2. Overview: In this first cultural perspective, you are asked to think about music in your culture: twenty-first century America. As you will learn in the coming weeks, the manner in which people interact with music and the way that they have access to music are important aspects of a musical culture. In order to understand this, you only need to consider what musical life was like before the advent of the radio and the phonograph. Technology has allowed us to create a truly diverse musical culture. Issues: In our lifetimes, music has become portable (starting with the transistor radio) and private (first with earplugs, then with headphones). With new technologies (MP3, P2P, etc.) we have complete freedom to custom-make our personal soundscape. But these technologies raise a number of important questions: How will we receive our music in the future? How will commercial ventures (from record stores to radio stations) adjust to new technologies? Who owns the music once it is recorded? How will artists maintain the rights to their works? What are the moral obligations of the consumer? Project: Make a log of the number of ways that you have listened to music in the last week. As you list them, make note of when that technology was first used. Which would have been available five years ago? Ten? Fifty? Choose a favorite piece of music, and do a web search to find out how many places and in how many formats it is available. How many of those sites bring up ethical questions? Using the links below, look at both sides of the issue of copyright and filesharing. Links: The Recording Industry Association of America The RIAA is the trade group representing the recording industry (two other groups, ASCAP and BMI, represent the interests of composers and songwriters). RIAA was the main organization to bring suit against Napster. MP3 Newswire The MP3 Newswire is a clearinghouse for information about MP3 technology, offering news and product From the list above, select a topic which interests you. You may suggest your own topic, but you need to get instructor’s permission to write about it. Research the topic in detail. Write a five page (double spaced) paper on your chosen topic. Paper must have a title page, including the instructor’s name, course number, date, title of the paper, and student’s name. This is an additional page. This assignment must be typed. Your paper must be properly documented according to the MLA format/style (see link to MLA instructions below in “grading the paper” section) of documentation (parenthetical notes within the text of the paper and a works cited page at the end of the paper). Check out the information at and the Central Texas College MLA Guide regarding MLA format and plagiarism. You can also find information at this site: (NOTE: papers that do not use the MLA format will not be accepted). Your works cited page must contain a minimum of five different sources, including at least one book, at least two periodicals, and at least one encyclopedia. This is an additional page. The total paper should be seven pages (title page plus five pages of text, plus works cited page) and must be submitted not later than the date specified in the syllabus. Before turning in the assignment, make sure to consult the checklist below. Check list for Research Paper: My research topic is from the approved list of topics. My paper is typed. My paper is five (5) pages of text plus a title page, plus a works cited page for a total of seven(pages) in length. My paper has one-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). I used a font that is no more than 12 point. My paper is double spaced. I have put a parenthetical notation at the end of each sentence in which I have taken ideas, opinions, or statistics from another source, or I have directly quoted another source (citing must be done using MLA format). All of the entries in my works cited page are cited within the text of the paper. I have provided a “works cited” page at the end of the paper listing all sources cited. (The page must be typed according to the MLA format). I have used a minimum of five different sources cited in this paper. I have edited the paper for spelling and grammar. My paper has a title page with the instructor’s name, course number, date, title of the paper, and my name.
