Mental health programs Essay

Community health programs based in churches have been highly successful, although occasionally confusing and stressful for pastors to administer. However, it is not only physical health programs which have thrived; mental health and chemical dependency programs are an important supplement to church ministry and community service. Thompson and McRae argue that the Black church itself offers a positive therapeutic effect to its congregation, even without a formal mental health ministry in place. They discuss the historical basis for the Black church’s creation of community; the creation of the â€Å"we† group rather than the individual â€Å"I† and the need for belonging with a group, rather than to a group (41). They state â€Å"Embedded within the individual were past experiences, traditions, values, and norms for emotions, cognitions, and behaviors conducive to relatedness and â€Å"interpersonalness† that reflected a collective sense of belonging with rather than to, caring, similar others (Thompson & McRae, 41). † The Black church, in Thompson and McRae’s view, has created a bridge for the gap between the historic slave experience and the modern Black experience which helps ease the mental transition between worlds, and created a framework for dealing with hostility. They state â€Å"The Black church nurtures the survival of its members through providing a supportive, caring environment to facilitate an ever-widening upward spiral of positive cognitive, affective and behavioral outcomes for growth and change (Thompson & McRae, 46). † While the mere fact of church fellowship has a positive effect on its members, Black church involvement in formal mental health ministry programs has a significant impact on its members as well. Blank discussed the importance of mental health care within the church setting. They state that there are four areas of community care considered most effective in the church setting. These are primary care delivery, mental health, health promotion and disease promotion and health policy. Their review of studies underscored the importance of natural helpers (friends and extended family), lay helpers and most especially church leaders in the delivery of mental health care through an informal care system. Blank discussed the state of mental health care in the rural South in the 1970s; the population was discovered by researchers studying psychiatric utilization and morbidity in the area to be underserved, despite the general view that rural life was superior to urban. The problems contributing to low psychiatric utilization are complex; problems with service delivery, low quality of care (especially among minority patients) and lack of providers are entangled with social stigma surrounding psychiatric care, economic and social factors, geographic distance from providers, poverty, race and class issues to create a morass of issues a patient must slog through to acquire psychiatric care. Blank notes that at the time of the study, most counties lacked a single doctoral-level mental health professional; only 3% of licensed psychiatrists practice in the rural South, a number which has not changed significantly since the 1970s. In addition to the socioeconomic issues with receiving psychiatric care in the rural South, there are further problems relating to doctor-patient relations. Some theorists state that white mental health care providers cannot provide optimal care to Black patients because of their lack of knowledge and understanding of Black history and culture, as well as a lack of understanding of the difficulty of being Black in a white world; furthermore Black patients are less likely to trust white care providers due to racial tensions and differences in worldview (Blank , 1668). Instead, Black patients are considered to have a preference for Black care providers. While some studies have shown that Black patients do prefer Black care providers, stated reasons for this preference are a perception of greater professional competence and attitude, as well as racial and cultural compatibility (Blank , 1668). Blank emphasize the importance of sensitivity and cultural competence; it can lead to a greater understanding of non-normative minority behavior as well as an increase in trust levels between provider and patient which increase the possibility of a successful outcome. Blank discusses the cultural responsiveness hypothesis, which states that the effectiveness of psychotherapy is directly related to the therapist’s ability to communicate an understanding of the patient’s cultural background. Lack of this cultural responsiveness might account for some of the racial divide in diagnosis, treatment and premature termination of treatment observed between Black and white psychiatric patients (Blank, 1669). Blank hypothesized that rural churches provide fewer social and mental health services than urban churches, and that they have fewer links with the formal care system; furthermore, because of the importance of the church in the Black community and the historic exclusion of Black from formal care systems (schools, mental health services, etc), Black churches would provide more social and mental health services than white churches, but with fewer links to the formal care system (1669). Blank tested their theory using a phone survey of Black and white church leaders in both rural and urban areas in the South (defined in their study as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missisippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia (Blank, 1670)). A total of 2,867 churches were targeted, with a total of 269 completed interviews, or an overall participation rate of just under 10% (Blank, 1670). Rural Black churches, the targeted demographic, were actually least likely to participate in the study, with only a one in fourteen survey completion rate; the researchers cited lack of full-time staff creating difficulties reaching church leaders and a high rate of church leader refusal as factors in this low completion rate (Blank, 1670). The researchers discussed topics such as church demographics, including size and racial composition of the congregation, number of services held and attendance at the services, the church budget and founding date; problems the church’s congregants faced that the church leader considered to be most important; specific questions about mental health services provided by the church or church leader, including such issues as depression, paranoia, nervous breakdown, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and attempted suicide; What type of support services were offered formally by the church to deal with these types of issues; and what links to the formal care system, including hospitals, care providers and support services like Alcoholics Anonymous existed, and if links existed to what level church leaders provided referrals to the formal care system (Blank, 1669). The researchers then constructed four different scales on which to rank the churches: Problems, which quantified the degree to which responding churches dealt with mental health problems over the previous two years; Programs for Adults, which quantified the number of mental health programs offered by the church, including those dealing with alcohol and substance abuse, marital counseling, sex education and counseling, domestic violence and sexual assault; Programs for Children, which quantified programs specifically aimed at support for children, including individual and family support services; and finally Programs for Teenagers, which quantified programs specifically aimed at support for teens. Referrals, both in and out, were also quantified (Blank, 1670). Statistical analysis using factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the correlation between the varying factors. The researchers found some surprising differences in funding – when adjusted for congregation size, rural white churches had substantially larger budgets than rural Black churches, and urban Black churches also had significantly larger budgets than the rural Black churches (Blank, 1670). However, both urban and rural Black churches were shown to offer significantly higher numbers of mental health programs overall than their white counterparts. There were no statistically significant variables in the study of links between referrals, but the modal response among churches overall was 0, indicating that all churches tend to lack links with the formal care system (Blank, 1671). Blank extrapolate concerning the possible reasons for lack of links between the formal care system and the informal care system provided by churches. They note that one of the difficulties may be historical in nature; because churches are often divided among racial and ethnic lines, there may be barriers to connection between the formal care system and churches precipitated by racial and ethnic tensions. Additionally, because churches have played a role as a political entity in the past, there may be lingering social tensions between churches and formal care systems which prevent these roles. (Blank, 1671). Another barrier may be the different paradigms of the formal care system and the church regarding the nature, causes and treatment of mental health problems.

Network Infrastructure Planning

Course number CIS 408, Network Infrastructure Planning, addresses the issue of network design in both peered-network and client/server environments. The topics emphasized in this course are network topology, routing, IP addressing, name resolution, virtual private networks (VPNs), remote access and telephony. I believe that my training and experience as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) fully encompasses the topics included in this course, and I should receive work-life credit for this course. I gained the skills and knowledge included in this course through a number of training courses for exams leading up to my MCSE certification. The main exam in this series for network infrastructure planning was Exam 70-219, Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure, which I took in 2001. Related article: Advantage Energy Technology Data Center Migration In addition to the associated training, work experience consisting of one or more year’s experience designing network infrastructure in an environment with greater than 200 users, at least 5 physical locations, all typical network services including file and print servers, proxy servers and/or firewalls, messaging servers, desktop clients and remote dial-in or VPN servers, and remote connectivity requirements including remote offices and individual users, as well as connection of corporate intranet services to the Internet. Some facets of the topics covered in this course were also covered in Exam 70-296, Planning, Implementing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for MCSE Certified on Windows 2000, which I took in 2005 while gaining my Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA) certification. Requirements for this exam included the MCSE certification I had gained previously, as well as experience in network infrastructure planning and user support. Network topology planning was covered in Exam 70-219. This included considerations such as physical layout of the proposed network, LAN topology requirements, physical connectivity requirements and business case analysis for the network proposal. Current hardware availability as well as planned network growth, upgrades and user growth were discussed. Network security, both software-based and physical, was taken into consideration. I learned to both design a network topology from scratch as well as to modify an existing topology for new requirements. Routing requirements using both TCP/IP and DHCP were also covered in these training sessions. Designing TCP/IP subnetting, implementation and optimizing TCP/IP routing strategies, as well as integrating existing systems with newly designed systems were discussed and practiced. Name resolution using such protocols as DNS and WINS were covered in detail. I learned to create a number of different DNS designs, including a basic design, a highly-available design, security-enhanced designs. I also learned how to optimize DNS designs, performance measurement for DNS and how to efficiently deploy a new DNS system. WINS was also discussed; design strategies, optimization and performance measurement, and deployment were covered exhaustively. Multi-protocol strategies for maximum interconnectivity and flexibility were also discussed. Design of remote access, telephony and external access strategies, including WAN (wide-area network) and VPN strategies as well as Internet connectivity, were a further topic of these training sessions and the subsequent exam. WAN design was covered from the standpoint of both dial-in and VPN access.   Dial-in remote access security was emphasized, with design considerations including Routing and Remote Access protocols and authentication with RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service). VPN (virtual private network) access was discussed, with Routing and Remote Access being emphasized as well as a demand-dial strategy. The training also encompassed telephony system design considerations, including traditional telephony switchboard-based services as well as Voice over IP (VoIP) services. Connectivity to external Internet was also a focus of the training; design considerations included inbound connection control, firewalling and proxy servers and other security requirements unique to the corporation. My training and experience as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer has thoroughly prepared me in the subject matter offered in this course. Formal training as well as six years experience in network infrastructure planning, including such designs as network topology, protocol configuration and monitoring, integration of telephony, remote access and outside connectivity services as well as attention to business requirements, has given me a depth of knowledge and experience in network infrastructure planning equal to or greater than the knowledge I would gain from CIS 408. I feel I am very well qualified to receive work-life credit for this course.         

