Less than two years ago, Shawn Fanning was a freshman in college. Not only that, what he's done could change how you watch movies, read books and listen to music. In fact, millions are now getting free music off the Internet from Fanning's creation, the Web site Napster. And, as 60 Minutes II Corresepondent Charlie Rose reports, the big recording studios have dispatched an army of lawyers to shut Napster down. Napster is enabling millions of people to get free music with just a few keystrokes at their computers.
Computer users store their music collections in their computers.
When they link up with Napster, it then acts as a central hub that brings everyone together, allowing people to swap music, computer to computer, without paying a dime. Fanning, the young man who made it happen, says his creation came from an interest in computers more than his interest in music. I love music. Because of Fanning, the world has changed for the Goliaths of the record industry, Sony, Universal and others. The record companies say they will lose billions in sales because fans are getting their music for free and they want Fanning stopped.