Alternatives to RIAA / CRIA lawsuits?

[Eric Cartman]

I was going to reply to another post, but didn't want to hijack it.

The RIAA needs to figure out how to handle MP3's without running out and suing 16 year old kids.

Any suggestions? I'd seriously be interested in hearing some suggestions of what the industry can do to stop the illegal downloading / filesharing. Educational ad campaigns have been tried without success and as much as people hate the lawsuits, they do seem to be working. I think we're about to start the lawsuits in Canada as well, since the attempts to educate people and convince them to stop downloading have completely failed.

What other options would anyone suggest? How could RIAA or CRIA handle this issue without alienating the public? Please keep in mind that this is a serious question and I'm looking for serious intelligent responses. Try to keep the flames down

[e mag]

Yes the are going to start in canada and a lot of other countries. I don't really think there is any way to stop it. They can try all sorts of copy protections but once a song is played it can just be rerecorded or the protection will be cracked. I think the problem is that when someone downloads a song it isn't like they are really stealing a material item. Downloading music is pretty much the same as walking into a store and stealing a cd, however when you download it most people dont think they are stealing anything. As long as there is an easy method to aquire mp3s most people will probably choose to get them free rather then pay. Even if the riaa could completely stop music piracy I dont think record sales will go up that much. People have said it in the past and it really is true: most current music isn't good. Just look at a song like "get low" it's an incredibly idiotic song yet the riaa wonders why people don't buy it.