I just hate the RIAA; and NO, I don't endorse stealing music. No... what I object to is an industry that has already been indicted for the immoral and un-American act of price-fixing (come on, if CDs were actually sold in a capitalistic forum, then you'd see things like producers/artists attempting to gain 'market share' by offering their albums for cheaper prices... but no, all discs hover at the same price range... from all labels and all artists). I object to an industry that was happy using technological advances to sell consumers vinyl, cassettes, and CDs... but runs crying home to mommy when technology turns the tables. I object to an industry that tells me that I can't remix music from albums that I've legally purchased (thanks to the DMCA). I object to an industry that tells me I don't have the right to share my music with friends under fair-use laws, and I object to an industry that tells me that I don't have the right to back up my media, or make a copy of it on my computer to avoid lugging disks around. I object to the notion that the RIAA somehow owns both the copyrighted material AND the media. It's one or the other. Anything else is immoral  (either I pay for the copyrighted work, and therefore 'upgrading' to CD from a cassette only costs the price of the media (i.e. $.25 for a CD), or I buy the media and can do with it as I please (within fair-use)).

And speaking of immoral... I can't abide the RIAA  because it represents one of the things I hate most about the current American situation: that of big businesses buying off corrupt representatives. The DMCA and now this, bug the hell out of me. Thank you Senator Hatch for making America
1) more corrupt by wasting your state's time on RIAA issues (you're REALLY doing Utahn's a service... or are you just protecting your own rights as a singer who's in bed with the RIAA). Way to represent the PEOPLE and the Greate State of Utah.
2) more socialist. No really, thank you for making sure that Americans are protected from themselves. If we can outlaw anything that might be used for illegal purposes, then maybe nobody will break the law. Orrin Hatch: Protecting Americans From Themselves -- That would make a great re-election slogan.

I wish all industries affected by lower sales in 2000-2003 could claim that PIRACY was lowering their sales. The airline industry took a nose-dive after 9/11 was that pirates The development industry took it in the chops... all those laid-off developers must have lost their jobs to PIRATES. I know that the RIAA lost lots of sales due to pirates during that DOWN period in the economy... other industries must have lost sales as well to pirates no

Maybe, and I know I'm going out on a limb here... but just MAYBE, the reason record sales were down during those years had something to do with a slumping economy. I know Britney Spears is 'all that'... but something says that making the choice between a $20 PRICE-FIXED CD of her 'music' and keeping your money in the bank during a down economy MIGHT just have something to do with those lost sales. I know, I'm a RADICAL.

Is there a point to all my ranting Yes. Here's an interesting study though that shows that P2P networks seem to LEGITIMATELY have helped sales. Imagine that. Let's make sure Orrin get's P2Ps shut down quickly, so that all of that BLAMING of lost sales on P2P sharing can actually become a reality (i.e. if we turn off those networks it looks like sales REALLY WILL GO DOWN).

Grrr....