Here is a link to a very intriguing story about how the RIAA's campaigns
against music downloading might be more about protecting its own self rather
than the artists that it claims to represent.

There has always been a delicate balance between the music industry and
radio. They RIAA needed for radio stations to play their songs to give their
artists exposure so people would buy their records, but every time a song
got airplay, that increased the chance that someone was going to record that
song off the radio and save having to buy an expensive album full of songs
no one wants. I know, because I taped tons of songs back in the 70s straight
off the radio. My music appetite was much larger than my budget for albums.
Now, fast forward 30 years, and the same thing is happening, but now you add
satellite radio and the internet to the mix. Plus, now, nearly everyone has
access to better quality recording equipment than I used back in the 70s, so
homemade CDs and even DVDs are everywhere, not to mention MP3 players that
store albums of music on a card smaller than a postage stamp.

So the RIAA is on the very edge of obsolescence right now, and eventually
their lawsuits against people just like me are going to drive the public to
a point of no return. And if the artists start to sense a backlash against
them, then they'll drop the RIAA and find an alternate way to make a living
with their music.

End of sermon. Here's the link to the article:
http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=702