The big question: Was Napster hurting the music industry? No. The music industry hurt itself by not including digital download sites as part of their elite club... Who did benefit from Napster? The public of course, but also indie bands. Let's say you're an unsigned band with a website, and you've sold 1000 CDs online and at gigs. If you got 10,000 people to swap your music on Napster, you just made 10,000 people aware of your band. It's not like you lost 10,000 CD sales by them swapping your music - they wouldn't have known you existed! If 10% of those people like your music enough to buy your CD, you just doubled your sales, and created 10 times the awareness for your band.

Who was hurt by Napster? All those that resisted change, and didn't want to make the evolving world part of their's. Ya can't fight progress. Napster downloads were considered piracy only because the industry didn't make the effort to include download sites as part of their evil empire. Which surprises me. When there's money to be made, the industry finds a way to get it. Whether it's by buying up indie music sites (AOL buys Riffage.com, then merges with EMI/Warner) or by (attacking) MP3.com, the #1 indie music site.

The more power we, the people have as indie artists, the less control the industry has over their continued theft of signed artists' services. Be aware that every time you settle for a bad record deal with a label, you're taking value and power away from all the indie musicians that are taking responsibility for their own lives and careers...

I agree with Lars that Napster was aiding piracy. But don't blame Napster for existing - blame a music industry that wants everything for itself.

Opinion by Ron Thal Read his comments in full.

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