Beyond just the front cover, I miss the death of the inside and pullout sleeve art & commentary by the artist. I remember during my vinyl, tape and CD days sitting around a new tape/cd or by my parents mound of vinyl and carefully reading through the pages of literature provided by the artist as I deconstructed their music. Interestingly enough, the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” original soundtrack was one the most captivating pieces and I treasured it.

With regards to the duplicating music, your argument is sound. However, the backstory may be a little more complex. Umbrella licensing for clubs, radio and other venues was a huge thorn in the side of the music industry and for years it has been debated. Why non-terrestrial radio and internet radio is “taxed” by additional fees baffles me but the reason is probably very simple: It’s new, BIG Music is old and confused. But let us not forget the greatest pirating medium of our early childhood, the magnetic tape. Mix tapes between young sweethearts, taping from the radio, and copying VHS from the movie store was a large issue well before the internet or CDs. Still you are absolutely correct, P2P became the medium on which this activity rose to a massive and international scale. Nice post.