What do you think about Napster?

[elSicomoro]

I'm glad to see people have a good spirited discussion about Napster...

At my last job in DC, several of my co-workers milked Napster for what it was worth. (I guess it pays to have computers with loads of extra HD space.)

I have an ethical problem with Napster. I agree that if people are simply using it to share new music, then it's fine. The main reason all this started seems to have been because Metallica's "I Disappear" single appeared on Napster before it was even available on the M-I: 2 soundtrack. (Although I remember some of the Big 5 complaining about it before then.)

First off, Metallica needs to hire better studio people to prevent stupid s**t like that from happening. Go on the net now...you'll find CDs you can download now that aren't supposed to be available for another month or two. So, if you're finding stuff like that on Napster, then yeah, I'd be pissed too.

The band has a good argument. Metallica actually owns their masters/copyrights, so they stand to lose more than most bands. Whenever their stuff is stolen, THEY lose money, not just Elektra/Time Warner. (As an aside, Metallica is probably one of the most fan-friendly bands that there is...and give away tons of free goodies.) Unfortunately, not every band is as smart as Metallica or Ani DiFranco.

A lot of music fans are horribly mad about the whole mp3.com and Napster situations. But I think they're mad at the fact that they got their freebie switch cut off more than anything.