All in all you can be sure that the media dinosaurs will resist this with all their power for as long as they exist – which will most likely turn out to be way too long if they are supported by corporate sellout governments.

Still, there's a bit of hope: governments should at some point realize that allowing the use of government means to persecute people who use technology to work around an outdated business model puts them at conflict with the voters. This is much worse than just falling popularity ratings as once people get to feel that the governments they elect don't stand for their rights – and that there's no one to vote for that could change this (the Pirate Party tries, but is obviously suppressed using all available means) – an erosion of democracy is imminent. When governments loose touch with the people the result is either anarchy or totalitarianism (for now the latter seems to be more likely). Neither works in the long run – so as long as governments are still capable of thinking ahead (optimistic, I know), they may want to address this issue to the advantage of their voters for a change.

We'll see how it develops, but one thing is obvious and that is that the awareness that such an alternative business model exists should be increased – and not just among media consumers. Which is why it's very encouraging to see it posted at such a high profile blog as yours, Don. Cheers

Secondly, as well as the service argument, another argument that strikes me is one based on resources. It goes like this: Assume (for a second) the recording industry's key resource is new music and new artists. And that in order to produce something original, an artist requires a reasonable appreciation of the music that has gone before, in order to not appear hopelessly naive and derivative and get cut down by critics. Then, as music back-catalogues get bigger every year, how much money would an 18 year old have to spent in order to have a properly rounded musical appreciation? Has anyone in the record industry ever done an estimate?
Of course, if the recording industry's sole purpose is to make money, then it's in their best interests to sell us the music that's already been created, endlessly repackaged… but is that really a sustainable business model? Really?