Than we agree. Thanks, it's good to know I have a friend out there.

Everything else you said was assumption, but I'll let that slide.

You are in fact depriving them of just reward for the years of hard work it took to create that art, as well as re-reimbursement for the money they spent to create the recording.

Attempting to disguise your theft with semantics only makes you appear less intelligent.

Furthermore, the fact that you think artists are somehow obligated to give you that enjoyment for free is sickening.

So if you refuse to pay for the creation of that music you enjoy, how much longer do you think there's going to be music to listen to?

The fact that you consider the enjoyment of music to be valueless is simply sad. You are what's wrong with the world today.

Seems like this concept has gotten fuzzy. I hope this simple three step Q and A clears things up for everyone.

1) Do you now have something that you didn't have a minute ago?
Examples might include cars, sneakers, or perhaps an MP3 audio file of a song and the enjoyment that you experience when you listen to that song.

2) Is this thing the product of someone else's hard work and financial investment?
Examples might include the years of heart ache and hard work that a songwriter puts into his craft in order to create something that enriches other people's lives. It might also include the years of rejection sweat and tears that go into a performer's craft.

3) Does the creator make, or hope to make their living by selling this thing? If so, did you take it without paying?
Examples might include a farmer who expects to be paid for the corn he grows, but you went out in the field and cut some yourself. Or a songwriter who only makes 4 cents off each sale of his song, but you downloaded it from Limewire instead of paying 99 cents on iTunes before driving down to Starbucks where you paid $4 for a cup of coffee.

If you answered "yes" to all three questions then you have stolen something that you were not permitted to take.

I hope this clears things up for you:

How to determine if you have stolen something.

1) Do you now have something that you didn't have a minute ago?
Examples might include cars, sneakers, or perhaps an MP3 audio file of a song and the enjoyment that you experience when you listen to that song.

2) Is this thing the product of someone else's hard work and financial investment?
Examples might include the years of heart ache and hard work that a songwriter puts into his craft in order to create something that enriches other people's lives. It might also include the years of rejection sweat and tears that go into a performer's craft.

3) Does the creator make, or hope to make their living by selling this thing? If so, did you take it without paying?
Examples might include a farmer who expects to be paid for the corn he grows, but you went out in the field and cut some yourself. Or a songwriter who only makes 4 cents off each sale of his song, but you downloaded it from Limewire instead of paying 99 cents on iTunes before driving down to Starbucks where you paid $4 for a cup of coffee.

If you answered "yes" to all three questions then you have stolen something that you were not permitted to take.

THANK YOU. I weep for the future of a world where the hard work of creative people is considered valueless.

Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea and that everyone should be forced to stay until they turn 18 simply because of some imagined "emotional trauma" they might suffer has NO BUSINESS TEACHING CHILDREN! Some kids are simply smarter than others and some develop much faster. It would be a crime to hold them back and effectively punish them for being smarter and achieving more.

The only thing you get by holding back intelligent people is a bunch of extremely intelligent anti-social people who are frustrated and don't give a shit. I know first hand.

Sorry, but I did not want the iPad to be overcomplicated and overpriced. The U1 looks like it'll break first week. And good luck getting it fixed. It's not like Lenovo has stores just down the road where I can take their proprietary machines. I'd take an iPad in a heartbeat over this.

Actually, from what I've heard it pays WAY less.
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-fair-dos-a-million-spotify-streams-earned-gaga-167/

Looks like a simple business decision to me.

If that were true and streaming services actually made a profit then the last thing they would do is pull out. It's a simple business decision; if something doesn't turn a profit you stop doing it.

To put it another way; would you invest $100,000 in something that only pays out a few hundred? Lady Gaga did:
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-fair-dos-a-million-spotify-streams-earned-gaga-167/

You can't run a business like that. Sooner or later they will turn off the lights, your employees will get tired of their pay checks bouncing and your mortgage company will foreclose on you.

So if you consider wanting to make enough to at least pay your bills "greed," color me greedy.

Close, but not exactly. The real problem is that when a song plays on a streaming system it plays to a very limited audience. Usually just one person. Bottom line is, it pays a heck of a lot less.

The simple fact is, record labels are just businesses exactly like any other. They market a product and make enough money off the sale of it to pay their bills. If they were making money off streaming you can be damn sure they would continue with it regardless of who has control.

They're leaving because they aren't making a profit. Simple as that.

Seriously guys, I know you like to think everything in the world is a big horrible conspiracy against you personally but they're just trying to keep their doors open and make sure their employees pay checks don't bounce.