Fair Use

As far as libel, if you can claim something as being a parody, then yes, it can save you from a libel suit. It has happened before, with Jerry Falwell and Hustler magazine. Otherwise, fair use is going to be of no use.

ITunes

ITunes has made it much easier for the industry to get their work out to the public. We've already reached the point where some albums (WWE: The Music, Vol. 7 comes to mind) are being released solely online, without a physical CD version being available. This makes independent music nearly as accessible as major label work.

Itunes

I think Itunes has changed the music world. But it is in same direction the music industry has been going in for sometime. Itunes allows another way to make money and advertise. It helps sell their products and promote whatever TV show says, "Check out these songs on itunes." Personally, I don't use Itunes or even have an Ipod. I think the article on Tunecore is interesting. I makes me feel a little better that smaller artists can somehow get their songs on Itunes.

Itunes

The only thing that Itunes has changed about the recording industry is that now you have added a third party trying to get a piece of the pie. We live in a fast paced society where people live there lives on the go, and Itunes was smart enough to see the need for music on the go in a legal way. Yes this has changed the recording industry in other ways but those ways are not that drastic. In terms of how it will effect the industry in the future it will probably turn into another scandal. Rumors are already floating around that Itunes is pressuring record labels and artists to give them first access to the artists music. Yes this is a problem but so was payola and plugola. One reform that is going to come of this is that the law makers will have to look into these allegations and figure out how they can stop them from occuring. The other reform is that record labels and artists are going to try and use the internet to sell their music and stop using Itunes. It will help create competition.

Parody

Parody is an every day part of life. The fact that we are having to discuss parody is what is wrong with our culture today. We live in a society of people who only think about themselves and so when somebody creates a parody of their work and makes some money off of it they have a problem. People need to get over this idea and realize that even though somebody spoofed your work they still had to come up with the idea and then create the parody. That takes a lot of hard work. Parody is a good thing. If you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at.

Online Music Distribution

I think that Itunes and other online music stores have done nothing more than throw lots of green into the pockets of big time record executives. They're the ones that get the largest cut out of record sales anyway. To just add other ways for artists music to be accessed other than going out and buying the album just doubles what these companies are going to be making. It's ludicrous. I don't really think that it's going to change music all that much from what has already happened. Ipod's have been around for a while now and so has Itunes. What's going to be the difference five or ten years down the road? Nothing! Bands will be getting their cut, execs will be getting theirs, and producers etc... I'll say this, it hasn't changed how I buy music nowadays. I've always gone out and bought the artists cd, because if it's an artist I don't like, i'm not going to buy their music in the store, let alone the internet. I buy cd's to the bands I listen to. Simple as that. The music industry will always make that dough. They've been doing it for a long time now. Don't expect it to stop anytime soon.

Parody and Fair Use

I totally think it's fair for someone to create a parody of someone else's work. Some would consider it plagiarizing because you are using context from their work, but if you change it up big deal. The Wind Done Gone and Gone With the Wind, maybe they are about the same story. But guess what, they were told from two totally different aspects. In my eyes, I don't think that you could have a legitimate lawsuit against somebody over that. So big deal they made a parody or satire of your work. Get over it! That's the beauty of fair use.