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A sure sign of an industry in its death throes. They refuse to accept that they are pushing crappy music out to a diminshing set of consumers who do not want their music on shiny silver discs, but instead want it in MP3 format. Therefore, they sue their own customers. A rather poor strategy, IMHO.

If CDs were cheaper ($5–7) I would buy 3–5 each week. Since that will never happen, I'll keep downloading!

It's stealing, period.

Downloaders are infringers and the law provides that the copyright holders can sue for and collect damages for this infringement. What do all of these infringers expect? That being said, I do not believe that downloaders are causing much of an adverse impact upon music sales. The RIAA would better serve its artists by providing downloadable music at an affordable price. Oh, and these downloaded songs had better be portable so they can be played on any MP3 player or computer.

Rather than hunt down MP3 traders, why doesn't the RIAA send everyone sampler CDs with hundreds of MP3s? Could sales be down due to lack of marketing?

The RIAA acts like a bunch of sore looser eleven year olds stamping their feet and pouting. Their antics are absurd, bordering on an attack of civil liberties. Besides, after all we are a nation founded in dissention.

BIG RECORD LABELS PROMOTE THE LOUSY SELECTION OF MUSIC BEING OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC THEY DESERVE TO DIE

Once you say it is all right to steal even a small item, such as a song, where will it stop? Is it all right to steal someone's wallet or car or even heart, liver, or blood? Theft is theft. While I may not agree with the major labels on pricing and distribution, I still defend their intellectual property rights and those of the artists. If you let the thieves take music, what is stoping them from freely taking other intellectual material? After all, could they not also freely distrubute Stereophile?

Mp3 file quality sucks. CD prices are and have been outrageous. The situation is ridiculous.

Come on, there will be copying. When I was 12, I'd hold a microphone up to my record player and record specific songs to enjoy later.

I cannot support people who blame their customers for their own shortcomings. Piracy is theft, but the arrogance of the majors does more to bring it on than to stop it. If they lowered prices even a bit and produced new music people other than teens really wanted to buy, sales would increase dramatically, but their new "profit plan" seems to be to sue everyone in sight. Hope they choke on it.

They are making me avoid any new music purchases. And I have never even downloaded a tune! I will not do business with people like the RIAA. I respect the artists, but the RIAA does not represent the artists and is entirely anti-consumer.

Crappy music by crappy artists doesn't sell. What to do? Increase revenue with lawsuits!

The RIAA has every right to protect its property from thieves. I just wish it would punish the guilty instead of everyone.

I wear an eye patch, a peg-leg, and a pirate hat when I surf my computer.

Stealing is stealing!

What RIAA needs to realize is that until music is more reasonably priced (Naxos comes to mind), people will find a way to get it without paying almost #20 for a CD.

...stealin' when I should been buying...

Yes, I agree. It's the RIAA's right to seek legal restitution, if they feel their rights have been violated. They haven't broken the law, from what I understand. Even thought none of the monies recaptured will ever make it back to the artist. The real looser is the artists.

God forbid that they should have to acknowledge that the greedy and corrupt recording industry is the major problem.

Yeah, Those geeks should buy content like the rest of us. F@$k 'em!

Boycott the turds.

The RIAA approach to harassing smalltime users who download and share music won't scratch the surface of piracy prevention, but it will turn off buyers.

Hostile ones, you soon shall reap the reward you have earned.

They are punishing individuals who are improving their sales (I personally bought ~60 cds I would not have without hearing an mp3 first). Criminal charges are one thing, but I don't see how any judge would award them punitive damages, since peer-to-peer increases the record companies' profits.

Their business model is already pass

Are we serious?

No, I don't agree with the RIAA. They should look at the rip off prices that the record companies are charging people and do something about that. If the price of a CD was reasonable then nobody would be bothered downloading.

Downloaders have gotten a free ride on trafficing in stolen merchandise for too long.

Thanks to Napster and the others I've been able to track down, preview and buy every CD that has interested me in the last 40 years. I've discovered new music for myself to buy by being able to download songs from others with similar tastes. I now have a international collection of music that would have been impossible otherwise. There is no way you can preview music with a 30-90 second sample. I will not be dictated to by the media as to what I listen to and decide to buy, whatsoever. People who only download and listen to MP3s are no different than people who listen to commercial media constantly, and have no appreciation for music anyway. The RIAA and the mass media has sold us enough hyped, misleading and falsely advertised music we should be sueing them!!!