Not being fully versed in the details of Napster, my opinion on the issue here is that a band is standing up finally for what they believe to be a crisis facing the music industry.

Prior to mp3, how many people were able to make copies of songs on tape, even on cd and make them instantly available to the world? The whole concept of blank cassettes was one based on the fact that yes people will make their own copies, but they won't be able to distribute them so readily that others will no longer have to buy the albums to get the songs. The internet and digital era has destroyed that premise.

I am all for technology and an unregulated internet, but how can the whole music industry adapt to changes that happen so quickly?

People buy albums as much for the packaging as they do for the music. Otherwise not a single internet user with a cd writer would every by an album again.

Unfortunately it will be near impossible for artists to regulate their own material on the internet. If I stick up a site that is protected and requires payment prior to accessing it, it takes only one person that has paid to turn around and make the same material available free to others. This could be counteracted in several ways:
1) demonstrate a willingness to prosecute those that post full copies of songs/albums on the web - this requires that a standard sample length be set by law, 1 minute for example, that can be posted for sample purposes only.
2) better software to automatically seek out copies of posted material - there could actually be a market here if someone created some good software that would allow artists/labels to enforce (1)
3) if fan's showed more ethical behavior and refrained from posting full copies of songs to ensure that people have to buy the actual album to get the complete song. Unfortunately this requires fans to become snitches and report sites that illegally post material.

Contrary to this, we could be seeing the death of the current music industry and the birth of another. Who is to say this is a bad thing? Haven't fans become sick of the record companies continued retail of multiple imports of the same album with only 1 or two song differences? Companies that force bands to do things contrary to what they would really like to do musically? If things were to change, then bands would have to take more responsibility for their success, but at least they would have the power to do so rather than be at the mercy of a record company.

Those are my thoughts,
debate them if you wish.

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