Obrien, Gerry

A few people hinted, but nobody has pointed out that the entertainment industry has manage to use the gubmint to not only bailout their industry through legislation, but have managed to sell music at a higher price in spite of market competition. iMusic et. al. all charge the same price for every song regardless of age, content, number of musicians, production costs, or demand. They seem to feel that every copyright is worth the same amount?

Moreover, before you got a full spectrum recording; now you get a scaled down MP3 (which was a format never intended for wholesale distribution, nor even developed by the industry) that might be infested with DRM and poor sound quality. But they are charging more in adjusted dollars (and subtract their distribution costs) for that Thompson Twins song they sold on vinyl 25 years ago.

It would be nice if our politicians took a step back and looked at the big picture once in awhile and not automatically stroke the industry PR machine by conceding they are 'victims' simply because they claim they are losing some money.

Make the industry prove it at least once that downloading cut into their profits by making them prove any of their artists were popular in the first place. Taking the simple minded idea that 'Britney should have sold X' and therefore if she doesn't sell X, then it must be pirates! is nuts.

If this industry over anticipated it's demand (believed it's own hype) and therefore have overpaid for artist contracts, then why should the public be asked to help bail them out for bad decisions. That industry has parasited a public system and hasn't once, other than DRM, gone through the motions of protecting it's own assets through proprietary innovation. So why should they be protected when they have done nothing to protect themselves except through lobbying and laws?

If you notice this is one of many issues where our politicians have decided to follow unconventional wisdom from the top and simply rubber stamped away our rights. Same with most things, somebody screeches, 'terrorism' or 'drugs' and our system responds in the same way; attack the citizens, pass tailor made legislation and make speeches about how we should be thanking them for extra security in a police state.

Gerry Obrien