The Digital Millennium

I'll get right to the point here: "illegal" file sharing is not what is hurting the music industry and independent record stores. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that most people buy more items online now then ever. Could this increase in legitimate online traffic have something to do with a decline in in-store cd sales? I would say so. And you may think, "Well I don't buy many cds online," and to that I say: iTunes. Did anyone think that the increase in iTunes-like online audio vendors could cause a decline in cd sales? Noo, let's blame it on illegal file sharing; that seems like a good scapegoat to cover up the music industry's problems. I must say, it pretty sad when artists themselves say that they don't mind their works being "illegally" downloaded. Maybe because they know if some kid downloads their new cd, he'll get hooked and order a t-shirt, or maybe even go see them live. Maybe they know that their works being distributed for free on the internet is better marketing and publicity than what the records labels are supposed to be giving them. I say, screw the records labels. All they do is try to capitalize on other people's talents and ideas, and make as much money as possible off of it, while paying the artist the least amount possible. Record labels are supposed to help the artists, help them introduce themselves to the world, not use them to make money. I have absolutely no problem supporting indie labels, such as Deathwish or Relapse, because I know that they take care of their bands. I personally feel jipped when I don't have a tangible case and album artwork, and an actual disk with a design on it. This is really what we're paying for, not the work, but the materials. You don't pay for photographs, you pay to get them developed. All an audio recording is, is a snapshot of a performance, a glimpse into the studio at a performance that the artists decided was good enough to release to the fans. You can't buy time, you can't buy events, you can't buy memories; they are intangible. So as long as I'm not getting a case, and a disk with a print on it, and liner notes, what should I be paying for?