When it comes to downloading music off of the internet, consumers are more than likely downloading illegal music and can face a heavy fine or even a possible jail term for the act. Sharing music has become a norm when it comes to the music industry and to combat against it, the industry is starting to realize that they need a better way of enforcing the rules and legislation about music. Just because a song or piece of music comes from a certain website, does not necessarily mean that they have the complete licensing for that song or music which means that the music is more than likely a pirated copy. Music licensing is a way for the artists to profit from their music and when it is shared illegally they do not profit. The internet has made piracy a very real threat to music because it is very easy to download and share with others.

To combat against peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing there has come about a revolutionized plan that takes into consideration all the ways that will benefit both the artist and the music fans. Voluntary Collective Licensing of Music File Sharing will help to get artists paid for their music and will legalize the way that fans are already downloading and sharing the music that they enjoy. The way that this will work is that several “collecting societies” will be formed and each society will charge a small, reasonable fee for users to legally download and share music. The money that is paid for the music-sharing ability will be distributed among the artists according to the popularity of their music.  Read more...