The battle against music sharing

The RIAA needs to realize that it's fighting a battle it can't win. With the technology and resources available today, it's impossible to stop people from sharing and downloading music to their heart's content, especially when going overseas is just a click away. Take, for example, www.allofmp3.com, the Russian website that lets you download songs in the format and size of your choice for just $.01 per MB. This article in The Register does the math, estimating that what would cost $958 on ITunes would only set you back $50 on allofmp3.com. All of this is made possible by the fact that Russian copyright laws do not yet cover digital media. Although the Russian website warns against use "if it is in conflict with legislation of your country," I doubt this gives people more than a seconds pause. After all, you're still paying for the music, right?

Still, the question of ethics remains. You might ask, "Are we keeping artists from making a living by sharing their music or downloading it for cheap?" In most cases, I tend to say no. Music sharing can actually help get the word out about a group, meaning higher attendance at concerts and higher merchandise sales. They say that any publicity is good publicity, and I don't think that most artists are significantly hurt by their fans' music sharing habits.

Also, if I like a group enough, there is still incentive for me to go out and buy an album the "legit" way. There is something satisfying about having the complete package (cover art, booklet, and disc), that can't be duplicated from downloading online.