Role of Nssf in Welfare Development

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) was established in 1965 by an Act of Parliament under cap 258 Laws of Kenya. The Fund was intended to serve as the 1st pillar of social security for Kenyan workers. The ILO defines Security as the protection which society provides for its members through a series of public measures against the economic and social distress that otherwise would be caused by stoppage, or substantial reduction of earnings resulting from sickness, maternity, employment injury, unemployment, invalidity, old age and death the provision of medical care and the provision of subsidies for families with children.Social security is important for the well being of workers, their families and the entire community. It is a means of creating social cohesion, thereby helping to ensure social peace and social inclusion. It is an indispensable part of the government social policy and important tool to alleviate poverty. It can through national solidarity and fair burden sharing, contribute to human dignity, equity and social justice. It is also important for political inclusion, empowerment and the development of democracy. 1 SOCIAL SECURITY STRUCTURE IN KENYAKenya has several types of schemes which offer social security which can be divided into three broad categories:- 1. Public Schemes †¢ The NSSF †¢ The NHIF †¢ The Civil Servants Pension Fund †¢ The local Authorities Pension Trust †¢ The Public Universities Superannuation Pension Fund †¢ The Workmen’s Compensation Fund †¢ The widows & Orphans Compensation Fund †¢ The Parliamentary Pensions Fund These are established by Acts of Parliament. 2. Occupational Scheme 1 ILO resolution on social security, Geneva 2001 1 The Occupational schemes are run by employers for their employees and are underwritten by private insurance companies. . Individual Schemes The individual schemes are private schemes designed for the employed, self-employed and/ or for those in non- personable employment. The public schemes, occupational and individual schemes cover workers mainly in the formal sector. They form the first pillar where membership is not optional but compulsory. The Occupational schemes form the second pillar where membership is either voluntary or mandatory and are privately managed. The voluntary schemes form the third pillar where membership is voluntary. REGULATION OF PENSION SCHEMES IN KENYAThe Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) is the regulator and supervisor of pension schemes in Kenya. Currently, 1350 pension schemes are registered with RBA and cover 15% of the Kenyan Labour force. Labour Force Statistics The total labour force is estimated at 8 million out of which 2. 5 million are employed in the formal sector. 2 NSSF has the largest share of the working labour force as illustrated in figure 2. Fig 2: Coverage Within the RBA 15% of Workforce67%22%11%0%1234 1- National Social security Fund 2- Civil service Pension Scheme – Occupa tional Retirements Benefit schemes 2 Central Bureau of statistics, 2007 2 4- Individual Retirements Benefits Scheme Source: Retirements Benefits Authority, 2004 MEMBERSHIP OF NSSF In 1966 membership of the Fund was 252,107. Over the years, membership has steadily grown and the Fund has a cumulative registered membership of 3,569,573. The Fund attributes this growth to an increase in the working urban population. The current active membership accounts are 887,421. NSSF currently draws its membership from workers in the formal sector of the economy.The Fund’s mandate is to register members, collect contributions, invest the contributions and pay specified benefits. The scheme is financed entirely by the employer/employee monthly contributions set at 5% of wages based on a ceiling of Kshs 4000 per month. Table 1: Membership and Contributions Received Year 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Members Registered 106,483 97,066 94,356 80,585 68,144 62,633 64, 301 110,413 117,508 139,100 Contributions (Kshs billions) 1. 538 1. 589 1. 539 1. 593 1. 650 1. 688 2. 562 3. 602 3. 847 4. 00 TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS PAYABLE TO NSSF There are three types of contributions payable to the Fund namely:- †¢ Standard contributions in respect of regular workers at kshs. 200 (employer) and Kshs. 200 (employee) †¢ Special contributions in respect of casual workers at 5% of the employer’s total wages bill †¢ Voluntary contributions payable in respect of self employed persons. Voluntary contributions range from a minimum of Kshs. 100 to a maximum of Kshs. 1000 The financial resource of NSSF is totally dependent on its members and not government funded.The types of contributions payable to NSSF have varied over time as follows:- 3 Table 2: Monetary ceiling on contributions Year Total (Kshs) Employer’s contribution (Kshs) Employee’s contribution (Kshs) 1966-1977 80 40 40 1977-2001 160 80 80 2001 400 200 200 There are differen t types of benefits paid by NSSF to its members. The Age Benefit or Retirement benefit is paid to a member who is 55 years and is no longer in employment. Payment is a single lump sum made up of total contributions and interest earned over the contribution period. Minimum interest according to law is 2. % per annum. The age benefit is paid to a member who has attained age 55 and has retired from regular employment. The withdrawal benefit is paid to a member who is at least 50 years and is unemployed. The invalidity benefit is paid to a member who is certified as being permanently incapable of working and there is no age barrier prescribed. The emigration grant is paid to a member who is permanently leaving the country and no age barrier is prescribed. The survivor’s benefit is paid to eligible dependants of a deceased member. The funeral grant which amounts to kshs. ,500 is paid to the family of the deceased member to help defray funeral expenses. In summary form the original mandate of the NSSF has been registration of eligible members, collection of monthly contributions, investment of the contributions mainly in Government Securities and payment of the contributions when due. Table 3: Contributions & Benefits paid since 1997 Financial statistics in billions of Kshs Year ended 30th June 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Contributions 1. 59 1. 54 1. 59 1. 65 1. 68 2. 50 3. 60 3. 85 4. 29 4. 6 Benefits paid 1. 53 1. 62 1. 79 1. 87 2. 21 2. 20 2. 09 2. 23 2. 3 2. 85THE ROLE OF NSSF IN THE WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE KENYAN SOCIETY The Fund plays the role of securing the future of its members. After several years of contribution members are assured of a lump sum payment that goes towards alleviating 4 poverty. Studies have shown that the payments by NSSF have assisted members in different ways. The Fund is an active participant at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). Quantitatively the Fund's portfolio at the Stock Exchange is equivalent t o 8 °1o of the NSE value. In this regard the Fund helps to stabilize the operations of the NSE. The Fund has shareholdings in companies such as Bamburi Cement (17 °10).E. A Portland Cement (27 °10), KPLC (7 °10), Kenya Commercial Bank (9 °10), Kenya Breweries (60/0), British America Tobacco (160/0), National Bank of Kenya (480/0) among others. Should the Fund decide to dispose off its equity, this would drastically affect the stock exchange. The Fund has also developed several estates in Nairobi and Eldoret. The purchasers pay 100/0 deposit and are allowed to reside in the residential houses while paying the balance in monthly instalments for a period of 15 years. This enables Kenyans to own homes at a more affordable rate through a Tenant Purchase Scheme that is friendly. The interest rate is fixed.This goes on to assist the Government's goal of providing affordable housing to Kenyans. Besides, NSSF has several commercial buildings and plots around the country. The rents charged are fair and this stabilizes the costs of office space in the country. With regard to the plots, the Fund has sold over 2000 plots at Tassia to low income earners through the Fund's Tenant Purchase Scheme. Through collection of monthly contributions from the workers of this country, the Fund plays a role of mobilizing savings. This money is re-invested in the economy and conversely helps the government mop up excess liquidity.Part of the contributions is used to buy Government Treasury Bills and Bonds and this enables the government to carry out its financial obligations. The Fund has 39 branches spread across the Country and makes deposits in several banks where its branches are. These deposits improve liquidity of the banks enabling the banks to lend loans to the Society. It also plays the role of an Employer to Human Resource. Currently the Fund has employed 1,800 personnel who in turn support their nuclear and extended families. This can be construed to be a very positiv e role in the Kenyan Society.In its daily operations, the Fund is a consumer of goods and services. There are several service providers who benefit from them. Thus the NSSF creates employment indirectly to Kenyans by way of utilizing the services of Kenyan Companies. This includes supply of materials such as stationery, security, training, information technology and construction. 5 If the proposed conversion of the NSSF from a Provident Fund into a Pension Scheme is effected, it will be paying its members monthly pension as opposed to lump sum payment. This will greatly enhance poverty reduction in Kenya.CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY In the Fund's reforms and changes the Board of Trustees and Management have made a decision to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility and involve the society at the following various levels. †¢ Corporate Membership to the Kenya Society for the Blind The Fund is a Corporate Member of the Kenya Society for the Blind and donates Kshs. 50,000 /= annually. †¢ Target Women and Children When you invest in women you invest in communities. The Fund believes in supporting small and upcoming women's groups in an effort to eradicate poverty.The Fund gives donations, offers advice, helps with investments and recruits the women through Voluntary Membership. This enables them to save with the Fund for their future. With regard to children, the Fund is actively involved in health campaigning through ventures of Mater Hospital Heart Run. The Fund contributed Kshs. 100,000/= towards this cause in 2007. It plans to set up mechanisms to help educate children who are bright through scholarships and intends to target KCPE and KCSE. The initial plan is to look for a brilliant child in each province. Standing Donation to the Elderly Members of the Society Each year the Fund donates Kshs. 50,000/= to Helpage Kenya, an Organization dealing with the welfare of the Aged. Each year the NSSF also donates foodstuffs and blankets to the elderl y. †¢ Participation in National Disasters 6 The Fund participates in National Disasters. Last year the organization through its Trustees donated Kshs. 1. 5 million towards Famine Relief. Staff members also came together to donate foodstuffs and money for the famine relief. †¢ Participation in Freedom of Hunger Walk The Fund gives a donation of Kshs. 00,000/= annually for the Freedom from Hunger Walk and also participates in the walk. †¢ Sponsors Athletics Events The NSSF sponsors events carried out by the Kenya Athletics Association. It intends to recruit young athletes to be its members and educate them on saving and steer them from poverty. †¢ Environmental Clean-up Staff Members get involved in environmental clean-up exercises in hospitals. The Staff members in Kisumu help the Women Fish mongers in the market to clean up their stalls. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE FUND †¢ One lump sum payment is made to the retiree which is inadequate. The benefits offered to t he members are limited. †¢ Limited public knowledge on the need on social security. †¢ Organizing the informal sector into a unit which can access social security. †¢ Slow growth of the formal sector. †¢ Retrenchment of Workers. †¢ High prevalence of HIV and AIDS. †¢ Tendency for employers to artificially understate workers to avoid compliance †¢ The contributions are very modest MILESTONES †¢ The autonomy of the Board of Trustees. †¢ Remarkable growth in membership. †¢ The Funds large market share in the retirement benefits industry. 7 †¢ The ability to pay the retirees. The introduction of Voluntary Contribution. †¢ The introduction of Funeral Grant. RECENT REFORM INITIATIVES †¢ Drafting of a Bill to convert the NSSF into a Pension Trust. †¢ Improved Investments portfolio through adherence to guidelines of the REA; appointment of custodian etc. †¢ Incorporation of the Informal Sector into all the NSSF's str ategic planning for growth of coverage. †¢ Improvement of service delivery through the decentralization of all core activities of the Fund to 39 branches spread countrywide. †¢ The Board of Trustees and Management are on performance contract

