> John Enser said clear deterrents to illegal downloading are emerging,
> with "fear of prosecution" and "the sense that unauthorized downloading
> is 'not fair on the artists,'" being among the reasons illegal downloading
> is on the decrease.

They really think that it users stop downloading because of prosecution? The ONLY reason I don't download is the iTMS!
And if a track is not available there I still download it. I have stopped buying CDs after having bought a copy protected CD that wouldn't play in my car… suckers!

I don't download MP3s from P2Ps anymore because its just too much work. I buy WAY more CDs since I got an iPod. I never buy from iTMS. The value for your $ is actually increasing with many CDs. Heck now you can get some with the album in DVD-A too for the same price. I haven't run into copy protection yet since after I get the CD it usually goes into the Mac for ripping and then into a box for storage. Well the dualdisc ones don't go in a box. Those have the honor of being placed in the living room.

i dont download music from anyone other then itunes becuase like some people i guess you can say my system suffered the consequences and the quality was never guarenteed. i think itunes is great but to be perfectly honest (especially since ive had my iPod) me and most of my friends(whom also have iPods) rotate buying cds or downloading them on itunes and then we all just rip them on your systems. so its a way a sharing that i dont think is preventable, and when i have the money i do pay for my music.(out of respect for the musicians. i also like itunes if i only want like one or two songs.

Since the original Napster closed, I haven't downloaded much from p2p networks. Mostly because the quality was lacking and iTMS really has been a great place for me to purchase music.

Being (a litter) older, newer "popular" music doesn't interest me very much. So right now I have been buying older music that I listened too but never purchased. So the ala carte style really works for me.

Though I do miss finding those tracks on CDs that you never hear but end up being the some of the best songs.

Yes, I strongly agree now that half-heart excuses for legal downloading programs have emerged. There has been a large sway in legal vs illegal downloading. I just wish they would be so protective of IP rights and be less resistictive. Once this happens there will be a 90% decrease in illegal downloading

Well either way I guess this will be a shot in the arm for Apple's online movie store efforts. I wonder what they will call it. Maybe iFilm... oh wait. Um.. iMovie... no. Uh...

I personaly have well over 5000 CDs & only started downloading from P2P about a year ago. I personaly have had no issues with viruses and the quality of the file, I simply choose the best stream available. I say this because what the recording industry fails to acknowlege is that most of the music that lables put out today is complete garbage. I refuse to purchase a full length CD if I like less than 80% of whats on it. It is nearly imposible to find that great single off that terrible album that you realy want(aside from i-tunes). I feel the industry only has it self to blame for the P2P plague which has inflicted it. For a long time ppl had no choice but to buy the entire album of garbage to enjoy one good track. If the industry focused on making good albums instead of singles people would be more than happy to purchase the CD. Case in point the hip hop duo Oukast last albun did extremely well while being downloaded heavily. Why, because once ppl actualy heard most of the album they realized how good it was and went out and purchased it.Revisit singles, put remixes on them to help weaker artists that can't make an entire album well. MAKE GOOD ALBUMS, & THEY WILL BUY THEM.