And the debate continues....


The RIAA is not after those who simply download for their own use, though undoubtably it is an act accessory to the original crime...making it available for downloading. And they WILL win.


But things are happeing on different fronts and this debate is now behind the times if it is meant to animate public opinion and influence the direction of the industry, or even talk about what is and is not legal (this is "black and white").


Along with the legal actions, which underscores a re affirmation of basic property rorights, the public is being educated, CD prices are dropping (recent announcement), LEGAL file sharing is happening with iTunes and a bunch of others, and record companies, record stores, and artists are looking at other ways to bring the public on side and revise their distribution strategies.


I said it before, and it bears repeating. We are living in a time of fundamental change in how we communicate and how intellectual property is marketed, and there will be those who exploit and those who defend, and those who win and those who lose and all kinds in between...but in the end, there will be a new model that will respect copyright AND harness new the technologies.


Here in Canada there is a file sharing startup that has entered into arrangments with all the major publishers....no problems anticipated. It is simply an iTunes variant...totally legal and responsive to today's generation.


In summary, illegal file sharers beware..and for those who want to see music made available for downloading, it is happening "legally" now and more will come, and for those who want reasonably priced CDs at the record stores, you will get what you want.

If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop