I agree with you 100%, Rob. What is truly amazing is how many people I speak with are mystified when I use the word "illegal" about Napster and its kind. I kind of get the "well, that's what you think, but I have no problem with it" kind of reaction. And moreover, these are people who have no desire to buy any music at all if they can get it for free. I've tried to point out more than once that this is stealing, but I just get a shrug of the shoulders and that's the end of the conversation.

I do see benefits in sharing for responsible individuals who want to try before they buy. I often put music from friends on my Empeg and try it out for a while before either deleting it or purchasing the music. I think this is a legitimate use for file sharing; however, most of the people I know don't use it that way. I really don’t understand why people think they should be able to get music for free without paying anyone for the hard work that went into creating it.

The thing with the RIAA, however, is that they are not educating people, they are making enemies. This is not good business sense, and I'm not sure what they really hope to gain. From day one they have attacked people, acted threatening, and not acknowledged any responsibility for problems they have created themselves (like putting out bad music). And these lawsuits are making things worse: the people I talk to now say things like "I never thought about downloading stuff, but after these lawsuits I'm not buying anything from them again, that's for sure." I'm not sure how much conviction these comments carry, but the sentiment certainly isn't good for the RIAA.

Anyway, the cause is probably hopeless for people on both sides of the issue: some users will never understand that what they are doing is wrong, and the RIAA has set itself at odds with its customer base. Heaven only knows how this is all going to end up.