Stop Music for Free, Pleads Record Industry

The record industry pleaded on Wednesday with consumers to stop downloading and recording music for free because piracy was strangling the multi-billion-dollar industry.

Something bothers me about this sentence...What is it? hmmmm... something about an industry being called "Multi-Billion Dollar" AND "strangling". Something's wrong about that...

"Music for free means less new music, fewer new artists, less choice, thousands less jobs," said Jay Berman, head of the industry's main trade body, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

I can understand less jobs... but how in the heck can you say getting music for free means less NEW music and FEWER NEW artists?? I would think that since its free, people who download an mp3s are more inclined to sample NEW music and NEW artists...Plus, it gives more artists a chance to have more people hear their stuff...

For the record, I don't mind people downloading music if its to sample an artist's work. If you like it, be nice enough to buy the CD. But, downloading a CD and ripping it without paying for it, I don't want to say its stealing, but something ain't right about it...

And does anyone else think that consumers would buy more CDs if the music scene today weren't filled with such crap? Better music means better sales...