Deforestation In the amazon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deforestation In the amazon - Essay Example Agriculture is major factor influencing deforestation in the Amazon as individuals consider it a necessity for life to prosper on the planet. Before, age the Amazon rainforest was protected because individuals were hunters and gatherers hence did not venture into farming. However, changing times has forced individuals and the government to make unwise concession to allow the food growth into the region is a main source of rainfall. Allowing food growth to sustain life does not mean that major sites like the Amazon rain forest should be destroyed. Unfortunately that has been reason behind the deforestation activities going on around the Amazon. The rainforest is slowly being lost as the land in which it is based is being cleared by individuals to enable them practice agriculture in the region. Different land clearing techniques which care harmful to the environment and to the rainforest like slush and burn have been adopted by individuals and are used in clearing the Amazon forest (Ca mpari 2). The slash and burn technique is a cheap way of clearing land in preparation for agricultural activities. Individuals living around the Amazon use it to cut down trees and clear bushes before setting fire on the area to get rid of the cut and cleared trees and bushes. It is also an efficient way which has been proved to be cause of the deforestation in the Amazon as very little costs is associated with accomplishing the tasks. In addition, the situation is further aggravated by the lack proper techniques for farming leading to a speedy desert formation in the Amazon area which for centuries has been considered to be full of fauna and flora life (Campari 83). Moreover, over the last year, the Amazon rainforest experienced an increased rate of forest fires caused by the slush and burn used by the locals in the region. Additionally, individuals keeping cattle have also

Probation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Probation - Essay Example Probation oriented towards providing rehabilitation or therapeutic services to nonviolent offenders, a logical targeting of probation resources The punishment component therefore is to managed by the law enforcement agencies that already perform surveillance and control (police and sheriffs). An option is to increase specialization within probation by licensing more private agencies that offer Drug and alcohol treatment, education, and mental health services are also provided through contract with private providers. Day reporting centers for probation offenders are the cornerstones of local's corrections privatization in California. Day reporting centers might initially supervise low risk probation offenders who are not sentenced to jail. They agitate for imposition of home confinement sanctions, more frequently for pre-sentence surveillance in conjunction with electronic monitoring than as a stand-alone sanction. Electronic monitoring allows for long distance surveillance of offenders by either passive or active devices. Passive devices operate via radio transmissions in a wrist or ankle bracelet. Active devices use home telephones and computerized random calls to an offender's residence. Electronic monitoring is a component of many house arrest and ISP programs. Offenders may be sentenced directly to electronic monitoring, but some are placed on this sanction when jail crowding occurs, while others are placed on a monitor after violating a previous probation sanction Probation/Parole as agency of rehabilitation In a rehabilitative role the probation officer serves as a social caseworker, a counselor whose primary concerns are generally in the best interest of the offender. In this role, a probation officer must know how to interview, how to obtain facts about an offender's background, how to identify and distinguish surface from underlying problems, what community resources exist, and how to make referrals to such resources. Counseling is required for a variety of offenders including thieves, serious drug offenders, domestic violence offenders, and sex offenders. They are usually given a high-risk assessment status and are monitored closely by counseling staff and specialized probation officers. Who monitor some rehabilitation-related activities such as urinalysis testing, outpatient drug and contracting-out treatment and residential alcohol treatment Probation/Parole as advocate agents With probation inclined towards privation could possibly lead to the probation-related functions. Probation bonds could be required from appropriate offenders. The bonds would be privately guaranteed; with the bonding agency ensuring that a probationer fulfills the terms of probation this would be similar to the current bail system. Public Owned/Volunteer-Operated Day Reporting Centers Probation/Parole as law enforcement agents [ The main idea for probation was to offer alternative sanction programs that required Parolees judged in need of daily structured regimentation to undergo intensive supervision, including frequent and unannounced contact by probation officers outside a confined jail environment. In the law enforcement role, however, the probation officer is a control agent, an authoritarian figure, and a threat to the offender's conditional freedom. The dual role of probation is evident in the classic definition: "Probation strives to protect the community through the rehabilitation of the offender.

The Amish Way of Life and Culture Research Paper

The Amish Way of Life and Culture - Research Paper Example The first is the pity on a person who would not take advantage of technological advancements to ease the burden of his life and will lack the distinctiveness of individuality and modernization to decide his own way towards progress. The other view is the honesty, integrity and qualities of the saint hood in the Amish culture and traditions that portray them as the only true Christians remained on earth. The stagnant nature of Amish society has turned it into a tourist attraction but by no means neither are an archaeological discovery nor are the relics of a forgotten world. The only thing is that they have evolved their own perspective about the modernization of the other large cultures and have learned their own way to life in homogeneity with the larger society. They exhibit a deviating strategy of modernization than others (Kraybill, 2001). So called civilized ways have as always been in disagreement with Amish ways of life and culture as decades ago. The argument that Amish impos e greater fatigue and stress on themselves and their generations by denying use of modern technology to ease life or that they really want a more simple life needs validation. Survival, increase in life expectancy and transformation of tribes into rural and urban societies has been taught by the developments in the civilizations. However, Amish ways have taught us the cost of human life, when children leave their parents to old homage, people estrange from neighbors and spiritual and traditional life is cast away in paced forward life style (Hostetler, 1993). The purpose of this report is to communicate the Amish way of life and culture to equip reader with the comprehensive knowledge and place him in a position where he can develop an understanding of diversity in human cultures. The reports focuses on the formulation of Amish believes, development of communal life, ability to avoid rapid modernization, and consequences of a slow changing society. The Amish History Hostetler (1993) is of the view that most of the followers of the European history are well aware of religious movement Protestant Reformations in 16th century led by Martin Luther with aim to counter the imprudent and lavish expenses of the church. However, in the same time another significant movement was in place to reform the church based on religious teachings of Christianity in around 1525 originated at Zurich led by Ulrich Zwingli. This group was formally named as Brethren, also known as Anabaptists meaning rebaptizers. The major principle of this group was to baptized volunteer adults rather than children and distance from the worldly desires. The aim of Brethren was to form a church free from any state and political influences. Soon after its formation, the movement grew rapidly and its members were persecuted both by Roman church and by the faction of Martin Luther, who felt threatened by their ideology and radicalism. The consequences of these persecutions were prayers at night and meeti ngs at secret places. This is often viewed as a strong reason of their withdrawal from society. In the beginning there were indeed no influential leaders, thus the movement remained divided among different factions each with their own agenda and path to achieve it. One of the most renowned Anabaptist leaders was Menno Simons, who joined the movement in 1536. He made many efforts to unite all the factions of the Anabaptist movement under one umbrella. His followers are now known as Mennonites (Hostetler,

Japan and American politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japan and American politics - Essay Example Their motto being â€Å"Japanese spirit, Western things†. This is easily discernable by their deep involvement in the modern economic growth of their own country as well as the East Asia, yet their refusal to give up their own culture and sense of identity. This is not limited to the clothes they wear, or the language they speak, but can also be discernable by the customary practices of the Japanese in their offices as well as their clinging to local traditions that help maintain harmony in their lives. There is no denying that this form of modernization has been successful in maintaining balance and harmony in the lives of the Japanese, both at home and at work in corporations. They have successfully brought together their own culture with the economic policies of the West. However, sometimes the â€Å"Japanese spirit, Western things† slogan has been given another meaning by the anti-liberal Japanese, who want to amalgamate Western technology in such a way into the Japanese system that it would protect them from political competition and protect their interests alone. Hence, the slogan is used to protect economic and political threat to their powers, which they refuse to share or give up. This causes a lot of problems for the Japanese economy, as it results in bad businesses carrying on with little or no respite for the investors, and the bad or weak corporations continuing their business with little or no accountability, and often by a monopoly. Albeit, this slogan has helped maintain Japanese identity and has enabled them to have their own place, culturally and economically in the world, however, it has resulted in many a losses, which include the losses resulting from their refusal to allow competition and private enterprising in many domestic sectors, as Japanese culture is hostile towards competition in the economic life. Moreover, the Japanese back bad banks, and refuse to close down even those

Feminist Analysis of Pop Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Feminist Analysis of Pop Culture - Essay Example Women were projected as mere puppets, and men became all the more chauvinist and domineering. Thus, a need for Third-wave feminism arose, which could deal with the changing norms of objectification. The third-wave feminism provided a strong base that not only transferred the improper objectification in the favor of women, but also upheld womanhood irrespective of race, color, ethnicity and sexual-orientation. Literature and media gained influence from Third-wave and hence, a new-age approach towards feminism developed. This paper is an attempt to identify the core beliefs of new form of feminism, and will analyze its representation in media through a movie that follows similar lines. For this paper, acclaimed director Zack Snyder's year 2011 movie Sucker Punch has been selected to be reviewed, which comprehensively displays post-feminist discourse and entails a convincing portrayal of third-wave feminism in popular culture forms. Understanding Third-Wave Feminism: Feminism in contemp orary era has evolved into a modernized (I-e well-acquainted with the current scenarios) avatar known as the post-feminist approach. According to Judith Butler, the very essence of third-wave feminism implies that â€Å"challenging gender roles alone will be inadequate to effect social change. The new goal for feminist and sexuality movements should be to defy the faith in the existence of an innate sexuality and natural sex categories† (Hull 54). The theory entails that women do not need to fight for gaining self-identity, or long to change the sex-based symbolism in a male-oriented society. Instead, it suggests that women should acknowledge their womanhood and use it to empower themselves; instead of despising being a female, they have to use their femininity for achieving the maximum benefits. Constructivism rules this new doctrine. According to Leslie Heywood and Jennifer Drake â€Å"contradiction marks the strategies and desires of third-wave feminists† (Zeisler 1 16). Empowerment is the best word that can describe the approach of this barely structured but extremely powerful theory of feminism in the present age. It cleverly switches gear and transforms significant norms that targeted women before into a tool for them. That is because stereotypical concepts and images that were termed as embodying womanhood, actually were a product of male preferences. The discrimination based on color, physique and race, and â€Å"mirroring the erasure of black womanhood from pop culture† emerged because they preferred white women (Hooks 264). Sex-display genre, which included pornographic images, restrictive attires like corsets, performances like erotic dances, and strip-tease, etc., developed to further objectify women and they became entities of gaining pleasure only (Nally 621). Third-wave feminism re-applied these self-induced norms from a female-benefiting perspective. The take of contemporary females of pop culture, and eminent third-wave act ivists on the genre of sex-display has been an ironic one, and as per Judith Butler’s queer theory, it is also comical. A culture of giving men what they want to see but at the same time being in control and making fun of male preferences started off convincingly with Madonna, and has come of age now with the likes of Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani and Kei$ha (Halberstam 8). Rachel Shteir describes that today â€Å"

Aviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Aviation - Essay Example interfered with following the construction of the new Air Traffic Control Tower whose thick walls to some extent blocked the controllers view some portions of the runways, approach paths and also ramps (Young & Wells, 2011). Following these observations, the Federal Aviation Administration suggested the demolition of the new tower in order to avoid risks associated with reduced visibility of the runways and ramps by the air traffic controllers. The President of Miami branch of National Air Traffic claimed that the construction of the new tower was too risky since failure of the controllers to see and guide aircrafts appropriately would lead to unnecessary accidents. The design of the new tower was direly criticized by air traffic controller and some even swore never to work on that tower if at all it was finally established (Brown, 2000). Miami Airport has the 10th busiest runway in the entire country with an increased level of air traffic hence does not deserve to have issues of blockage of runways as would have happened if the new tower was opened. Observations of aircraft usage is done by the controllers by use of cameras that are able to observe beyond the walls of the new tower so as to minimize risks of accidents before demolition of the new tower occurs. The nearest airport to Miami International Airport is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport while other big airports around the vicinity are South Bimini Airport and Palm Beach International Airport (Brown,

