One thing I am wondering about is how you got that offer in the first place? Nothing has jumped up on my iTunes to let me pay more to keep what I already have … did that just show up in the iTunes Store?

I do support artists directly where I can. I don’t grab files of dubious provenance and/or legality from online media search engines. I don’t use P2P to steal music (any more *cough*).

The removal of DRM from the iTMS should have been a HOLY FUCK! THEY DON’T LOCK THE FILES BEHIND DRM! moment of jubilation. I’m not sure I follow your gripe with what Apple’s done…

And Mick only _ever_ got $10 from me, in the history of my buying music. And I’m ashamed to say it was for a cassette version of Steel Wheels. Please don’t hate me.

And Rob, too! Why are you two pinkos so happy to fill the coffers of large multinational corporations who view you as nothing more than (evidently renewable) revenue streams?

And I’m not surprised that your updates indicate that the process of you giving them more cash for music you should already own is turning into a total pain in the ass.

The fact is, the iTunes Music store is a colossal rip-off. It charges only slightly less for an album than I would pay for a vinyl copy (which is in itself a beautiful artifact). If all you want are zeros and ones, then anyone who understands the nature of digital media knows the costs to the providers are much lower. The royalties to the artists do not increase. Which means the rest goes to corporate fat cats at Apple and in predatory record companies that need to go out of business as soon as possible if we want to see any just arrangement.

And of course, we all know that music can be acquired DRM-free and for free as in beer any number of ways. I’m not just talking P2P. If I want the new Weezer single I can use skreemr.com and get it. Now. And do whatever the hell you want with it.

If you want to support the artist, buy direct from them. You will get a much higher quality product (for instance, for the a buck or two more than the price of the album on iTunes I can buy the new Robert Pollard vinyl direct, AND get DRM-free 320 KB
MP3s on a CD), and the artist will get at least three or four times as much money.

Most modern indie labels let you download digital copies for about half the cost of iTunes, and will pass on about twice as much money to the artists.

And if you are listening to some megabuck artist who doesn’t offer any means of buying a reasonable product directly… you know, one of those artists who lives on hundred-dollar concert tickets and corporate sponsorships, well… fuck them. Mick Jagger has taken enough of my money.

I agree with you – best $50 I have spent in a long time. I’m even more pumped by the music being higher quality than being DRM free.