In an effort to "compensate artists" (and therefore, themselves), the Recording Industry of America and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry have developed a digital tagging system for purchased internet downloads or streams.rnrn
The tags would be applied to music purchased via providers like Microsoft's MSN or Italy's Tiscali. The developers seek to establish an efficient means of compensating artists via a standardized ID system.rnrn
This technology could conceivably be applied to other quantifiable streamed content like porn, movies, and eBooks.rnrn
"If this is done properly, the artists and authors of music will be paid adequately for the sale of their works online," said Paul Jessop, chief technology officer of the IFPI.rnrn
The tagging system is called the Global Release Identifier, or GRid. It only applies to music purchased from sites, not peer to peer file-sharing networks like KaZaa, Grokster, or the late Napster.rnrn
With the GRid initiative, resellers would be charged an annual fee of about $250 for which they can issue an identity tag to millions of songs sold online.rnrn
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