Gender,love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Gender,love - Essay Example She believes that one day they will meet and celebrate together as a family. Odysseus enjoys a luxurious life with Calypso (Mitchell, Adrian & Homer 43). However, he admits that his wife cannot be compared to Calypso that is why he plans for a homecoming. Although he encounters different challenges in his homecoming, he is focused to arrive at his home. He is confident in all his undertakings and the thirsts for glory. The focus he has in attaining his goal clearly portrays the meaning of love. Additionally, the place of women in relation to gender is clearly portrayed in Odyssey. Telemachus after his father’s departure takes over his father’s estate and protects his mother. Although he is young, he is given a task to undertake simply because he is a man. Additionally, after his father’s departure, different suitors come in to take the position of Odysseus (Russel& Peter 63). His wife is not allowed to lead and express her opinion. Instead, the people prefer the young man, although he is not old enough to take up the leadership position. Consequently,when Odysseus disappears, she gets pressure from suitors who want her to remarry. However, Penelope does not lose faith in her husband. Despite all the requests she gets from the suitors she upholds her position. Her reactions portray that she loved her husband. She spends nights weeping in her bed. However, as a result, of the pressure from the public, she responds to the suitors by giving them a challenge. Her unyielding love for Odysseus makes her believe that they will soon be back together (Kolker& Robert 45). She says that she will remarry after certain conditions are fulfilled. Subsequently, Penelope gives a challenge which she knows that her husband is the only person who can win it. She does this to appease the members of the community. However, she knows what she wants in life, and her decision is final in the matter. Although members of the society thing that they

Recent scientific discussion has renewed interest in the religious Essay

Recent scientific discussion has renewed interest in the religious aspects of cosmology. What is the anthropic principle and what is its religious significance - Essay Example hropic principle theorizes that the vital requirements for human life, such as the unique properties of water, the Earth’s atmosphere, the Earth’s distance from the Sun, and the solar system’s place in the galaxy, are so specific and perfect to human life that they could not have happened by chance. According to the anthropic principle, these variables had to have been planned this way due to how well aligned they are with the needs of human beings. The religious significance of the anthropic principle is that it suggests the possibility of intelligent design, meaning that the universe was created by a great force who took considerable care to make sure that humans could survive in the universe. To most religious denominations, this great force would be considered God, or another deity. Scientific discussions that have considered the anthropic principle are, by association, presenting the belief that the universe was indeed the result of intelligent design. If this is the case, then the origin of the universe, which is believed to be the result of the Big Bang in the scientific community, could be called into question in favor of a more religious beginning, such as the theory of creation in the Christian-based

How Is Science Combating Food Shortages in Africa Essay Example for Free

How Is Science Combating Food Shortages in Africa Essay Africa has been fighting a constant battle against starvation for decades. What with an uncontrollably growing population and harsh dry climate, its no wonder that not only Africa, but the world could be in for a big crisis: the lack of food. With over 7 billion people in this world to feed, one billion in Africa, its a wonder that our planet can support this mass population, and the situation is going to get much worse unless there is a solution as to how the shortage of food can be fixed. Since the 1970’s, scientists have experimented with Genetically Modified foods (GM foods). That means that they’ve changed the organisms, and the DNA, in order to enhance some aspects of the food or fix any possible faults. So far, GM organisms have proved to increase food production, which is a relevant and effective solution. This solution has indeed raised arguments, creating economical, ethical and societal implications. Genetically modified foods could be the solution to save Africa from the endless starvation and malnourishment. It offers something completely new; it is a biotechnical solution that is different to any other option considered to aid those suffering from the lack of food in Africa. GM crops grow faster, produce much more, need less time and less labor. It would be a permanent solution. Unlike transferring food across the oceans in order to give aid, GM foods would be able to be produced in the countries that actually will need and use them, instead of relying on other wealthier nations to bring it to them. This would also teach these less developed countries how to manage on their own, and not being supported or aided by the more economically developed countries. Even more positive aspects of this solution are, that these GM crops have longer shelf-life, meaning that they do not have to be consumed immediately, but they can be stored for longer. Furthermore; they don’t require as many natural resources and materials as normal crops, which is good cause Africa itself doesn’t offer that many, which is one of the reasons as to why it’s in the situation that it is in right now. This would give an exceptional amount of aid and hope to the people of Africa as it would fix one major issue that has been developing throughout the years, and help them defeat other problems that their nations are facing. However, there are always downsides to these new inventions. Firstly, GM foods haven’t been in the know for long enough to know if they have any side affects that humans should be concerned of. Many people resist the idea of genetical modification because of this uncertainty. The foods and crops could always trigger allergic reactions, which might be fatal in nations that offer poor medical aid, or any health impacts for humans and even animals. However, the certainty that these problems exist is only an assumption. For as far we know, there might be no bad consequences or effects that GMO’s might bring. Another issue is how this will work in the nations of Africa. The leaders of the nations might decide that this is an uncertain and doubtful solution, that might only bring harm to their countries. Or some nations might fear change, even if it could help the starvation issues that they’re struggling with. The only thing that the developed nations could do in this case, would be to try and negotiate as to how this solution can help them, not only temporarily but in the long run as well. Also, it will be a very cheap solution, which will be a major attraction to many nation as their economical situations aren’t that great. Furthermore, the annual cost of individuals having to purchase the genetically modified seeds will be an issue, as the continent is generally very poor. The effect of growing and consuming genetically modified crops is still unknown, however many possible and realistic assumptions have been made. A possible dilemma is the harm that these organisms could cause to other organisms in the nature. For an example, the mortality rate of monarch butterfly caterpillars has gone up recently, due to the wind blowing pollen from genetically modified B.t corn to milkweed plants, that the caterpillars consume. A nature study was held in order to find out whether this was true or not, and the results were in fact pointing towards the pollen being the cause of death. There are also countless other victims of genetic engineering, however they cannot be prevented as the toxins that kill the pests are also harmful to other insects. Unfortunately, in order to grow healthy crops without a financial loss, the use of these B.t toxins is essential. Another issue that could arise from this is cross-breeding of these herbicide tolerant crops and the weeds themselves, resulting in a ‘superweed’ that would be immune to these toxins. That could cause in mass destruction of crops and a great financial loss to the farmers, as well as an unnatural new specie. An issue that could arise within the use of GM crops is the strain on the economies of the nations using them. It would be quite expensive to transport the GM foods across the globe, and it would also take some time. Also, the cost of these seeds can be expected to rise due to the technology used to create them. A more developed country and farm could possibly afford the annual cost of these crops, however a less economically developed country cannot. A solution for this problem could be funding the production and research of GM foods. An example of such a funder is the Rockefeller Foundation, who has founded the research and production of genetically modified rice. GM rice would be a very costly process but with the help of funders and other wealthy companies the cost of expense can be reduced. Since the population of already 7 billion is estimated to almost double in the upcoming 50 years, the worlds biggest dilemma at the moment is to find a solution as to how to feed all these people and how our natural resources won’t be all used up. GM crops is one of the many solutions thought to solve this problem, however, like the rest of them, it comes with many different positive and negative aspects. Furthermore, since it is such a new invention, and not a lot of research has been done yet, the effects and consequences are unknown. If the massive population growth could be stalled for a few decades, say by introducing a one-child-policy, then the development of solutions such as GM crops could be completed meanwhile. This would be a really effective way to provide food aid to the peoples of the world, especially Africa, in order to defeat hunger and starvation, and it would also slow down the growth of the population, maybe even declining it.

