Not Music to Their Ears

The idea of ownership in our country was brought over by the Europeans, and has been the framework for 90% of our legal system. We took the land from the natives who had no concept of property, and created an entire institution, capitalism, around this idea. It evolved into consumerism, wanting more stuff, having what others have, getting something better than the neighbors. And in the Information Age, this want has turned digital. Now you could buy anything, anywhere in the world, instantly, and have it shipped to your home within weeks. But something happened. People began to realize that they didn't have to pay for things, things they wanted, particularly things they weren't willing--or able--to pay for.
Media and information began to be traded freely, swapping tracks, photos and articles over the vast, blossoming network of copper wires that has connected the world together. Napster unified those seeking free music, pictures and videos until it was shut down and turned into a pay service. Many others have come and gone in the years since, and currently torrents are more popular than P2P programs like Kazaa and Limewire. What people, particularly the younger generation, are willing to pay for has changed; and we just don't want to pay for music anymore.
For decades we were raped by the recording industry, convinced we need to pay upwards of $20 for a new album. One with one or two goods songs, and the rest, crap. Sometimes we just wanted that one song, or a few, or to try the album out and see if we like it before we spend the money. So now we download it, burn it, copy it, mp3 it, delete it and forget it. We don't have a stack of cd's worth $200 that we never listen to anymore. We find new bands and discover old favorites online and for free, a majority of the time.
But there are hazards to this. The RIAA, major labels and some big bands don't like it. Especially if you share what you have with others. Your mother was wrong. Do not share anything; use it once, destroy it and get the next thing. If you want to get it again, pay for it again and never borrow. If you do, you could end up being charged $1.92 mil for sharing.
Radio has been a thorn in the side of corporate music's side for years, letting just anyone listen to the music they send them for a nominal fee. Bastards. If I hear that 3oh!3 song one more time, I might just sue them myself.
I'm fairly certain that what this industry is doing to itself is cutting the leg off to spite the foot. They spend millions prosecuting offenders for, often, just a handful of songs. Thus alienated, many fans buy less music than before. In my case, I purchase maybe 2-3 albums a year, which was about 10 or more a decade ago. I just don't want to pay for music anymore. I still am willing to pay to watch bands play live, which is how they actually get money, since royalties are a mere pittance compared to the cash raked in by the labels for their music. I want my money to go to the musicians who deserve it, not the suits who sit around giant tables deciding what's going to be 'hot' this fall. I would rather pay for new amps and better guitars, not yachts and Armani suits.