Just a quick thought tonight.  I know it's been a while 
since i posted a rant, but i figured this one was worth 
my time to type up.  With all this nonsense about the 
RIAA and mp3 file sharing, I have a simple couple of 
things to point out:

1) there is more currently being done to stop mp3 file 
   sharing than there ever was to stop the sharing of 
   pornography to children, or even child porn.

2) given the value of a single CD to create can't be 
   more than a dollar or two (just look at the price 
   of blanks), throw in album art and inserts 
   (another two dollars max), money to the label 
   (yet again two dollars), money to the selling store  
   (say two more), and money to the artist (and two 
   one last time); how does the value of a CD become 
   twenty dollars when through these calculations it 
   really shouldn't be more than 10 dollars.  And I 
   was being quite generous saying two dollars.

3) the more you try to ban something, the more it'll 
   simply be pushed into the underground (remember 
   bootleg liquor?).  Stomping down on MP3 sharing 
   through Peer to peer programs will only turn it 
   into something done via snail mail, or when that 
   doesn't work anymore, people will simply be 
   trading CD's between friends with albums burned 
   in data format.

4) with all this pressure on mp3's being bad, why are 
   you, the RIAA, allowing the purchase of MP3 players 
   and CD players which can read mp3 CDs?  I myself 
   own a DVD player compatible with mp3 CDs.  Granted, 
   I am yet to use that feature, but it's always a 
   possibility that i could get hundreds of albums on 
   only a single stack of 20 or so CDs and just use a 
   DVD player to listen to songs.

5) mp3 quality is low.  the compression causes a loss 
   of sound, and quality degradation.  Any smart 
   musician out there knows that mp3 sharing won't 
   hurt it's fan base because either their music is so 
   horrible that the quality loss isn't noticable, or 
   the fans know the CD will be of better quality and 
   thus are influenced to buy the actual CD.  Besides, 
   I find a joy in owning the actual artwork and giving 
   support to a band that deserves it.  But when the 
   majority of the money I spend doesn't go to the 
   artist, it makes me ponder why I'd wanna buy the 
   album in the first place.

Anyway, thanks for putting up with my rambling on this 
issue.  I'd really like to emphasize my first point, 
though.  I saw a news report on CSPN2 not long ago 
about file sharing and child pornography and it 
really struck me that this was the first i'd ever 
seen or heard anything publicly discussed about 
this matter.  Yet everyone knows the name Napster now.

RIAA, you're in a cruiseship, and though the view may 
be nice, it's only because you're on the stern of the 
ship as it's sinking vertically.  And just like your 
position on the ass of the ship, you are the asses 
of many many of us honest music enthusiasts.  Get 
your heads out of your wallets and consider what 
good MP3's could do (sampling albums etc), and also 
consider lowering CD prices.

I haven't bought a single new CD in over a year now 
because I simply refuse to pay such a hefty price.  
Instead, I go to used stores and buy my albums from 
them.  The prices are less than half, they're still 
guaranteed to play, and it's perfectly legal.

Signing off on this one now... 3am, better go get 
some rest.

	- Josh