Effects of Copyright on the Consumption Music

Effects of Copyright on the Consumption Music The aim of this dissertation is to understand the effects of copyright on the consumption and acquisition of music online. With a focus on Feels Like Free services such as Spotify as well as illegal file sharing services, research into the copyright issues surrounding the debate present a picture of how music is being consumed at present. Building on notable works and theories of research in the area {} the dissertation supplies evidence supporting the continuing dominance of labels as right-holders in the new digital era. With one-on-one interviews with emerging artists at the forefront of digital music as well as group interviews with consumers a convergence of opinion on key points provides an insight into the effectiveness of current digital music distribution services as well as the enforcement and enforceability of current copyright laws. Introduction This dissertation focusses on the challenges of distributing digital music in an era of unprecedented web use. Access to digital media is increasingly a part of peoples every day lives and the issues surrounding access to content and the legal implications therein are the subject of much debate. It is natural that the rights holders and their representatives would assume a position protecting their legal rights and the cases of pursuance of both individual and commercial rights infringers are well documented, however some say copyright law is dated (Negroponte, 1995) and beyond the task of policing the digital frontier of music distribution. This dissertation investigates the effect of copyright on audience and artist attitudes to digital music distribution in both legal and illegal forms. Using relevant literature and established studies it addresses the benefits of the chosen research for this investigation and provides results giving evidence for the various claims and counter cla ims made on both sides of the copyright argument. In doing so it is intended that my results will give a picture of current distribution methods and their ability to deal with copyright as well as rights holders ability to enforce it in an increasingly digitised age. By gathering evidence using one-to-one interviews with two emerging artists as well as consumer interviews conducted at group level I am able to establish the artists interaction with the process of copyright and the extent to which it alters their distribution of music whilst also engaging the audience in debate about their understanding and adherence to the existing issues surround accessing digital music. The involvement of both artist and audience provides a unique opportunity to pinpoint the present effect of the existing systems of music distribution and the copyright protection available. Digital Music Copyright At the crux of the debate surrounding digital music distribution is the issue of copyright and the infringement thereof. Arguments both for and against the current system of rights ownership and management are well documented and some clear division between the opinions of those who hope to gain capital from the ownership of rights and those who wish to produce and consume digital music is revealed. The representative bodies existing to support the rights of the artist , such as the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) have staunch views on the use of their intellectual property and defined by the BPI, copyright in its current form can be surmised as follows: Copyright is the foundations which the music business is built. In its simplest terms, it is a form of intellectual property and, as such, gives the creator or the owner/ author of that work exclusive rights over how it is published, distributed and adapted. (BPI [online] 2009) The collective gusto of the recording industry to enforce their stance on what they see as a critical issue to the music business has led to much bad publicity and a galvanisation of some copyright infringers as a group with a serious social point to make. Kembrew McLeod (2005) agrees that infringement of copyrighted material online presents a significant problem for the monopoly held by the industry giants, even going as far as to view this as a positive consequence of file sharing and distribution. Arguing in favour of a diminished corporate monopoly, McLeod uses examples of successes for smaller independent artists, helped in part by the evolution of media distribution methods available to cut out the middle-man. With both artist and audience interviews revealing a symRobhy for McLeodÊ ¼s statements, most participants demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the possible advantages that new distribution methods offer smaller/less established artists, who often work outsi de of the boundaries of the established music industry. Williamson Cloonan (2007) accuse the BPI of blurring its distinction between the ‘interests of British record companies which it claims to represent with a wider definition of the ‘music business . The process of recording, distributing and marketing music is one element of the music industry but its inferred connection to grassroots music of all levels seems to be the bone of contention, as is borne out in my group research. The strength of language words and aggressive tone of both the RIAA and BPI in dealing with infingers, combined with the appropriation of the wider music industry for moral grounds (Williamson Cloonan, 2003, p. 305-7) adds to a misunderstanding regarding what exactly the music industry is and how it affects users access to media. There is an obvious disparity in opinion on either side of the debate surrounding copyright law, with the nature of what copyright represents and who it protects a nd particularly how it is relevant to new digital models of distribution and consumption open to much debate. These diverging opinions are likely to have an impact on how consumers and artists understand the issues within this field, and clearly how they relate and react to them. Media Access The history and development of studying audiences and their consumption habits is by now highly sophisticated and the subject of much debate and research. Using the work of others as a guide as well as theory and research my aim is to understand how audiences are accessing digital content and if their understanding of the legality of so doing , alters how they interact with the content. Longhurst (2007) observes that the most significant contemporary change to [music consumption] is coming through downloadability (p. 205). The pervasive nature of digital consumption in todays culture is displayed throughout both artist and audience responses showing high levels of use and understanding of the medium. An RIAA commissioned report (Siwek, 2007) carried out in the United States by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) suggest that online copyright infringement costs the industry $12.5 billion annually(online). It is fair to assume the the access to both legal and illegal digital musi c is affect the industry greatly but these figures are open to criticism for there bias. The research of Huang (2005) into file sharing as a means of music consumption through group interviews of college students concludes that music file sharing is now a facet of music culture from a social perspective. My studies have some support for this claim with even artists describing extensive p2p use and one actively embracing it as a means of propagation of his material. Mascheroni et al (2008) conducted a comparable ethnographic study digital television consumption. The study concludes that young viewers are capable of defining their relationship with media based on present developments in the field rather than existing paradigms and traditions, and in doing so perhaps goes some way to explain the findings of Huangs research on college students. In similar ethnographic profiling Harwood (1997) compared television viewing Robterns of different aged groups, finding that decisions are representative of perceived Ê »social identityÊ ¼. It is arguable that similar influe nces are at play in consumers interaction with digital music consumption and with the increasing convergence of digital content, user generated content, and the social influences aforementioned, copyright infringement and any repressions appear to have very marginal impact on consumption habits. Based on the highlighted works the interaction between consumers and the legal implications surrounding content access are likely to vary in line with social perception and experience led understanding of the field. The fact that the artists were so Robert about file sharing, their involvement with it and its potential for positive use, adds weight to the claim copyright regulations for digital music are past their prime and lacking in effectiveness. Unique Online Considerations Various possible explanations for the ways in which digital media access has changed consumption habits have been covered previously. Increased media access has inevitably led to increased temptation to use nodal connectivity for illegal file sharing, although if the enactment of this abuse is as widespread as the BPI and RIAA would like us to think is another matter. Borne out of this peer to peer system of file distribution new products are being brought to market that provide alternatives to illegal acquisition of content. Analysing the manner in which consumers access content and services online has led to , sophisticated modEmmang of the accessibility and demand for said content and services. AndersonÊ ¼s (2006) presents a long tail model which serves as an example of such studies. The model refers to online commercial distribution with the most popular and commercial, products at one end of the graph with the highest volume of sales. The graph extends to illustrate the alm ost limitless potential for online sales in specialist or minority markets. Fig i. Long Tail Model (Anderson, 2006) Anderson further sets forth an opinion that the broadening of potential promotion and distribution online has increasingly opened up more possibilities for for both artists and consumers. Applying the long tail theory, it is obvious that it proposes a different system of economics to the traditional retail sector. Adding to this the obvious advantages of products being available around the clock, often irrespective of regional restrictions and the idea of a new economic model is further strengthened. The ability to cover areas of minuscule interest with little additional overheads enables retailers to offer huge depth of choice as well as broadening the idea of ownership of content through streaming.. Clearly the economics of online commerce are very different to the traditional model, however the rules of engagement surrounding copyright are expected to fit both models. two is different, yet the laws of copyright remain the same. Illegal sharing of content is viewed as an infringement of rights and therefore a form of theft as attested by the RIAA. The case that eventually closed the late nineties file sharing platform Napster, as detailed first by Merriden (2001) and then Menn (2003) illustrates the ramifications and interest in the first high-profile case of file sharing. Speaking of Napster Wall states; The record companies proposed that the Napster system ripped off artists and would kill music, while they made the legal argument that Napster encouraged the infringement of copyrights they held. Napster countered by arguing that members of Napster were making fair non-commercial use of the rights already assigned with the original sale of the record that had been converted into mp3 files. (Wall 2003, p223) Continuing where the Napster litigation left off, cases between the industry and p2p networks are still widespread today, showing that the industry has moved on little in the intervening years. The Swedish prosecution and proposed imprisonment of the creators of infamous file sharing tracker The Pirate Bay (Johnson Kiss, 2009) is perhaps the highest profile case today and could be seen as the modern Napster. In an attempt to bolster the music industries grasp on digital distribution a number of new models have been brought to market., Many mobile phone operators worldwide now offer unlimited music bundles with cell contracts and the emergence of streaming services mentioned such as Last.fm and Spotify, are seen in the group interviews to have a positive influence on peoples adherence to copyright. Gerd Leonhard (with Kusek 2005 2008) is describes these services as Ê »feels like free.Ê ¼ Advertising and premium service upgrades present the creates potential for capitalisat ion of music. Spotify has been a particular success in Europe, with the BBC reporting figures that already 5% of its users have upgraded to a premium service, giving it some 320,000 users paying  £10 per month for its full offering (BBC, 2010, online). This small percentage provides and annual turnover in the region of  £38,400,000 excluding additional revenue provided by advertising, proving that Spotify is a serious force in the online distribution business without even launching fully in the United States. By looking at audience habits and interaction with both copyright and media we can see that the new media model and the traditional approach to distributing music are increasingly unable to keep up with the consumer driven demand for online services, leaving companies such as Spotify to move in and become a type of new music industry for the 21st century. The difficulty inherent to their role is that the copyright for the material they wish to distribute is often owned by o ne of their more traditional predecessors. Methodology In this chapter I offer justification for the effectiveness of my methods for the collection of audience and artist responses to their interaction with digital music copyright. I use two groups of participants; one younger (16- 25) as well as a group from an older demographic of consumers (40-65) with both groups being representative of consumers as well as two individuals representative of artists. As this study represents a small cross section of the many people who are involved in roles as both consumer and artist definitive conclusions solely gathered from my findings alone are difficult to ascertain. The value however, of conducting the comparative interview types, is the provided overview of responses, and how they interplay with the core arguments surrounding the debate. Work by Huang (2005) and Macheroni et al (2008) would suggest that younger audiences are less concerned about the implications of peer to peer sharing and thus more likely to use the distribution method. Using relative methods I build upon their work, highlighting and supporting claims by providing complimentary evidence and similar findings. HuangÊ ¼s (2005) use of groups interviews highlighted specific areas of interest with direct interaction with audience members, whilst MascheroniÊ ¼s (2008) research adopted ethnographic studies of online, as well as off line interaction in a more one to one manner. Due to the nature of copyright interaction online ethnographic study of users could be applied to researching users of file sharing services. The problem with this is the anonymity in this type of cinteraction, discussed by Watt, Lea and Spears (2002). Although there is potential for some light to be shed on how audiences share music online, it would be difficult to rationalise the reasons for this activity, providing little evidence to illuminate the reader on audience behaviour. My own studies, made use of extensive one on one interviews allowing unsigned artists a mouthpiece within the debate. The benefit of exposing the artists to the one on one interview process was expected to be a greater understanding and experience of copyright yielding technical data