>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...

And that's a good thing !
I know The Lesson said no analogy but I never buy clothes without trying them on. Music is an interesting market where the consumer can actually decide with all the information that he needs, whether or not he's willing to pay for a product. IMO no-one should pay for something without knowing if it's going to satisfy their need. Illegal dls, and legal streaming could have reinforced the link between the quality of the product, its capacity to fulfill desires and sales.
But people don't get sample or time-limited access to the music. Once they got it for free, there is only a couple of reason for them to buy the actual CD : they like the physical product, they think mp3 does not sound pure or they want to support the artist. Instead of trying to stop illegal dls, labels should just focus their strain on finding more reason for people to buy and support the artists even if they could get the tracks for free. This industry seems focused on law and contracts, it needs to start to be creative.

>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...

Yep