I dont agree with this punishment tactic....its killing an ant with a shotgun...

a kid who stole some jeans doesnt get 5 years in the fed pen...these people CANT pay the millions of dollars in restitution...so now what? do we throw them in the joint?...we barely have enough room in the joint for the murderers and rapists...so these are hollow victories...

a four figure restitution makes a lot more sense....its enough to make folks think twice but not clogging the legal system with endless appeals, etc because these folks dont have a few million to pay the RIAA for their duress...

yes, illegal downloading is a crime, but its like any other crime--not gonna stop anytime soon...

even if there were no way to download music illegally...folks would still trade music amongst themselves...that's been going on long before downloading...in the 80's, the dual cassette recorder allowed mad unauthorized duplication....same with VCRs....

most of the shit on youtube is unauthorized...songs, performances, etc...

we also have mixtapes and white labels...all illegal...

I think the industry, both artists and labels, need to focus on making the PRODUCT attractive to the consumer....people spend millions of dollars on bullshit erryday, recession or not...and when you look at the numbers, people still buy the shit they WANT TO buy...ask Taylor Swift or Lil Wayne...its the eternal business question--How can we make the consumer WANT to spend their money with us?

Speaking for myself, my problem is not with downloading per se but the mentality that folks HAVE THE RIGHT to download...people who are stupid and arrogant enough to think that its costs nothing to make music...

I'm on some James Brown shit--take some, leave some...these days, even artists you trust are out to fleece you *coughQuincycough* and we dont think about THAT enough...its okay for artists to rob fans with shitty albums, shitty performances, and shitty attitudes("dont like my new wack money grubbing music? youre a hater!!!)but its not okay to try before you buy?

one could say that back in the day, you didnt have a choice...if you wanted to check out new music you HAD to buy it...well, kinda...that was before the days of Viacom and Clear Channel...back then radio/video played whatever was interesting or had a buzz...now the consumer doesnt have a choice to pump it or dump it...you will hear/see only what these multimedia giants want you to hear and see...and youre going to hear it and see it INCESSANTLY until you like it...too oftenm what I hear from young people is, "we know this is garbage, but its what we have...."...THAT'S fucked up...go on you tube and pull up some old song then read the comments...people, young and old, are saying BRING THIS KIND OF MUSIC BACK...

the trust is gone...the relationship btwn the industry and the consumer is one-sided and abusive...a rebellion was inevitable...the industry so far has been unwilling to cater to the consumer...the bitterness and indifference will continue from comsumers if this does not change, on both a mainstream and indie level...

but on the consumer side...there's NO WAY your large collection of music should come from only illegal means...people need to be mindful that this is how some folks eat...you may not be sure about buying that new Jamiroquai album, but on the other hand, EVERY sale counts for some like Bilal(that kid just put out his SECOND record in 9 years because yall refused to lay your money down)...just be cognizant of that...that you can literally make or break an artist, that your selfishness can cause an artists to HAVE to close up shop...Jean Grae is living hand to mouth while Flo Rida is rolling in dough..that aint right...think to yourself just WHO youre throwing up that middle finger to---the industry or your favorite artist

In my opinion, if its an artist you aint sure about or the artist is inconsistent--give it a listen...if you like, gon head and lay that money down...and if the artist is someone that you are really into, you should most definitely BUY their album...and if the artist is independent, for God's sake tell a friend....youre not really a fan if you dont support...your sale is a vote for that artist...how will the industry know that you want more if you dont let them know that you want some in the first place?

this aint a cut and dry issue to me...its far too complex...Justin Bieber can take a hit, Quadron cant...there are too many variables...



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