in the end just a rationalization for breaking the law.

Dowloading propreity, copy righted songs without paying either the artist or the label is against the law. No two ways about it.

Now this does not make Metallica less the hypocrite. Metallica encourages their fans to tape their live performances (which is still copy righted material) and trade them. For them to promote one form of piracy and to go out of their way to stop the other is hypocritical. One has to wonder if they have ulterior motives. (One may first have to wonder if they are smart enough to have ulterior motives. ;)

Having said the above, I regualrly break the law :)

The big picture is that the Internet will radically change how music is delivered to customers. As is, I am not suprised that music stores are dropping their back catalog CDs, since those discs can be found for 25% less on the Net.

This is just the start. As people become more accustomed to shopping on the Net, more and more of even the recent releases will be sold via the Net. I personally have not bought a single CD in a real music store in over two years (and this has nothing to do with the emergenge of MP3s or Napster.)

Another big picture change that the Net will bring is how record labels will advertise their product. Nowadays, to break a new artist they have to get radio or video airplay. The logical next step as I see it is for for record labels to run their own Net radio station via broadcasting either MP3s or RAs. I am actually surprised the "Big Four" of MHR (N&T, Z, MTM, and Escape) have not created their own Net broadcast station. It is such a good idea.

I am sure that Surfpunk was saying "what he said" at the start of this post and now is not liking what he is reading, since I don't think real music stores have much of a future as is, unless they radically change too. the change I have in mind is for real stores to not carry any stock. The store could burn CDs and inserts on demand. All of the middle men will be out of business here. This will happen in my lifetime :)

barking on,
Big Dog