He may hold the copyright, but probably not the publishing. Plus who knows what else the label shoved into their contract?

Now, Lars could go get the copy of the masters that he has and compress that because he owns the physical media -- but downloading it via illegal means is a totally different matter.

I just think there was a reason that at the beginning there were serious qualifier for who could and could not vote. i.e., landowners had that right. When the mass populace is mediocre, we are all affected by it. When the mass populace is more easily swayed by shiny marketing than ideas, we who think and consider are affected.

For your #2, no party should be running or governing the election. that kind of bias is what ruins the "freedom" in voting. I wish our republic was so in the stricter sense of the word, I suppose.

I agree with you, I think. Perhaps there should be rules about who can vote? Maybe not as far as to say only landowners can vote - but maybe people with drivers licenses and high school diplomas and bank accounts...

Or mandatory IQ tests. maybe that would work. I don't think bias is that big of a deal, it's the lack of education that kills the system. Or perhaps more the lack of rational judgment.