Music Wars: Scene 11
In which the new breed of Rebels are talking 'bout a Revolution

If you were to listen to Generation Download?, (yes that is what the article says) these teens have little regard for the Empire RIAA:

...Over the coming weeks, Weiss said, the RIAA will file hundreds of lawsuits against file-sharers who offer large numbers of MP3s. They're seeking the maximum possible damages, $150,000 per song.

snip..

So far, though, kids seem utterly unimpressed with the recording industry's "shock and awe" campaign.

"That's stupid," declared Andrew Pira, 16, of Concord.

"They can't sue 4 million people," added his friend, 16-year-old Sado Alhkim of Walnut Creek.

snip..

"The record industry does have a point," Tamaki admits. "I know that all these artists and groups have to make their money ... But I'm just such a fan of sharing MP3s that I can't fully agree with what they say. It's just such a brilliant idea."

snip..

And many young people said they simply can't imagine paying to download songs.

Even a dollar a track, apparently, seems ridiculously high to a generation weaned on free music.

"I still wouldn't pay," said Pira. "Ninety-nine cents a song -- you could buy a soda for that."

To catch their attention, online music prices would have to feel like pocket change, young people said. Many offered the paltry figure of 25 cents a song. Even such dirt-cheap rates, some reasoned, would add up if every downloader chipped in.

Others, like 15-year-old Farhan Khalid of Pittsburg, see no point in even discussing prices.

"Why pay," he asked, "if you can get it for free?"

What is interesting is the total disregard for the "old" system of purchasing music at a record store, and a complete acceptance of downloading music even in the face of it being illegal. Myself thinks what we have here is a mob mentality going on, with everybody doing it, no one person feels that they will get caught. The RIAA's tactics will be to start with those who are most prolific and work their way down, eventually scaring off everyone when they start going after smaller and smaller pirates. This would take more that a few years, as serving, processing and prosecuting tens of thousands of cases every couple of months will tax not only the RIAA's resources but the judicial system as well. Myself predicts thht this time next year P2P software will have some sort of privacy, or at least effectively anonymous. Wether it be IP spoofing, encryption, multiple proxy server bouncing, or something else altogether Myself can only guess, but it will occur. Young people are now used to the idea of free music, maybe even some think they're entitled to get it for free. Unless a viable alternative presents itself, the RIAA is going to lose if they keep going the way they are, and the rebels will be victorious. Unless the Empire can finish rebuilding the death star....