I think it's important to distinguish between the business model and the mechanism of distribution. The In Rainbows site was very slow, so I downloaded it via

I think it's important to distinguish between the business model and the mechanism of distribution. The In Rainbows site was very slow, so I downloaded it via bittorrent. Lots of my friends did too. Most have gone back through the check-out process to pay something -- or they downloaded via bittorrent and ALSO bought the box set. So there is still a valid complaint that the music industry is behind -- but it is in both distribution mechanisms and business models. Music should be pushed out the door freely, even through bittorrent, with easy mechanisms to give back to the artist. That is the only model that can compete with piracy because it is the only one that has all the convenience of piracy with the warm glow of giving back to your favorite artists. But one mechanism that can help is new music recommendations. Piracy is very bad at that. A search for a genre rarely brings up quality.