When is it stealing and when is it legal?

The Recording Industry is busy at work again in the news deciding that since IPODs have become so popular that they don't want you putting your music that you bought on CD on them....... or should I say that they consider it legal at the moment, but reserve the right to change their minds in the future.

My issue on this, is right back to the greed nonsense. I will pay for GOOD music (not re-release upon re-release of the same music ....read greatest hits or same song by 100 different artists), but once I have paid for it, I should be able to use it for MY enjoyment as I see fit. If this means I want to take 12 cd's and make 1 cd mix to use in my car, I should. If it means that I rip the songs I paid for to my IPOD for my enjoyment, I should. I already have issues with the amount they want for a cd when a) they don't fill a cd full of songs -- average CD has 12 songs on it...you can fit 17 b) it costs $6 to get the cd recorded, made, distributed and through channels to your local Wallyworld. That does NOT translate to $19 in my book.

I am not talking about giving the songs to all my friends, trading them on any of the services, etc. I am talking about using what I bought for my own use. Add to this, I have children. Who of course do not take care of things. I refuse to allow them to have a new music CD until I have backed it up for when the original is destroyed (or better yet, I let them use the backup and put the ORIGINAL away). When did it become you paid for it, now pay for it again and again and again? That's just wrong and greedy. Add to this the fact that the recording industry wants to reserve the right to change their minds at anytime they think they are losing money and make law abiding people into criminals.

And they wonder why people just go "To heck with it, I"m doing it anyway"? The reason is the recording industry refuses to get out of prehistoric times and work WITH the customer (you know, the people that keep you in business)........someone tell big business to wake up and realize profits can be made by working WITH people instead of DEMANDING that everyone do it their way.