we need solutions... (Score 2)

I hate the RIAA and loathe their actions as much as the next guy, but seriously...are they even worth spending energy on? Waging wars and protests against them is like fighting the retarded kid in the corner because he keeps calling you names. Best leave them to their own ignorance and move on. We all know the free trade of .mp3 will continue via any number of non-centralized solutions. It grows bigger, better, and more diverse every day. I myself spent thousands of dollars purchasing LPs in the day, then thousands more on cassettes, and finally god knows how much accumulating 3000 or so CDs, so do I feel guilty that I've downloaded a thousand or so CDs free of charge in the last year? not a bit. I sincerely doubt that anyone has gone hungry with that temporary lack of revenue. But I do feel the need to support the artists I truly enjoy so that they may continue to make the music I love. What I do is this--say I've downloaded and burned a CD from artist X, and let's say I listen to it all of the time and get much enjoyment from it. I simply get on the web, find a mailing address for the band/artist via a fan club or something (NOT their record label address!)...make out a check for $5, or however much I feel is right and send it away. Included is a form letter stating that I received their CD via .mp3 trading and just want to show my appreciation. I also encourage them to disassociate themselves from the recording labels and the RIAA, who practice monopolistic tactics and secure one-sided contracts that only the harshest pimps would be proud of. With this case the RIAA has begun the process of alienting the fan base, us. It's not about Napster, it's about us finding a way to cut them out of the deal altogether. They are primarily distributors of music and their distribution is no longer needed. The old method has become wasteful and obsolete. So let's find ways to keep the artists alive and happy, so that they not need to ever sign a 'contract'. Without signed artists there are no labels, and hence no RIAA. We started this so-called 'music revolution' and now we must show that we have the intelligence to see it through. thanks.