It took a raid and the downfall of one of the largest torrent sites on the web to bring me back to blogging. It’s been a year and a half since my last post, but…. I have something to say.

This is yet another example of big business getting in the way of progress (seems counter-productive doesn’t it?). I know, “stealing” music is illegal. The RIAA, BPI, and IFPI have beaten that down our throats for years now, but it seems the recording industry is missing the big picture. No one would argue that stealing is wrong, but the question is “Are we stealing?”. The answer to that question is not as clear as it may seem.

The RIAA would have you believe that copying anything you own is theft. So by definition, sharing a “copy” would be theft (actually two thefts one by your copy and one by distributing). They say that they are protecting the rights of artists and defending them from the damaging effects of file sharing. First of all, they won’t release any of their data on file sharing’s effects on the industry. Secondly, since when have record labels been defending artists? Are you kidding? They devour their funds and creativity by forcing most new artists into horribly confining contracts. They also “steal” from the consumer by offering lackluster products at near price gouging rates. And don’t let me get started on the movie industry, they’re even worse.

The bottom line is, people are tired of paying high prices for things that suck. iTunes is certainly doing well. Why? Because , it’s safe, easy, convenient, and the prices are reasonable. OiNK was the same way. The only difference is, OiNK didn’t charge any money. OiNK was about freedom. It was a place where age, race, gender, class, even language didn’t matter. It was a global community dedicated to one thing. The love of music.

This is why the labels and movie houses will never win. They can’t figure out why people aren’t charging for the services. I could argue for hours why OiNK itself hasn’t violated any laws, but it’s pointless. Laws don’t matter. The artists don’t matter. This issue is and always will be about one thing. Money.

The record companies feel like they should make a dime for every time a person hears a song. But, that will never happen. Sure, more laws can be made and more raids can happen, but until big business realizes that this isn’t about big business, they’ll never stop it. We’re not trying to cheat anyone. It’s about convenience. It’s about fun. It’s about “sharing”. Not theft…. Sharing… Isn’t that one of the first lessons in life? We have to share?

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• Torrent Freak