To the Point

When Rock Stars Rebel: Music Industry Troubles

Two nights before the Grammy Awards, the music industry is in under attack from recording artists and digital technology. Sales are down and Internet downloads are up. Record companies have laid-off employees and executives are complaining of a shortage of new talent. Digital technology has given music fans a license to steal, and an increasing number of them are doing it. Big-name acts all over Los Angeles are performing to raise money to fight a battle against their own industry. What will it all mean for the listening public? We examine an industry in crisis, with performers, producers, promoters, attorneys, pundits, and civil libertarians. Newsmaker: Anthrax Suspect Worked in US Lab The FBI has sent a letter to 40,000 microbiologists, along with a possible profile of its suspected anthrax-mailer. Washington Times' investigative reporter Jerry Seper says that, despite claims to the contrary, the FBI has narrowed its investigation to a prime suspect who might have sent the anthrax to Capitol Hill. Reporter's Notebook: Loopholes in Campaign Finance Legislation Campaign finance reform was passed almost over the bodies of Republican House leaders. Now, Republican Senators are threatening a filibuster to defeat the bill. Yet Democrats may suffer more from the measure than the Republicans who are trying to kill it. Fred Barnes, of the conservative Weekly Standard, has more on the legislation's loopholes and unintended consequences.