No Rock And Roll Fun

THEY'RE LIKE BLOODY WARTHOGS IN A CAKE SHOP: We spend a lot of time portraying the people who run record companies as greedy idiots, and sometimes we wonder if we're not just falling back on a lazy parody. Then, of course, you hear the record companies are trying to increase the cost of downloading by as much as 250 per cent and you realise that "greedy idiots" just doesn't come close. Amongst the other ideas they're thinking of are forcing you to download shit, unwanted songs if you try to access chart hits, or having a price where tracks cost more if they're available before their albums. Not only is this going to wipe out the advantage of having a single, flat price for downloads, but it shows that the companies haven't twigged that although at the moment it's the single which is under pressure from downloads, it's ultimately the concept of the album that is dead: nobody is going to bother with a package of three singles, two so-so tunes, a cover and four filler tracks any more when they can just cherry-pick the best bits.
[Thanks to Adnan for the link, and the pointer to a response from iPod Lounge.]