Where rich people get really ugly is not when someone tries to take away their money, but when someone seems likely to stop them from getting way more money. It's the same with record companies getting all hot and bothered about file sharing: they're not worried that people aren't going to buy their product; they're worrried about people not buying more of their product because they're sharing their toys, and won't buy more because it's too expensive.

All this comes at a time when popular music seems to be all popped out. There are millions and millions of acts but, judging by what's on TV, each of them has about fifteen seconds of stuff, and most people are listening to canonical rock, which they already have. It might be interesting to look at this summary at IFPI's site. (I've copied their webpage, altered the HTML, and put it in my own little computer so I can send it to my friends as an attachment, obviously, in order to deny IFPI their "hits".)

First of all, the "News" part has all these punchy headlines, "Biggest wave of actions yet announced against illegal file-sharing", unprecedented this and that, heroic struggle against dirty internet pirate scum, etc. That sounds exactly like angry, self-righteous desperation of the sort that emanates from authoritarian governments on the ropes. "Government forces today killed more than fifty insurgents, bringing us one step closer to victory."

But one paragraph is interesting:

Music on audio formats fell 9.9% in value. A small portion of this loss was compensated by an encouraging increase of 46.6% in music video sales. Sales of CD albums around the world dropped by 9.1% in value, while sales of singles fell by 18.7%.

I think people will buy music videos because they are videos. Nobody buys them to listen to. And then the 18% drop in singles, that means people are really not interested in new music. The real drive in music back in the day didn't come from people saying, "This Elvis guy is supposed to be big, I'd better get his album", it came from people hearing a single on the radio and running to to buy lots of it, thereby making it a "hit". That doesn't happen too often now.

Something unprecedented about the 1950's and 1960's was that there were masses of young people who had a bit of spending money at a time when a new form of popular, youth-oriented music was emerging. All these music publishers made out like bandits, gouging the customer and stiffing the artist. They should go away and quit bellyaching.