[Air-L] CDs and DVDs? + potentially inappropriate query

[Charles M. Ess]

Dear colleagues,

I am revising my _Digital Media Ethics_ for a 3rd edition (!!), due out 
early next year.

A first query: an important criticism raised by an astute and most 
helpful reviewer has to do with (a) using an example of stealing a CD 
and (b) a larger discussion of FLOSS and copyleft schemes such as 
Creative Commons licensing, etc.  The reviewer observes that (a) his/her 
students simply will not recognize or relate to the example involving a 
CD as, briefly, streaming services have largely taken over music 
consumption practices and very few, if any, students still purchase CDs. 
  Similarly (b) FLOSS is more or less no longer a relevant topic; rather 
discussion of copyright / copyleft is now much more focused on remix 
practices.

Based on what I know of the US/UK contexts, the reviewer is clearly spot 
on, and I'm genuinely very grateful for the insightful critiques and 
constructive suggestions, and will do my best to pursue these.

At the same time, however - and this, at last, leads to the query - I'm 
wondering how culturally/nationally variable these points may be?
That is: (a) I know that in this here Scandinavia, despite the 
overwhelming predominance of consumption via streaming services, CDs 
(and DVDs) are still prominently on offer, not only in brick-and-mortar 
and online stores: they are also _de rigueur_ at every concert I've 
attended, i.e., for sale at the end thereof.  There is no doubt that 
their sales numbers have plummeted - now outdone by vinyl in some cases 
- but here, I have the impression, they remain familiar artifacts?
Similarly (b) I think I know that interest in FLOSS production and 
distribution remains strong in Latin America and at least some parts of 
Asia?

So: only for the sake of having a better global sense of these points - 
if AoIR-ists can offer culturally-/nationally-specific quick 
characterizations of how far
(a) physical media such as CDs do / not remain relevant in especially 
student music consumption, and/or
(b) FLOSS - including ongoing development and distribution of software 
(beyond the usual suspects of Mozilla products, wikipedia, etc.) is / no 
longer of any significance?

I hope this query might be of general interest as it would give us at 
least a quick and dirty snapshot of all of this.
Again, the point is not to somehow counter an important critique and 
helpful suggestion.  On the contrary, I gratefully take the points and 
suggestions - but want / need to know how far these may hold globally as 
the book is aimed towards a global audience.

Second - potentially inappropriate - query.  In conjunction with this 
revision, the publisher (Polity Press) has asked me to develop a list of 
colleagues who may be interested in receiving a review copy of the book 
when it is published - along with a list of journals that might likewise 
be interested in reviewing it.

If you are so interested and/or have a suggestion for a journal / 
reviewer, I'd be very grateful if you would contact me offlist with your 
contact details and/or journal suggestions.

As usual, a thousand thanks and all best in the meantime,
- charles
-- 
Professor in Media Studies
Department of Media and Communication
University of Oslo
<http://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/people/aca/charlees/index.html>

Postboks 1093
Blindern 0317
Oslo, Norway
c.m.ess at media.uio.no