The New York Times piece “Cracking Down on Mixtape CDs” of January 22, 2007 explores a number of issues involving modern sources of media. The article discusses the selling of mixtape CDs (mixtape because originally these were in the form of cassette tapes), CDs that often include in their track-lists unreleased and/or illegally copied songs. These CDs are especially important to the hip-hop world, though they can be produced by any number of individuals interested in any genre. On the one hand, the recording industry is concerned about piracy of the music it produces and sells and the, arguably, corresponding harm to record sales. On the other hand, these CDs, like other forms of illegal music distribution, can generate interest in the music, and act as a means of rapidly, easily, and inexpensively distributing music or other media. In this latter sense, the mixtape CD, or more generally, the burnable CD (or more recently DVD) relates to Global Media in a way similar to how Professor? Mr.? Dr.? Jarecki described YouTube. It has a democratizing effect, as he put it, allowing all sorts of people to create a piece of media that is easily accessible to the community. At the same time, especially in the case of the CD, which more often than not contains illegal material, it comes with the same issues of piracy and copyright infringement that arise with YouTube when copyrighted material is used.

The burnable CD, and the accompanying CD burner, as a source of media, has a number of different effects. In the economic realm, label executives worry their sales are being hindered by the abundance of their music available for free. The music industry has certainly seen clear losses in sales in the past decade and some of those losses can most likely be attributed to the availability of free sources of music like the mitxape CD. This free distribution medium also has an impact on the creators of the music. For some it is a great boon, a great way to get their art or their statement out to the world efficiently. For others this does considerable damage to their financial situation, because they loose the royalties that would have been earned through legal sale of their work. Another impact, and a major reason why this issue is so strong in America currently, is that this piracy does damage to American values of the sanctity of personal and intellectual property. Finally, one more effect I’ll mention, and one particularly interesting from a global perspective, is the fact that the streets of Atlanta are not the only place that these CDs are found. They show up in great abundance in places like China and other countries around the world. The presence of cheap sources of American music and other media can more easily leave an American cultural impact on those countries. Instead of paying $20, or I don’t know how many 元, apiece for a new CD, a young Chinese person can indulge in the wonders of gangsta rap for only a few dollars.

Though my experience in actual video production is limited, I’ve gained a reasonable amount of experience in the media/entertainment world. I also have a strong interest in global security and international affairs. My primary source of media experience comes from my work at WBRU (the commercial, alt rock one). As a radio DJ I spend time in front of a microphone broadcasting to a large audience, representing an important media outlet, and learning something about how the media world works. Maybe even more relevant, as part of my obligations as a DJ, I have been trained to use Pro Tools audio production software. I make commercials as well as pieces of station imaging, mixing, editing, etc. So, if my video production experience is limited, my audio production experience is considerable, and music and other audio is certainly crucial to any video. Additionally, I spent time in high school interning at a music publishing company and learned a good deal about how the entertainment business works, more knowledge that I could contribute. My interest in IR spans a range of issues, especially of global security—terrorism, WMD, human rights and development, as well as issues of energy and the environment. I can certainly add my interest in exploring these issues more deeply, and in learning how to communicate them well to the group. Finally, though I’ve never studied media per se, it has often occurred to me how important the media is to perceptions, and how crucial those perceptions are to the choices made in a democratic country. I think of the idea that history is written by the victors and the impact that having the means to record and present one or another side of a story changes the story itself and the impact it has for the future. And I think of how cherished free expression has been as a right, and what the impact of that right has been on society. I would really enjoy having the ability to consider and analyze these issues in a more significant and constructive way