Randall E. Stross

Randall E. Stross argues in the following viewpoint that allowing unregulated exchange of free music over the Internet may destroy record companies and harm artists and consumers. He claims that record companies serve customers in a way that the Internet cannot duplicate: they cull out less-talented artists, which enables musicians with more potential—whom they subsidize—to succeed. Stross predicts that other industries dealing in intellectual property—such as book publishing— will likewise be destroyed if the sharing of their products over the Internet remains unregulated. Randall E. Stross writes for U.S. News and World Report.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Stross, who are the music industry’s most prominent defenders?
2. Why is the author skeptical that websites like Napster will encourage consumers...