such as the Gnutella system, you will typically download a complete file from one source. In some cases the software allows you to download the one file from a number of contributing sources, thus speeding up the process. With BitTorrent, on the other hand, you download different bits of the file from a number of different sources (each file is split into about 1,000 pieces). This not only speeds up the transfer of large files around the network, but also allows you to upload a file at the same time as you are downloading it.

Brian Dessent likens it to a book. A group of people round a table each have different pages of a book. They want to get the whole book, they let each other know what pages they have and what they require. Eventually the pages are passed around till a whole copy is obtained. If there are any pages missing, someone is available with the whole book (called a ‘seed’) who can supply what is missing to complete the book

Invented by programmer Bram Cohen, BitTorrent is therefore different to any other kind of P2P network. It works differently to other systems in its search facility: it has none! Users must first carry out a web search to find the file they require. There are , however, several BitTorrent search engines on the web such as BTBot and TorrentSpy.

In addition to simultaneous downloading from multiples sources which is common with most of the modern P2P applications, eDonkey2000 also allows sharing of file segments where the file size is larger than 9.8M. As with BitTorrent, this allows you to upload a file while you are still downloading it so that the more popular files can be very rapidly distributed round the network. The problem with this is that sometimes the whole file cannot be found, and you are left with part of the file which you must complete at later date. This cannot happen with traditional P2P systems such as Gnutella (e.g. Limewire and Bearshare).

Free Downloading

The P2P networks such as Gnutella and BitTorrent are free. Many companies will try to charge you for downloading the software, but they are taking advantage of your ignorance. However, you should be careful when selecting the free software.

The majority of free download programs comes with bundled adware and spyware (also free of course!). An example of adware is the pop-ups which appear on your screen and are devilishly hard to remove. Sometimes the only way is to switch your computer off and on again. Spyware sits on your computer and send back messages to advertisers as to what you are doing or watching so that ads can be customized to your preferences.

At its nastiest, spyware can copy your credit card and banking details. It can also record keyboard clicks which allows all sorts of Big Brother activities. Employers can find out what you have been logging into all day, strangers can identify number strings which could be credit card and bank account details, including your passwords and login details. All very nasty, so beware of free downloads.

Spyware and adware can be removed using software similar to anti-virus programs. Beware of the free versions, however, since they can put their own adware and spyware on which, naturally, are not removed during the cleaning service. You are better to use reputable paid software

However, back to download systems.

So, while most P2P software is available free, I would go for the paid version. The payment normally has the option of a one-off lifetime payment of up to around $39, though frequently less. This covers maintenance of the site and 24/7 support. The software itself is free. It also generally ensures that the software is free of adware and spyware.