Will it ever stop? From the likes of it it appears the RIAA will continue extracting a few thousand dollars from potential customers who make mp3 files available for download over p2p networks. The only reason I can see why this makes sense is that the RIAA figures a settlement of, say $3000, is more than an individual will spend on music over his/her lifetime. What other reason could they concoct that makes financial sense in this regard? Do they assume that after coughing up $3000 these people will suddenly begin paying for music again? I can’t imagine paying the RIAA $3000 puts a person in the mood to purchase music anytime soon. I’d be so angry I’d probably never purchase another CD again in my lifetime. I’d just find other means of finding and sharing music. It would force me underground.
Why would I pay 99 cents for a song at iTunes or Musicmatch and be expected to keep track of the usibility restictions? I want to be able to listen to my music on any computer, any portable device, and share my music collection with any of my friends and family just as I’ve been doing with CDs and tapes for years. I don’t make my 40 gig mp3 collection available to anyone over the internet, but I do like to share music I buy or download with friends and family. It’s just like the radio in the sense that it allows me and others to explore new music we’d have otherwise not found. When I hear a song I really like I will buy the CD and support the artist. But the days of paying $16 for a CD containing one good song and a bunch of filler are over. I’ll continue to purchase CDs when they cost under $12 and contain more than just a couple of good songs. But until the RIAA lawsuits stop I’ll continue to fire up Shareaza or WarezP2P whenever I’m just looking to sample an individual track.
Nordquist Blog 