Rappers debate downloading music

WASHINGTON -- Rapper LL Cool J joined entertainment executives Tuesday in defending the music industry's lawsuits against hundreds of Internet users who illegally distribute music online.

"My question is, if a contractor builds a building, should people be allowed to move into the building for free?" the rapper asked senators. "That's how I feel if I record a song or make a movie, and it zooms around the world for free."

Another rapper, Chuck D, founder of Public Enemy, testified at the Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing that people ought to be able to distribute the songs they want to hear on peer-to-peer Internet services, known as P2P.

"P2P to me means power to the people," said Chuck D. "I trust the consumer more than I trust the people at the helm of these companies."

The music industry's trade group, the Recording Industry Association of America, has filed 261 lawsuits against people it accuses of illegally distributing music online. The RIAA blames lagging CD sales on the downloading of music.

The subcommittee chairman, Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman, called the hearing to look into whether the recording industry's tactics were too heavy-handed.

"As a former prosecutor, I am troubled by a strategy that uses the law to threaten people into submission," said Coleman, a former roadie for the '60s rock group Ten Years After. Coleman referred to the rappers as "Mr. Cool J" and "Mr. D."

The RIAA's chairman and CEO, Mitch Bainwol, announced Tuesday that the group will send notification letters to encourage settlements before it files lawsuits.

On Monday, the RIAA said it had settled 52 of the 261 lawsuits. Defense lawyers familiar with some cases said payments ranged generally from $2,500 to $7,500, with at least one settlement for as much as $10,000.

In a Gallup Poll released Tuesday, 83 percent of teenagers polled said it was morally acceptable to download music from the Internet for free.