TIO, I agree with you completely, but I want to attempt to clarify one of your points:
Quote:
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You don't have a right to music
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As was mentioned earlier, music isn't limited to a few cultures but rather is something common to all of mankind. We are musical creatures. This is going to be a horrible over-generalization and logical fallacy, but I think music may be the one universially appreciated art form. I know many people who have no love for art or theater or literature. However, I can't think of a single person who doens't like some form of music. I have plenty of friends whose taste I would question, but will grudgingly admit that what they listen to is some
form of music. This being said, since music is a part of us, I would offer that we do have a right to music.
I would add, though, that we do not have a right to
all music which is what I belive you meant. Whether we like it or not, a good deal of the popular music is owned by large corporations. We cannot decide to steal from them just because we don't like the price they have set on their commodity. I agree that it is unreasonably high. But they own it, and if they have what I want, I have to pay their price to get it. I have no right to set my own price on what someone else owns. You can't come to me and say, "Hey, I like your car. Here's $100. Now it's my car." We can't confuse the nature of tangible and intellectual property here. I recognize that the idea of IP is a little abstract for a good deal of the populace, especailly younger ones (like the 12 year-old girl) who haven't developed abstract reasoning skills yet. Property is still property whether tangible or not. If I were to plagarize someone't work, I would be guilty of theft even though they still have the original copy.
I don't have an easy solution to all of this. Universal's price cuts and Apple's iTunes store are a good start, and both have come sooner that I had expected to change. Corporate America resists change like this. They had a model that worker for most of the history of their industry, and they don't want to change it. It will come though. Until it does, however, look elsewhere for music. If you don't want to pay for major-label artists, then don't. There is plenty of good music made by local artists that you can hear and buy CD's from at local venues/coffee houses, etc. If music is really important to you, learn to play an instrument and make your own. If will give you a far greater understanding and apprecation for others' music at the same time.
/steps off soapbox