More on the subject below.

I almost forgot a trio of points I should have incorporated into my main screed below. First off, this is an extremely on-target and entertaining rant from a fellow blogger who berates the real villains in this whole deal -- the geeks that allow the RIAA to screw the rest of us.

Second, I want to make clear that although I mention (below) telling the record companies you will steal copy-protected music, my position on Napster, AudioGalaxy, KaZaa, et al has traditionally been to ask that you not steal music, and I continue to hold that view: I just want you to lie to the record companies. I wouldn't listen to most of that crap if you paid me, much less steal it. As a copyright holder myself, I respect intellectual property rights and support the idea of artists and copyright holders (including those greedy record companies) getting paid. The law needs updating badly, but until that happens ... please don't steal music.

Finally, for those of you who might think that we kids are all just getting our just desserts in payback for that whole Napster thing (thinking it was just a huge den of thievery rather than an illegal but noble "try before you buy" service), let me leave you with two interesting facts:

1. From summer 2000 to summer 2001 -- when Napster was in full swing -- CD sales went up 30%.

2. From summer 2001 to now -- a year in which Napster was hobbled to the point of irrelevancy -- sales are down 15%.

Coincidence? I think not.