(could you please explain this statement above^^ extopia?) Especially the last part.
Thanks
I mean simply that those who choose to pay for their music no doubt pay more than they would if copyright theft was not a problem.
I don't think you have to be loaded to pay 99c for a track. Especially if you're wealthy enough to have a computer and/or a broadband internet connection.
The only "possibly" legitimate use I can think of to use P2P to download tracks is if you have bought the music already in another form, on record or cassette back in the old days, for example, and you either don't have the means or couldn't be bothered to convert it to digital format yourself. But I wouldn't be surprised if the music industry disagreed. I'm no fan of music industry executives, by the way, in case you're getting the wrong impression.
And by the way, if someone likes the music enough to go to the trouble of downloading it, the argument about the majority of music being crap is beside the point. Good music always survives, sometimes despite the machinations of the industry.
The bottom line is that piracy hurts the industry execs, sure, but it hurts the artists - especially young bands - more. I'm a music fan myself, and I've spent a good sum of money every year for the past 30 years buying music and going to gigs. I tend to gravitate towards the less commercial end of the scale (although I buy a fair amount of "fat cat" music too). I value good music, and I'm prepared to pay for it, because I want more of these acts to make enough to keep doing what the do best.
Legal download sites like iTunes etc. are the way forward. CD prices are still a little high in Ireland, but they're already dropping towards download price points, especially for back catalogue, and that's a positive thing.