TOPIC: The Deadhorse -- illegal music downloads

Question: Is the music industry's attempt to curb illegal file sharing by suing individuals effective?

Johnny Depth spouts:
Distributing copyrighted material with out expressed written consent is illegal. Most everyone is aware of this fact, but is the widespread practice of downloading songs via file-sharing really just a sign that the average music listener is not satisfied with the terms associated with legal music purchases? Beyond the obvious cost of legal music downloading, there are several more irritating conditions associated with the process. Moving the files to another computer or media is burdensome and not always possible and not all songs can be found in a single legal portal (I don't care what they advertise). The freedom and compatibility of pirated music is awfully attractive when I don’t even feel like I own the music I have legally purchased. If the industry doesn't find a way to address the short comings of their system, then I foresee a drastic change in the way music is obtained, and I'm all for cutting out the middle man. Let’s get the music directly from the artists over portals in a universal format. The artist gets paid, the consumer owns a license to an artistic work, and the world continues to turn. Instead of crying about how much money you are losing [Music Industry] find a way to make legal music purchases a superior forum to file-swapping. Idiots...