if you make it easy people will buy it (vs 'steal it')

A while back (I think in early 2000) when I was more involved in the music industry I remember reading an amazing research paper that basically said: "...If the music industry, instead of fighting Napster, creates a solution where the normal user/consumer can easily buy music at a 'fair' price, then most users will do it..." (unfortunately I was not blogging back then, so I lost that link :(  )

Of course that this advise was not listened to and it took Steve Jobs to actually make it happen.

Here is an album that I just bought on iTunes:

Why?

Because it was easy, fast and fair.

I actually have that Rodrigo y Gabriela album ('somewhere'), but since this record (and amazing music) is about 80% more expensive than the coffee I'm currently drinking (not bad for a 6 year old album) and I want to listen to those songs now, I bought it (something the music industry thought that would never happen since I am able to get that album for free on the internet).

I leave you with a thought from Tim O'Reilly in 2002 "Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy." ,  and these guys agree with Tim:

• Fear Obscurity, Not Piracy 
• Piracy? You wish. 
• Piracy trumps obscurity again 
• The Real Problem For Most Artists is Obscurity, Not Piracy