Net Neutrality

The idea behind "net neutrality" is that all traffic on the net should be equal. The access to bandwidth that I have should be the same as anyone else's, be they a small upstart such as myself or a huge megacorporation. Now aside from the fact that my actual bandwidth is limited by my ISP simply due to the fact that I share my server with many other websites, once my packets are enroute to you, my bestest pals on the net, the packets are treated the same as any others, more or less. (A more qualified statement would be that all packets within a given protocol are treated the same.)

What is happening now is that large corporations, such as broadcasters and telecom companies, want to create a "premium" form of net traffic that would favor them, potentially putting small businesses and individuals at a disadvantage, on the "slow track" of the net. Yesterday I read this article on net neutrality.

Independent, lesser-known musicians and smaller record labels have launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to support the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, which they said is under fire from Internet providers who want to charge a fee to have some Web sites load faster than others.

Of course, the whole idea behind BitWorks Music is that "independent record labels are also on an equal Web footing with major players like Apple Inc.'s iTunes." You can find out more about net neutrality at Save the Internet.

In other news, this article gives some interesting comparisons between different music download models on the net. The conclusion:

Perhaps in the context of online music sales, “innovation” is really providing customers with more choice in the form of compatibility across operating systems and devices, broad file format options, and customer-driven pricing mechanisms. If that is the case, DRM-based stores aren’t the ones doing the innovating.

For the record, BitWorks will never adopt a DRM system. Not only that, but we are offering better quality downloads than most other distributors and 100% artist control over how their work is presented, along with a new dynamic multimedia presentation that is unique in the industry. (Frankly, it kicks serious ass!) Steve Jobs, fuggedaboutit!