When I was a "kid", I remember you could go to a rock concert and see a top-of-the-charts band for as little as $15.00. There weren't CDs back then, but you could buy a record or cassette album for around $8.00. My peers at the time had no ethical problems with making "party tapes" that compiled music from all their favorite albums. They would give them to their friends, who would in turn make copies to give to their friends. When we heard a band we really, really liked - we actually went out and bought the album. Those were the days.

In the digital age, that typical kid behavior can now land you in court and cost you thousands of dollars. As illustrated by the Sony Rootkit fiasco, consumers are beginning to get a taste of the Digital Rights Management software being slipped onto the latest batch of CDs that keep you from "ripping" the song to your iPod.

Consumers have seen the future of DRM... and are beginning to realize that it SUCKS!

While reps from Sony are saying that consumers don't care about DRM, people are beginning to shy away from albums that have the DRM "copy controlled" sticker on them. And, well, they should.

You see, this isn't about stealing... this is about spreading the joy of music. The record company wants to count every download as a lost sale... when the reality is that people downloading music from the internet or copying songs to their iPod does not necessarily translate into a lost sale. I believe that the ability to download music from the net only enhances an artist's fanbase, but it leads to more album sales. There is statistical evidence to support that notion.

So, while the record industry sticks it's collective head in the sand... consumers will ultimately make the final decision with their wallets. Let's see the RIAA sue us for that!

Click here to read an article on the subject at arstechnica.com.