I won't argue about theft. But if one examines the actions of the music industry over the past 40 years with regard to the artist as well as the consumer, I don't think anyone can be blamed for wanting to put it to the labels in any way possible. Until more artists follow the lead of people such as Ani DiFranco, labels will continue to strangle artists and (increasingly without success) try to extort more and more money from the end user.
Can anyone think of another business that attempts to make money by suing its end users and extorting money from the very distributors (the radio stations) that attempt to promote its product? I didn't think so.
If it hurts a record company....I'm on board.
On the other hand...I wonder if Clear Channel and rest have any concept that it was a bad idea to fire all those local DJs who would at this point be calling for the listeners to write Congress to try to beat back this latest attempt at extortion by the record industry.
I've hear the broadcasters' commercials....they're pathetic. Local radio my ass...across the country the mega-conglomerates have destroyed it and continue to rape the employees that remain. And THEY want US to help THEM?
It is to laugh.
All of here need to remember that music distribution itself has changed. As the Internet plays a larger and larger part, it wouldn't surprise me if broadcasting music might someday come to be seen as a waste of valuable spectrum in an universe where anyone can dial up whatever they want to listen to through the descendants of Pandora, ITunes, today's Internet Radio, or whatever we have in 50 years.
But by then, the record labels will be only an unfortunate memory, as are the trust of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
And today's broadcasting giants will be, oh, I don't know. But I DO know I don't like what they did to the radio I loved while I was growing up. I have no more relationship with my local stations due to the damage they have inflicted. And because of that, I care not a whit what happens to them.
