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----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Cox" <[log in to unmask]> > However, I suspect the RIAA are against anybody being able to hear any > music without paying for it, even if it were shown that downloading > greatly increased sales. Some people feel that nothing should ever be > free - they would commercialise the Library of Congress if they could. In fact, were they in charge of things, when you walked down the street whistling a happy tune (as the old song goes), you would be violating the copyrights of the composers and publishers though your unrecompensed public performance...and threatening the record industry by competing with them using unauthorized reproduction of this material as opposed to a legally purchased recording thereof! In fact...you know that song you can't get out of your mind, no matter how hard you try? Under our new RIAA regime, you will now be expected to pay full composer and publisher royalties for each time you think of it (after all, you THOUGHT you heard a public performance of the tune!) as well as an "in lieu" payment to RIAA, since your thinking of the song might have resulted in their NOT selling a recorded copy of it which you could then have handy by towing a record player behind you with wheels attached... ...stevenc