Herd mentality + total ignorance = (Score 0)

Yes, Orlowski likes to beat up DRM. But only The Reg and The Wall Street Journal were clueful enough to quote the SoundScan report that shows digital song sales have stopped growing for everyone, not just Apple.

Is the 2006 collapse a trend? We don't know yet:

Speaking to The Register, Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff warned against extrapolating too much from the figures. It may reflect a seasonal bounce that hasn't yet manifested itself. However, it might not.

"There's no indication of enormous growth coming," he told us. "When you look at this alongside the SoundScan numbers, you may ask 'Where's the part were we're supposed to get excited?'."

The MSM notices the "collapse" but not the WARNING signs written all over it. The funds then read the MSM, and call Forrester in a flap. Forrester panics.

Meanwhile the Apple fanboys - last seen trying to jail Nick de Plume at ThinkSecret - say, "Nothing to worry about here, folks, move along..."

Can't the MSM do original research any more?