on the subject. This was then coupled with group based research. With guidance from Bertrand and Hughes (2005, p81), the group interviews, were expected to benefit from inter-participant discussion allowing some involved to make up in shortfalls of technical knowledge. As a well established means of audience research, group interviews can help garner natural responses from participants. It must always be considered however that these discussions do not take place in unmonitored environments and so must be viewed as having the potential to be polluted by the participants knowledge that what is being said is also being recorded. A particularly pertinent issue given the legal climate surrounding the issues covered. The legal aspect of my research may encourage participants to shy away from full, Robert answers, however the focus group environment should also foster greater candour and less inherently solicited responses than that of one on one interviews for instance (Boubour 2007) although the combination of the two means of study should have a balancing effect on the results. Research Findings Here I present the findings of my primary research investigating the interplay between copyright issues and digital music consumption. The material put forward here is the product of the two group interviews and two individual interviews with consumers and artists respectively. The discussions centred around the same key themes including the participants access to and use of digital music as well as attitudes and understanding of the related legal issues. Of particular importance for my study are responses they may have relevance towards legal the constraints and considerations surrounding the notion of digital music access. Providing the the structural basis of this chapter my aim is to discover any visible Robterns between the responses of the two types of interviewee. Consumption Listening Habits: The primary question for the interviews is one of use and involvement in digital music. It is essential to establish the extent, if any, to which the interview subjects interact with digital music content, irrespective of its origin. The following section examines participant music consumption routines and in particular, digital music consumption habits. Based on their replies, I address the stereotype that older audiences are less willing and able to undertake interaction with new delivery methods whilst isolating comparisons between the groups in other forms of music consumption. On broaching the subject of use of digital music with the older group, it was clear that most participants were involved and responsive to the means of content distribution. Many of the group cited the iPhone or iPod as an influence on their ease of access and enjoyment of digital music, proving Apple have a huge say in how this market is set to develop. either using mp3 players or their mobile phone to co nsume digital music. When the group was asked if they had access to a digital music player the response was as follows, Howard: Of course IÊ ¼ve had mp3 phones for a good 5 years now and players for a bit longer. Dominic: Yeah me too I would say, not the players but the phones, I use an iPhone for everything now. Howard: I still use my player for jogging though, I dont like to be bothered by phone calls but I still want my music with me. Most made some use of access to digital music on a regular basis. This helps to dispel the myth of a generation gap regarding digital media use as alluded to in the work of Mascheroni et al (2008). Although this establishes a commonality in usage of devices we are yet to establish meaningful connections between access and consumption habits. In the older group. The concept of digital music consumption representing the mainstay of their listening habits produced varied responses. For the older group the response was as follows: Dominic: For the car or the house I spose real music, sorry I should say CDs and stuff I spose, real music is normally what I go for. Robert: Yeah the same really. This is similar to the attitudes of both artists interviewed. Biometrix: Yeah its really all about vinyl for me but that normally means I have to rip the vinyl if I want to listen to it on my phone or anything like that Gecko: I collect all sorts of CDs and records, when we go on tour I normally come back with a pile of discs Ive either bought or been given. With the artists and the older audience still actively engaged in the acquisition and collation of music it is clear that there is still a space for tangible products within the music industry. Such observations are notably absent when dealing with the younger of the group studies. In this group there was evidence of a fractured landscape of media access with no commonly held method of consuming music. Youtube, Spotify and Soundcloud provide a number of feels like free options for home use along with the ubiquitous iPod/Phone, however the access to music was overwhelmingly digital amongst this group. It can be said that both groups access digital content in a number of ways, with the younger group being more selective and more aware of different delivery methods, perhaps indicated by the greater disparity in the services and methods of consumption they chose. Within this younger group, extensive different ways of acquiring digital music were referenced, including demonstrable evidence of LeonhardÊ ¼s (2008) Ê »feels like freeÊ ¼ streaming services such as Spotify and Last.fm. The following extract is taken from the opening stages of the younger focus group; MarT: Spotify, mainly. Youtube too, but there is much less music on there now and when you find something you like it gets deleted after a while for copyright stuff. Spotify have made it so easy and if they have pretty much everything so you can just go there, and if you canÊ ¼t find it aint on Spotify there might be a live version or something on Youtube but the quality is always ropey. The only bad thing about Spotify is that you get ads but its still free and its much safer than downloading audio files. Steve: Everything is so joined up on Spotify, like suggested artists and playlists and stuff, I spose its similar on Youtube, you can spend hours exploring. Claire: And you dont have to buy anything or give your card details over. Similarly both artists are avid users of Spotify amongst other streaming services: Gecko: I know the money is peanuts for getting played on there but it makes you accessible to so many people, some of them dont have enough money to pay for your album or your mp3 or whatever but the fact that they can still access it is important to grow as an artist. Its like playing a gig and barely making the petrol money to get home. We all do it but some of us are a bit more relaxed about the good it does for us. Biometrix: I use Spotify all the time, really its stopped me stealing a lot of music really. Its so much easier than actually downloading something so normally I just do that because I cant be bothered finding what I want and then waiting on it to arrive on my computer. Clearly Spotify offers an innovative model that can fit into both of MyÃ… ¡kaÊ ¼s (2009) subscription service model categories. A monthly fee can be paid to allow listeners to enjoy uninterrupted music without advertising and also allow access to feature rich content such as mobile streaming and offline listening, as well as Leonhards (2009) Ê »feels like freeÊ ¼ model that is funded by advertising. Of the myriad methods of media access identified, use of Web 2.0 music consumption models such as Spotify demonstrates a fall in favour of traditional peer to peer networks, contrary to the testaments of the recording industry (Siwek, 2007.) This goes some way to enforce the claims of Leonhard (2009) that these new, lawful access streams provide an attractive alternative to illegal downloading and also allay industry concerns about copyright protection. The interview subjects also cited the simplicity of these new methods in allowing them to locate music without the extensi ve searching that is commonplace with peer to peer access to media. Engagement with File Sharing: In this section, we assess the subjects involvement with the file sharing. I present rationalisation of the participants use or otherwise of file sharing networks and investigate their understandings and interactions with the legal ramifications of such actions. As the conversation developed, unexpectedly within the older group, many of the participants had used peer to peer services in the past, whilst perhaps their usage was limited, responses seemed mixed. Shaun: IÊ ¼ve used Megaupload in the past Yeah. Subscribed to that. We didnt download without our subscription, but now lapsed, I dont about the kids but yeah, Megaupload. I used to et a lot of other stuff there like films and ebooks so it was great. We can see that the participants have an understanding of file sharing as a concept, if not perhaps the finer points of nodal networking. There is an inference that by purchasing a subscription the subject considers themselves to have bought their downloads. This is however false and the subscription simply provides faster download speeds. The artists had a more sophisticated understanding of how rights related to downloading and sharing content, however it is notable that this greater insight did little to dissuade them from partaking in file sharing. Biometrix: Yeah I do download stuff, not as much as I used to but if theres something I cant find on Spotify or Soundcloud or that stuff then I will just go on a torrent site but I feel bad about it, I reckon, well I reckon because I think about what it would be like if the musicians were like me, just starting out or something. The guilt mechanism in this response shows a belief that the RIAA/BPI position is correct and that the copyright issues surrounding this kind of media access is universally illegal. This shows some support for the industry having a direct influence over peoples online interactions despite their diminished market share. One of the artists in particular also uses p2p sharing to promote and distribute their own material. Biometrix: I try to make a couple of free songs every month and put them on soundcloud for people to download. Its pretty much a thanks to all the people on Facebook, Soundcloud and Youtube who like my music and keep my profile hits high. I know theyre on the torrent sites but I dont mind, they were free anyway. This positive use of filesharing allows the artist greater exposure with virtual nil as an overhead, undercutting the top-heavy music industry and presenting the egalitarian model favoured by McLeod (2005). Responses to Legal Issues Industry Implications; This section aims to build on the responses in the previous section by filling out the subjects understanding of the legal issues involved with file sharing. Particularly noticeable in these answers is the difference between the artist and audience categories. As mentioned earlier there have been many examples of litigations against providers of p2p services, such as the media-circus trial of Ê »The Pirate BayÊ ¼ founders. Whilst the audience groups had little knowledge of such cases the artists seemed far better versed in what was going on within the industry to shape the distribution of music. Biometrix: Yeah, IÊ ¼ve know a lot about it actually The pirate bay have been found guilty of copyright abuse and theyre appealing their jail term now I think. Its a pretty big deal, all of the big film companies have been after them. The site is still going though, so it doesnt seem to have done much good does it? Gecko: Pirate bay is huge. Its not just pirating things, they do all sorts, politics and freedom of speech stuff and all of that. I think it was started by activists but I dont know whos involved nowadays. As soon as something gets taken off it seems to come straight back up. Loads of people use it. Infringement and theft are put forwards by McLeod as tactics to enforce the monopoly of the recording industry. Of the subjects opinions on the significance file sharing has for the music industry, the various subjects displayed an array of responses. The following extracts are taken from the older subjects; Dominic: Small bands dont have a bean basically. Those are the people you are robbing off, not the execs or anything. Emma: They must be getting paid somehow, the music is still out there. Robert: But the money doesnt go to the band. This passage underlines the fact that members in this group believe that the majority of income for musicians, particularly less prolific artists, is provided by their record sales. This understanding of the revenue streams available to music industries also demonstrates a finely tuned understanding of what the Ê »music industryÊ ¼ entails. Williamson and CloonanÊ ¼s (2007) arguments against the wide spread use of the term, based on my findings, suggest older generations are indeed more inclined to understand the term equating to the recording industry. The actions of the recording industries and the responses from audiences can be seen as an example of Michel de CerteauÊ ¼s idea of Ê »strategies and tacticsÊ ¼ (1984). The strategies of the power structures within the relationship, in this case, the industries retention of traditional retail models and the discourse that it equates to the music industry (BPI, 2009), in contrast to the tactics of audiences. This investigation finds between age demographics the response tactics identifiable and noticably different. The older group creates their own space through a sceptical approach to recording industry practices, methods of media access and opinion demonstrate stronger ties with the recording industry discourse crime and punishment. The both the artists and younger group members seemed much more separated from these established means of operation, shown in their symRobhy for file sharing, anti-corporate comments and reluctance to trust established regulations regardin g copyright infringement. Based on the findings outlined above, the suggestion is that audiences are highly aware that there are legal implications surrounding the sharing of files, but their opinions and responses to the validity of these implications are generationally split. The evidence provided by the younger demographic of both audience and artists provides support for the views of McLeod (2005) whereas the older group demonstrated a much more accepting response for the necessity of copyright legislation as a protection against theft. Applying music retail and commerce theories presented by Anderson (2006) and Dubber (2007), most of the participants appeared to be informed of the changes online distribution was experiencing, although there was rejection of the industrys reluctance to develop progressive content access agreements along with them. The divergence of opinion in the application of rights enforcement between the two groups adds weight to the arguments presented by Garofalo (2003), acting to s et the balance between the two sides of the rights argument, preventing the financial exploitation of free music, whilst also managing a free channel of access to consumers. Conclusion It can be established from the results of my investigation that audience and artist opinions are divided on the justifications for rights protection and the enforcement thereof in relation to digital music access. Whilst there is clear evidence of a move towards digital media consumption, there is a distinct generational gap in the manner in which different age groups access music digitally. Older generations seem to fall into line with traditional models of product capitalisation, purchasing physical formats and viewing transgression of copyright online as theft. Younger subjects more immersed in digital media and having grown up during the internet gold rush have a far less strict attitude to the acquisit