File sharing woes

July 31, 2003

I have never been a fan of file sharing, not because I don't like free music but rather because I have found the unreliability and quality levels of freely distributed MP3s unacceptable.
Even though I don't trade files or music over the internet, the current battle between Telco's and ISPs versus the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) regarding the music industry demands to the ISPs to handover file-sharer ID's pisses me off.

In my opinion the music industry has been ripping off consumers for years and now is payback time, the days of paying 15+ dollars for a CD with two good songs are over. The industry has failed to cater to the demands of millions in terms of affordability and availability and if they were to be left alone I am sure they would try to collect royalties every time anyone listened to their music.

In the grander scheme of things and going back to the matter of handing over user ID's, I can understand that there is no constitutional right to privacy especially these days when dealing with matters of national security but invasion of privacy to accommodate a powerful Washington lobbying group, is just ridiculous.

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