[zeppelin]

Before online pirating, people were making mixtapes. Sure, the advent of the internet has made it easier for people to obtain copies of music without paying; what it really stems down to nowadays is the quality.

The quality of mainstream music is in a serious decline, and perhaps potential buyers are realizing more and more. There isn't enough incentive to drop nearly 20 bucks on a CD wrapped up in cheap plastic packaging. The CDs, and records, that I (personally) buy are the ones that offer a reason to have the physical copy, or are by artists whose work really deserves the money. The success of legal online distribution should clue them in that dropping record sales aren't a result of online pirating, but rather a shittier product. The music's quality, and what you really get when you drop 15+/- on a CD, are deciding factors of a purchase, online availability or not.

It's all getting stale, and it's time for change. Just look at Radiohead's approach, I'd call it revolutionary, and even though you could choose to pay nothing, they still made it a success in numerous ways. Frivilous lawsuits aren't the answer to a better music future, rather putting the money towards improving the entire music purchasing and collecting experience is. Now if only the suits at the RIAA would listen.