CFP: Napster at 25 years
This year is the 25th anniversary of the founding of Napster. At the time, the software allowed computer users to access music files online for
the first time in an efficient manner. Following its release, record executives swore it would end recorded music; in fact, record labels continue to see profits every year.
However, the impact of Napster was much larger than just downloading music. The technology changed the Internet to facilitate the exchange of files on a large scale. Corporations across media and cultural industries reacted to stifle the burgeoning peer-2-peer software’s development. A cadre of lawyers and lobbyists worked to stop filesharing and change the laws governing the Internet. These changes altered the cultural development of software and trapped us in an era of unending consumption.
We’re interested in short (1,000-5,000 word) descriptive, analytical, and/or polemical pieces or longer critical article manuscripts of any length. Submit manuscripts to http://fastcapitalism.com by June 15. Please contact David Arditi darditi@uta.edu with questions.