Sorry, Harvey, didn't realize that my post was anonymous-- Every once in a while, I check the names of people who I know don't want their stuff circulated on P2P systems(hasn't been very often lately) with a view toward letting whoever is sharing them that the artist doesn't want to be shared that way--You can often do this because many of the P2P clients allow chats or messaging--The good news for small label and independent folks is that their stuff is not really out there except to the degree that they may circulate it themselves on their websites--

The thing is that this good news is the bad news too, because it means that their stuff is not getting heard--The reality is that the folks who do the "download MP3" are also serious consumers of music, and spend lots of money on CD's, concerts, videos, T-shirts, souvenir books, and any damned thing you can think of--If they hear it and like it, they buy--

The realities of the market place are capitalist ones, though, Harvey, and what is fair is not a big factor--You can work hard at an honest trade for years and end up without the proverbial pot, while the next guy may set up a dotcom with someone elses money, sell his shares six months later when the overvalued stock peaks, and retire at 30 with more money than you ever thought of--