Effects of Copyright on the Consumption Music Effects of Copyright on the Consumption Music The aim of this dissertation is to understand the effects of copyright on the consumption and acquisition of music online. With a focus on Feels Like Free services such as Spotify as well as illegal file sharing services, research into the copyright issues surrounding the debate present a picture of how music is being consumed at present. Building on notable works and theories of research in the area {} the dissertation supplies evidence supporting the continuing dominance of labels as right-holders in the new digital era. With one-on-one interviews with emerging artists at the forefront of digital music as well as group interviews with consumers a convergence of opinion on key points provides an insight into the effectiveness of current digital music distribution services as well as the enforcement and enforceability of current copyright laws. Introduction This dissertation focusses on the challenges of distributing digital music in an era of unprecedented web use. Access to digital media is increasingly a part of peoples every day lives and the issues surrounding access to content and the legal implications therein are the subject of much debate. It is natural that the rights holders and their representatives would assume a position protecting their legal rights and the cases of pursuance of both individual and commercial rights infringers are well documented, however some say copyright law is dated (Negroponte, 1995) and beyond the task of policing the digital frontier of music distribution. This dissertation investigates the effect of copyright on audience and artist attitudes to digital music distribution in both legal and illegal forms. Using relevant literature and established studies it addresses the benefits of the chosen research for this investigation and provides results giving evidence for the various claims and counter cla ims made on both sides of the copyright argument. In doing so it is intended that my results will give a picture of current distribution methods and their ability to deal with copyright as well as rights holders ability to enforce it in an increasingly digitised age. By gathering evidence using one-to-one interviews with two emerging artists as well as consumer interviews conducted at group level I am able to establish the artists interaction with the process of copyright and the extent to which it alters their distribution of music whilst also engaging the audience in debate about their understanding and adherence to the existing issues surround accessing digital music. The involvement of both artist and audience provides a unique opportunity to pinpoint the present effect of the existing systems of music distribution and the copyright protection available. Digital Music Copyright At the crux of the debate surrounding digital music distribution is the issue of copyright and the infringement thereof. Arguments both for and against the current system of rights ownership and management are well documented and some clear division between the opinions of those who hope to gain capital from the ownership of rights and those who wish to produce and consume digital music is revealed. The representative bodies existing to support the rights of the artist , such as the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) have staunch views on the use of their intellectual property and defined by the BPI, copyright in its current form can be surmised as follows: Copyright is the foundations which the music business is built. In its simplest terms, it is a form of intellectual property and, as such, gives the creator or the owner/ author of that work exclusive rights over how it is published, distributed and adapted. (BPI [online] 2009) The collective gusto of the recording industry to enforce their stance on what they see as a critical issue to the music business has led to much bad publicity and a galvanisation of some copyright infringers as a group with a serious social point to make. Kembrew McLeod (2005) agrees that infringement of copyrighted material online presents a significant problem for the monopoly held by the industry giants, even going as far as to view this as a positive consequence of file sharing and distribution. Arguing in favour of a diminished corporate monopoly, McLeod uses examples of successes for smaller independent artists, helped in part by the evolution of media distribution methods available to cut out the middle-man. With both artist and audience interviews revealing a symRobhy for McLeodÊ ¼s statements, most participants demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the possible advantages that new distribution methods offer smaller/less established artists, who often work outsi de of the boundaries of the established music industry. Williamson Cloonan (2007) accuse the BPI of blurring its distinction between the ‘interests of British record companies which it claims to represent with a wider definition of the ‘music business . The process of recording, distributing and marketing music is one element of the music industry but its inferred connection to grassroots music of all levels seems to be the bone of contention, as is borne out in my group research. The strength of language words and aggressive tone of both the RIAA and BPI in dealing with infingers, combined with the appropriation of the wider music industry for moral grounds (Williamson Cloonan, 2003, p. 305-7) adds to a misunderstanding regarding what exactly the music industry is and how it affects users access to media. There is an obvious disparity in opinion on either side of the debate surrounding copyright law, with the nature of what copyright represents and who it protects a nd particularly how it is relevant to new digital models of distribution and consumption open to much debate. These diverging opinions are likely to have an impact on how consumers and artists understand the issues within this field, and clearly how they relate and react to them. Media Access The history and development of studying audiences and their consumption habits is by now highly sophisticated and the subject of much debate and research. Using the work of others as a guide as well as theory and research my aim is to understand how audiences are accessing digital content and if their understanding of the legality of so doing , alters how they interact with the content. Longhurst (2007) observes that the most significant contemporary change to [music consumption] is coming through downloadability (p. 205). The pervasive nature of digital consumption in todays culture is displayed throughout both artist and audience responses showing high levels of use and understanding of the medium. An RIAA commissioned report (Siwek, 2007) carried out in the United States by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) suggest that online copyright infringement costs the industry $12.5 billion annually(online). It is fair to assume the the access to both legal and illegal digital musi c is affect the industry greatly but these figures are open to criticism for there bias. The research of Huang (2005) into file sharing as a means of music consumption through group interviews of college students concludes that music file sharing is now a facet of music culture from a social perspective. My studies have some support for this claim with even artists describing extensive p2p use and one actively embracing it as a means of propagation of his material. Mascheroni et al (2008) conducted a comparable ethnographic study digital television consumption. The study concludes that young viewers are capable of defining their relationship with media based on present developments in the field rather than existing paradigms and traditions, and in doing so perhaps goes some way to explain the findings of Huangs research on college students. In similar ethnographic profiling Harwood (1997) compared television viewing Robterns of different aged groups, finding that decisions are representative of perceived Ê »social identityÊ ¼. It is arguable that similar influe nces are at play in consumers interaction with digital music consumption and with the increasing convergence of digital content, user generated content, and the social influences aforementioned, copyright infringement and any repressions appear to have very marginal impact on consumption habits. Based on the highlighted works the interaction between consumers and the legal implications surrounding content access are likely to vary in line with social perception and experience led understanding of the field. The fact that the artists were so Robert about file sharing, their involvement with it and its potential for positive use, adds weight to the claim copyright regulations for digital music are past their prime and lacking in effectiveness. Unique Online Considerations Various possible explanations for the ways in which digital media access has changed consumption habits have been covered previously. Increased media access has inevitably led to increased temptation to use nodal connectivity for illegal file sharing, although if the enactment of this abuse is as widespread as the BPI and RIAA would like us to think is another matter. Borne out of this peer to peer system of file distribution new products are being brought to market that provide alternatives to illegal acquisition of content. Analysing the manner in which consumers access content and services online has led to , sophisticated modEmmang of the accessibility and demand for said content and services. AndersonÊ ¼s (2006) presents a long tail model which serves as an example of such studies. The model refers to online commercial distribution with the most popular and commercial, products at one end of the graph with the highest volume of sales. The graph extends to illustrate the alm ost limitless potential for online sales in specialist or minority markets. Fig i. Long Tail Model (Anderson, 2006) Anderson further sets forth an opinion that the broadening of potential promotion and distribution online has increasingly opened up more possibilities for for both artists and consumers. Applying the long tail theory, it is obvious that it proposes a different system of economics to the traditional retail sector. Adding to this the obvious advantages of products being available around the clock, often irrespective of regional restrictions and the idea of a new economic model is further strengthened. The ability to cover areas of minuscule interest with little additional overheads enables retailers to offer huge depth of choice as well as broadening the idea of ownership of content through streaming.. Clearly the economics of online commerce are very different to the traditional model, however the rules of engagement surrounding copyright are expected to fit both models. two is different, yet the laws of copyright remain the same. Illegal sharing of content is viewed as an infringement of rights and therefore a form of theft as attested by the RIAA. The case that eventually closed the late nineties file sharing platform Napster, as detailed first by Merriden (2001) and then Menn (2003) illustrates the ramifications and interest in the first high-profile case of file sharing. Speaking of Napster Wall states; The record companies proposed that the Napster system ripped off artists and would kill music, while they made the legal argument that Napster encouraged the infringement of copyrights they held. Napster countered by arguing that members of Napster were making fair non-commercial use of the rights already assigned with the original sale of the record that had been converted into mp3 files. (Wall 2003, p223) Continuing where the Napster litigation left off, cases between the industry and p2p networks are still widespread today, showing that the industry has moved on little in the intervening years. The Swedish prosecution and proposed imprisonment of the creators of infamous file sharing tracker The Pirate Bay (Johnson Kiss, 2009) is perhaps the highest profile case today and could be seen as the modern Napster. In an attempt to bolster the music industries grasp on digital distribution a number of new models have been brought to market., Many mobile phone operators worldwide now offer unlimited music bundles with cell contracts and the emergence of streaming services mentioned such as Last.fm and Spotify, are seen in the group interviews to have a positive influence on peoples adherence to copyright. Gerd Leonhard (with Kusek 2005 2008) is describes these services as Ê »feels like free.Ê ¼ Advertising and premium service upgrades present the creates potential for capitalisat ion of music. Spotify has been a particular success in Europe, with the BBC reporting figures that already 5% of its users have upgraded to a premium service, giving it some 320,000 users paying  £10 per month for its full offering (BBC, 2010, online). This small percentage provides and annual turnover in the region of  £38,400,000 excluding additional revenue provided by advertising, proving that Spotify is a serious force in the online distribution business without even launching fully in the United States. By looking at audience habits and interaction with both copyright and media we can see that the new media model and the traditional approach to distributing music are increasingly unable to keep up with the consumer driven demand for online services, leaving companies such as Spotify to move in and become a type of new music industry for the 21st century. The difficulty inherent to their role is that the copyright for the material they wish to distribute is often owned by o ne of their more traditional predecessors. Methodology In this chapter I offer justification for the effectiveness of my methods for the collection of audience and artist responses to their interaction with digital music copyright. I use two groups of participants; one younger (16- 25) as well as a group from an older demographic of consumers (40-65) with both groups being representative of consumers as well as two individuals representative of artists. As this study represents a small cross section of the many people who are involved in roles as both consumer and artist definitive conclusions solely gathered from my findings alone are difficult to ascertain. The value however, of conducting the comparative interview types, is the provided overview of responses, and how they interplay with the core arguments surrounding the debate. Work by Huang (2005) and Macheroni et al (2008) would suggest that younger audiences are less concerned about the implications of peer to peer sharing and thus more likely to use the distribution method. Using relative methods I build upon their work, highlighting and supporting claims by providing complimentary evidence and similar findings. HuangÊ ¼s (2005) use of groups interviews highlighted specific areas of interest with direct interaction with audience members, whilst MascheroniÊ ¼s (2008) research adopted ethnographic studies of online, as well as off line interaction in a more one to one manner. Due to the nature of copyright interaction online ethnographic study of users could be applied to researching users of file sharing services. The problem with this is the anonymity in this type of cinteraction, discussed by Watt, Lea and Spears (2002). Although there is potential for some light to be shed on how audiences share music online, it would be difficult to rationalise the reasons for this activity, providing little evidence to illuminate the reader on audience behaviour. My own studies, made use of extensive one on one interviews allowing unsigned artists a mouthpiece within the debate. The benefit of exposing the artists to the one on one interview process was expected to be a greater understanding and experience of copyright yielding technical data