With news via TechDirt that Limewire was tagged by the Recording Industry Assoc of America (RIAA) with a lawsuit and that Limewire has “negotiated” to stay alive using the Digital Rights Management (DRM) route, one could get the feeling that jaws is closing in. But, aside from the question of how Limewire might survive by joining an increasingly large crowd that also provide the same service, I believe new avenues for the consumer-generated-desire-for-free-music are bound to keep cropping up. The music industry has never worried about the fact that — depending on your age bracket– from 8-track to cassette, via vinyl 33 & 45, onto CD, DAT, etc. there are some albums we have purchased 3 or 4 times, just to stay up with the technology. Some wonderful nostalgic names pop up in the category of “gotta have it no matter what” albums, such as Led Zeppelin 3, Grateful Dead’s American Beauty, The Beatles’ Blue Album…
Should we not have a right to get the 5th one for free? I smell a new promotional term: BFOGOF! (Buy Four, Get One Free).
