Quick thoughts about Napster. You know my opinion. That said, I think the RIAA's action against Napster is going to backfire on them. There will be a boycott, I'm sure, at least by netizens. Napster is now a martyr for the cause, and this will only make it harder for RIAA to hold on to their business model (which I think is great for both parties, btw -- I'm all for legal internet music distribution!).

RIAA would have been better served working with Napster rather than shutting them down. Since that wasn't ever going to happen, this is the natural course of things, IMHO. Napster will be back up, with a much stronger brand, once the industry is reformed.

Update: I've had some time to think about the Napster decision on my own for a while without any media influence (my Mom told me about it tonight while visiting); now I'm starting to read articles.

Here's the first:

Salon: Why the anti-Napster campaign is as doomed as Prohibition

I compared the theft of songs via Napster to the organized crime of the prohibition days a couple of weeks ago. In this reenactment, RIAA is the government, Napster/Gnutella are the mobsters, and the people are the people, who want something and aren't being allowed to have it.

RIAA should learn from history. Either Napster didn't, or they're willing to play the part of the mobsters, smuggling music for "the greater good".