My biggest problem with consumers is that they display a sense of entitlement over this issue. Like they are, in the end, somehow entitled to music. Like this is merely just a negotiation between them and The Man and it will be sorted out eventually. And if they take some liberties and partake of music they haven't paid for, that it's still OK because... they're... entitled. ......PARAGRAPH......
The bottom line is that whomever creates something gets to decide who may have it and how they might go about getting permission to have it. The argument that it's a victimless crime is a red herring. You've taken away a creator's right to control (or not!) their content. But since the consumer sees only money as the roadblock to access, they make that the focus. So, if it's "victimless" to take someone's music and not pay whatever that artists or their representative because "I wouldn't have bought it anyway" is beside the point. (and watch how the dynamic changes when you talk about art or books... music gets the short end of the stick because it's intangible) ......PARAGRAPH......

Bottom line, the creator's rights have been taken away. And no argument which involves money has any relevance to that. And if you want to see the flip-side, go watch the shitfight that breaks out when someone creates some picture and puts it on their website... the moment someone else takes that image and uses it for their own purposes the creator will go ballistic and start talking about "my rights"... but they forget that when rationalizing the taking of others' property. They point at the RIAA or record company and say "they're bad, they're greedy" and that's supposed to make it OK. Well... it doesn't, consumer. That's you trying to assuage your guilt. ......PARAGRAPH......

Me? I've stolen. And I've done my best to make up for it by buying the same content later. It doesn't make it right, but it helps my conscience. I've still done something wrong. We all need to own up to our crimes, even if we're going to continue to carry them out. ......PARAGRAPH......

PS - Can't you turn on 'convert line breaks' for comments? Pretty please?