Subsequently, RIAA lawsuits against individuals shut down large resources of “shared” music, and warned others that swapping smaller quantities of copyrighted content could subject them to similar legal action. Services such as Napster were sued for billions of dollars as facilitators of copyright infringement, and either driven out of business or forced into retreat. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) decided to fight the “music is free” movement, undertaking highly publicized lawsuits on behalf of artists it represented. Many recording artists were angered by what they felt was mass theft of their music, while others either ignored or embraced the file-sharing. Upon release of just about any new album (and sometimes even before), full MP3-format tracks appeared on music-sharing services such as Napster and Kazaa, spreading around the world without restriction. Several years ago, the sheer quantity of open challenges to American copyright law created a popular perception that music – old and new alike – was supposed to be free, and “shared” between friends and strangers alike.

Illegal Free Music: Downloads with Consequences

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