on the subject. This was then coupled with group based research. With guidance from Bertrand and Hughes (2005, p81), the group interviews, were expected to benefit from inter-participant discussion allowing some involved to make up in shortfalls of technical knowledge. As a well established means of audience research, group interviews can help garner natural responses from participants. It must always be considered however that these discussions do not take place in unmonitored environments and so must be viewed as having the potential to be polluted by the participants knowledge that what is being said is also being recorded. A particularly pertinent issue given the legal climate surrounding the issues covered. The legal aspect of my research may encourage participants to shy away from full, Robert answers, however the focus group environment should also foster greater candour and less inherently solicited responses than that of one on one interviews for instance (Boubour 2007) although the combination of the two means of study should have a balancing effect on the results. Research Findings Here I present the findings of my primary research investigating the interplay between copyright issues and digital music consumption. The material put forward here is the product of the two group interviews and two individual interviews with consumers and artists respectively. The discussions centred around the same key themes including the participants access to and use of digital music as well as attitudes and understanding of the related legal issues. Of particular importance for my study are responses they may have relevance towards legal the constraints and considerations surrounding the notion of digital music access. Providing the the structural basis of this chapter my aim is to discover any visible Robterns between the responses of the two types of interviewee. Consumption Listening Habits: The primary question for the interviews is one of use and involvement in digital music. It is essential to establish the extent, if any, to which the interview subjects interact with digital music content, irrespective of its origin. The following section examines participant music consumption routines and in particular, digital music consumption habits. Based on their replies, I address the stereotype that older audiences are less willing and able to undertake interaction with new delivery methods whilst isolating comparisons between the groups in other forms of music consumption. On broaching the subject of use of digital music with the older group, it was clear that most participants were involved and responsive to the means of content distribution. Many of the group cited the iPhone or iPod as an influence on their ease of access and enjoyment of digital music, proving Apple have a huge say in how this market is set to develop. either using mp3 players or their mobile phone to co nsume digital music. When the group was asked if they had access to a digital music player the response was as follows, Howard: Of course IÊ ¼ve had mp3 phones for a good 5 years now and players for a bit longer. Dominic: Yeah me too I would say, not the players but the phones, I use an iPhone for everything now. Howard: I still use my player for jogging though, I dont like to be bothered by phone calls but I still want my music with me. Most made some use of access to digital music on a regular basis. This helps to dispel the myth of a generation gap regarding digital media use as alluded to in the work of Mascheroni et al (2008). Although this establishes a commonality in usage of devices we are yet to establish meaningful connections between access and consumption habits. In the older group. The concept of digital music consumption representing the mainstay of their listening habits produced varied responses. For the older group the response was as follows: Dominic: For the car or the house I spose real music, sorry I should say CDs and stuff I spose, real music is normally what I go for. Robert: Yeah the same really. This is similar to the attitudes of both artists interviewed. Biometrix: Yeah its really all about vinyl for me but that normally means I have to rip the vinyl if I want to listen to it on my phone or anything like that Gecko: I collect all sorts of CDs and records, when we go on tour I normally come back with a pile of discs Ive either bought or been given. With the artists and the older audience still actively engaged in the acquisition and collation of music it is clear that there is still a space for tangible products within the music industry. Such observations are notably absent when dealing with the younger of the group studies. In this group there was evidence of a fractured landscape of media access with no commonly held method of consuming music. Youtube, Spotify and Soundcloud provide a number of feels like free options for home use along with the ubiquitous iPod/Phone, however the access to music was overwhelmingly digital amongst this group. It can be said that both groups access digital content in a number of ways, with the younger group being more selective and more aware of different delivery methods, perhaps indicated by the greater disparity in the services and methods of consumption they chose. Within this younger group, extensive different ways of acquiring digital music were referenced, including demonstrable evidence of LeonhardÊ ¼s (2008) Ê »feels like freeÊ ¼ streaming services such as Spotify and Last.fm. The following extract is taken from the opening stages of the younger focus group; MarT: Spotify, mainly. Youtube too, but there is much less music on there now and when you find something you like it gets deleted after a while for copyright stuff. Spotify have made it so easy and if they have pretty much everything so you can just go there, and if you canÊ ¼t find it aint on Spotify there might be a live version or something on Youtube but the quality is always ropey. The only bad thing about Spotify is that you get ads but its still free and its much safer than downloading audio files. Steve: Everything is so joined up on Spotify, like suggested artists and playlists and stuff, I spose its similar on Youtube, you can spend hours exploring. Claire: And you dont have to buy anything or give your card details over. Similarly both artists are avid users of Spotify amongst other streaming services: Gecko: I know the money is peanuts for getting played on there but it makes you accessible to so many people, some of them dont have enough money to pay for your album or your mp3 or whatever but the fact that they can still access it is important to grow as an artist. Its like playing a gig and barely making the petrol money to get home. We all do it but some of us are a bit more relaxed about the good it does for us. Biometrix: I use Spotify all the time, really its stopped me stealing a lot of music really. Its so much easier than actually downloading something so normally I just do that because I cant be bothered finding what I want and then waiting on it to arrive on my computer. Clearly Spotify offers an innovative model that can fit into both of MyÃ… ¡kaÊ ¼s (2009) subscription service model categories. A monthly fee can be paid to allow listeners to enjoy uninterrupted music without advertising and also allow access to feature rich content such as mobile streaming and offline listening, as well as Leonhards (2009) Ê »feels like freeÊ ¼ model that is funded by advertising. Of the myriad methods of media access identified, use of Web 2.0 music consumption models such as Spotify demonstrates a fall in favour of traditional peer to peer networks, contrary to the testaments of the recording industry (Siwek, 2007.) This goes some way to enforce the claims of Leonhard (2009) that these new, lawful access streams provide an attractive alternative to illegal downloading and also allay industry concerns about copyright protection. The interview subjects also cited the simplicity of these new methods in allowing them to locate music without the extensi ve searching that is commonplace with peer to peer access to media. Engagement with File Sharing: In this section, we assess the subjects involvement with the file sharing. I present rationalisation of the participants use or otherwise of file sharing networks and investigate their understandings and interactions with the legal ramifications of such actions. As the conversation developed, unexpectedly within the older group, many of the participants had used peer to peer services in the past, whilst perhaps their usage was limited, responses seemed mixed. Shaun: IÊ ¼ve used Megaupload in the past Yeah. Subscribed to that. We didnt download without our subscription, but now lapsed, I dont about the kids but yeah, Megaupload. I used to et a lot of other stuff there like films and ebooks so it was great. We can see that the participants have an understanding of file sharing as a concept, if not perhaps the finer points of nodal networking. There is an inference that by purchasing a subscription the subject considers themselves to have bought their downloads. This is however false and the subscription simply provides faster download speeds. The artists had a more sophisticated understanding of how rights related to downloading and sharing content, however it is notable that this greater insight did little to dissuade them from partaking in file sharing. Biometrix: Yeah I do download stuff, not as much as I used to but if theres something I cant find on Spotify or Soundcloud or that stuff then I will just go on a torrent site but I feel bad about it, I reckon, well I reckon because I think about what it would be like if the musicians were like me, just starting out or something. The guilt mechanism in this response shows a belief that the RIAA/BPI position is correct and that the copyright issues surrounding this kind of media access is universally illegal. This shows some support for the industry having a direct influence over peoples online interactions despite their diminished market share. One of the artists in particular also uses p2p sharing to promote and distribute their own material. Biometrix: I try to make a couple of free songs every month and put them on soundcloud for people to download. Its pretty much a thanks to all the people on Facebook, Soundcloud and Youtube who like my music and keep my profile hits high. I know theyre on the torrent sites but I dont mind, they were free anyway. This positive use of filesharing allows the artist greater exposure with virtual nil as an overhead, undercutting the top-heavy music industry and presenting the egalitarian model favoured by McLeod (2005). Responses to Legal Issues Industry Implications; This section aims to build on the responses in the previous section by filling out the subjects understanding of the legal issues involved with file sharing. Particularly noticeable in these answers is the difference between the artist and audience categories. As mentioned earlier there have been many examples of litigations against providers of p2p services, such as the media-circus trial of Ê »The Pirate BayÊ ¼ founders. Whilst the audience groups had little knowledge of such cases the artists seemed far better versed in what was going on within the industry to shape the distribution of music. Biometrix: Yeah, IÊ ¼ve know a lot about it actually The pirate bay have been found guilty of copyright abuse and theyre appealing their jail term now I think. Its a pretty big deal, all of the big film companies have been after them. The site is still going though, so it doesnt seem to have done much good does it? Gecko: Pirate bay is huge. Its not just pirating things, they do all sorts, politics and freedom of speech stuff and all of that. I think it was started by activists but I dont know whos involved nowadays. As soon as something gets taken off it seems to come straight back up. Loads of people use it. Infringement and theft are put forwards by McLeod as tactics to enforce the monopoly of the recording industry. Of the subjects opinions on the significance file sharing has for the music industry, the various subjects displayed an array of responses. The following extracts are taken from the older subjects; Dominic: Small bands dont have a bean basically. Those are the people you are robbing off, not the execs or anything. Emma: They must be getting paid somehow, the music is still out there. Robert: But the money doesnt go to the band. This passage underlines the fact that members in this group believe that the majority of income for musicians, particularly less prolific artists, is provided by their record sales. This understanding of the revenue streams available to music industries also demonstrates a finely tuned understanding of what the Ê »music industryÊ ¼ entails. Williamson and CloonanÊ ¼s (2007) arguments against the wide spread use of the term, based on my findings, suggest older generations are indeed more inclined to understand the term equating to the recording industry. The actions of the recording industries and the responses from audiences can be seen as an example of Michel de CerteauÊ ¼s idea of Ê »strategies and tacticsÊ ¼ (1984). The strategies of the power structures within the relationship, in this case, the industries retention of traditional retail models and the discourse that it equates to the music industry (BPI, 2009), in contrast to the tactics of audiences. This investigation finds between age demographics the response tactics identifiable and noticably different. The older group creates their own space through a sceptical approach to recording industry practices, methods of media access and opinion demonstrate stronger ties with the recording industry discourse crime and punishment. The both the artists and younger group members seemed much more separated from these established means of operation, shown in their symRobhy for file sharing, anti-corporate comments and reluctance to trust established regulations regardin g copyright infringement. Based on the findings outlined above, the suggestion is that audiences are highly aware that there are legal implications surrounding the sharing of files, but their opinions and responses to the validity of these implications are generationally split. The evidence provided by the younger demographic of both audience and artists provides support for the views of McLeod (2005) whereas the older group demonstrated a much more accepting response for the necessity of copyright legislation as a protection against theft. Applying music retail and commerce theories presented by Anderson (2006) and Dubber (2007), most of the participants appeared to be informed of the changes online distribution was experiencing, although there was rejection of the industrys reluctance to develop progressive content access agreements along with them. The divergence of opinion in the application of rights enforcement between the two groups adds weight to the arguments presented by Garofalo (2003), acting to s et the balance between the two sides of the rights argument, preventing the financial exploitation of free music, whilst also managing a free channel of access to consumers. Conclusion It can be established from the results of my investigation that audience and artist opinions are divided on the justifications for rights protection and the enforcement thereof in relation to digital music access. Whilst there is clear evidence of a move towards digital media consumption, there is a distinct generational gap in the manner in which different age groups access music digitally. Older generations seem to fall into line with traditional models of product capitalisation, purchasing physical formats and viewing transgression of copyright online as theft. Younger subjects more immersed in digital media and having grown up during the internet gold rush have a far less strict attitude to the acquisit