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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4746012" data-attributes="member: 19675">Well, the "Its just hurting the Corporations living off the artists" warcry doesn't have the same oomph it used to (not that I think it had any, really).Indie and startup artists are starting to feel the pinch of piracy just as much.In several interviews, Ani Di Franco has opined that she's spending more and more time defending her stuff (she owns her own label) against piracy than she ever thought she'd have to, and it is starting to take away time and FUN away from the actual music side of her business.I also personally know a band that had more copies of its debut album sold on a Russian Mafia pirate site than through legitimate channels...and you can guess where that money went.Even non-label music retailers are getting hurt- there are equipment/retail companies in the biz that are selling unsigned artists' materials through their websites...and even THEY have been feeling the pinch of piracy.I'm not arguing that downloading needs to end- even though its not to my preference, it is incredibly efficient from both the supply and demand side- but personally I haven't seen any alternative to the current regime that protects the rights of the artist...and all those people who helped the artist bring their product to market (studio engineers, producers, session musicians, etc.).</blockquote>