I suspect that part of the problem is the overselling of digital rights management to the record companies. Until stereos are secured all the way out to the speakers, anyone can dodge digital protections by a detour through analog. This puts a hard limit on the effectiveness of DRM.

I am somewhat surprised that the record companies have not set out to start their own Internet broadcasting setups. Because it's not "real radio," I believe that they can dodge regulations (what few remain) on radio station ownership. They would not need to deal with radio station owners. They could play the songs in actual DJ format, with no clear separation between them, so that it is more difficult to rip the song (thus, protection as good as DRM, since that can also be ripped from analog in real time). They could digitally sign each song as they play it, so that they have some handle on how the song is (or is not) copied and traded after it appears. Maybe they want this information to crack down on large-scale file sharing, maybe they want it for marketing purposes -- they have the option, either way.

-- David Chase

I am completely wowed by Snyder's article. Although he says things I already knew, and quotes extensively from sources I have already read, it is truly a pleasure to see someone connect the dots in a logical and rational manner. Bravo to Snyder for saying what he said and to Salon for printing it in its entirety.

-- Alan Wexelblat

Great article. I listen to the blues. I want the rightful people to get their fair share. I pay for my music. I get it at emusic.com. Their model works for me.

When I find something I really like, I go out and spend on the boxed set, the collection that has the artists that I enjoy. That gives me more value than just the track. If and when these artists make it to DVD I will buy that over the CD in a N.Y. minute.

I get to sample hundreds of new artists this way. $9.99/month. I've been doing this for almost two years now -- that little $9.99 adds up.

Commercial radio has forgotten me. So screw them. The RIAA has just pissed me off, so screw them. I get what I want and am happy to pay for it.

By the way, I'm over 40, have an MBA, and work in marketing at a major energy company. Thank god for the RIAA. Someone is more hated than oil!!

-- Dave Jones

Thank you!!! to John and Ben Snyder for one of the most intelligent, cogent, and consistent arguments concerning downloaded copyrighted music. When will the music industry wake up and hear us?

I am a relatively regular KaZaA user. One of my favorite activities is to spend an evening downloading music (old and new) and listen to it, or create a new CD with it. I am 38 years old, and I have a very nice, professional career. But I have maintained for a very long time now that I do not contribute to the decline of music sales by downloading music.

The Big Music Industry monopoly of music is frightening and insulting. We are fed nothing but garbage on the radio, garbage on MTV, garbage in Rolling Stone, and garbage in CD advertising. For me, surfing for music on the Internet is a matter of musical survival. It is the only way to hear music that is not garbage. Where else could I possibly hear a song by Beth Gibbons, or Aimee Mann, or Sigur Ros or the Magnetic Fields, or Felix Da Housecat? Nowhere.

I also maintain that if I am downloading a significant amount of a single artist's music without buying their CD, it's because I will never buy their CD. For instance, I have been listening to the new (in the U.S.) song by the Russian pseudo-lesbian T.A.T.U. called "All the Things She Said." Excellent Euro-pop ditty with no real long-term value. But I love it. I listen to it all the time. I put it on CDs for friends (who may go buy it if they like it). But I will not, and never would have, purchased the CD. Definitely not for $18.

Finally, downloading music also contributes to my buying more music in general. It provides an outlet for me to sample something before I invest. And if I like it, I will definitely buy it.

Thanks again to John and Ben. There are reasonable solutions to these issues. I am glad to read that someone is suggesting them.

-- Perry Seymour

So what percentage of Artist House Record's catalog is available for free download?

-- Doug Andersen

I thought the article written by John Snyder on where the NARAS should stand was extremely insightful and well supported.

You are absolutely right: "50 million people can't be wrong."

By shackling the consumer, being utterly ignorant of new technologies, and chaining themselves and the politicians they lobby (purchase) to old-school marketing methodologies, the RIAA is dying a slow death, taking the rights of the consumers away at the same time. As a consumer, I only hope they die quickly, leaving no lasting impressions in the future on what I can and cannot do with what I own or purchase.

To my favorite artists, I would say I will still support you by attending concerts and purchasing your CDs. To the RIAA and to its financial losses, I would say I am glad and maybe if there was better music out there I would be purchasing more of it. To Mr. Snyder and NARAS, I wish the best for you in making this decision to step to the beat of a different drummer.

-- Kurt Gunderson

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