Score another point for the RIAA in its fight against illegal downloading. Sharman Networks, owners of the popular P2P software, have agreed to settle with the RIAA for $100 million and to go legit. The MPAA has also recently settled its litigation with the company as well.
As someone who has done his fair share of trading across these rogue networks over the years, there was a time when I was really gung-ho about these things and how they’d be around for a long time despite the RIAA’s efforts. I still feel this is the case, but anymore I personally couldn’t care less about my own involvement. The initial fun of the whole mp3 trading thing wore off a while ago, and with legit places like eMusic offering up a nice selection of albums anymore, I don’t mind buying the occasional album or song. Plus, I’m going to toot the horn for my ever-favorite La la that is still hands down the most amazing music trading community I’ve ever been part of.
