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wst: "You can't use Napster as a radio substitute. Radio stations pay for the priviledge of playing all that music and the fees they pay are distributed amongst the artists that they play."
That condition occurs only because the airwaves are regulated. If the record companies COULD pay the stations to air all that music, they WOULD. And with the involvement of mob-connected independent "promoters", I'll wager they still ARE paying. Because every three-minute Brittany song is actually a three-minute commercial for an overpriced CD and accompanying lifestyle.
Theft is theft, but what a simple-minded statement. I'll wager that you break laws every day. The volume of state and federal laws ensures that each and every one of us is practically in violation of the law each time we set foot outside the door, especially when we get in our car. How many of us have sent a non-urgent package via an overnight delivery service? How many have tossed an aerosol can in the regular trash without looking at the "dispose of properly" instructions?
What matters to me more is intent. When I use Napster, I use it as a replacement for radio. It has encouraged me to buy more music. I do not download entire albums as replacements for buying the disks. My intent is to reward the *right* artists, the ones who appeal to me; and, in this and many other cases, following the letter of the law would lead to a worse result for *all* involved.
And, because I have faith in humanity, I believe that if people really knew that their actions were bad to artists, they would change how they act. Only a very small segment of the population is so selfish as to, for example, NOT pay a "suggested donation" price to enter a museum.
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