>I think the solution that the RIAA (whatever) wants is for Napster and its clones to just go away (and maybe take the internet with it. ;) The whole record industry infrastructure is not set up for the digital super highway. IMO, the train has left the station. The record industry will need to reinvent itself, giving the Internet a huge role in the infrastructure.

Hey Dawg,

I agree. The scenarios I wrote about were meant as a compromise situation. Meaning, record labels are going to have to adapt too, no doubt about it.....technology has superseded the way they work. At the same time Napster, while it could be shut down, represents the many leaps and bounds in technology that refuse to go away. The world is changing and both must change with it. Labels have to change with the technology and rack their brains to find ways to make a profit, and Napster has to use its technology in adherence to existing legal standards in order not to risk being closed down. In the end, the things I figured were situations where both find ways to coexist peacefully in order to avoid either extreme situation.......

Of course the record companies aren't looking for a deal with the Nap boys. But they're going to be forced into something of that sort, which is sortof what I was proposing (though I am well aware that working out the details is hard as Bitch). Even if the legal framework changes against Napster and prohibits it, technology will simply catch up again and smack the labels in the face with an even stronger presence.

Cheers!

Jack.
Pudgy Man-Eating Savage (with chunky male tits).