Is there something unique about music as an art form? Are music fans more deserving than poetry fans, football fans, movie fans or sports car fans?

One difference is that other fans realize that in the free-market system we live in that you have to pay for things you want.

Music fans would rather steel.

Music fans believe that their right to music is somehow god given and not subject to free market restraints.

Music fans have a right to free music: hum al you want; sing in the shower; play in your garage; go to free concerts at the school.

But there are people out there trying to make a living off music and it isn't up to you to decide if they should charge or give it away.

Many justify their thievery with the claim that people in the music business are already making more than enough money, besides the music industry overcharges for their product.

I also think the Porsche dealer overcharges for the new Turbo. I should go there some night and just grab one. That will teach them!

For the most part, the United States is run by free markets. This means it isn't up to the government or the consumer what should be charged for products.

That is left up to the seller.

The ethical choice the consumer has is to buy or not to buy. If enough people decide not to buy then either the seller will reduce their price or a new seller will fill the void.

The unethical choice is to steel the product.

Sure the free market system creates huge inequalities. I think Britney Spears should be in school trying to figure out what she should do with her life and John Lee Hooker should have died a billionaire.

But I don't get to make those decisions.

The alternative of ripping off both Spears and Hooker to show my displeasure makes no sense.

What I've done is support Hooker by buying his CDs while boycotting Spears.

I am disappointed in the music industries reaction to the Internet.

I have this vision of how the World Wide Web should work for a variety of art forms including music.

Since my taste in music is the type that falls out of release, it would be great to use the Web as a way to distribute those hard-to-find out of release songs.

The Internet could be a real boon to artists trying to gain exposure. Many would probably allow for free downloads to give consumers a chance to hear their music.

But it should be up to the artist if they want to give away their property or not.

With so many young people ignoring the ethics of theft, companies such as Napster, Kazaa and Morpheus have moved us further from the ideal vision of an integrated music business and Internet.

People trampling on the fair usage doctrine of the copyright law have resulted in an industry trying to eliminate fair usage. They have found that people will steal rather than behave ethically.

When push comes to shove, the music industry has much deeper pockets to pay off Congress than you or I. They will ensure future technology does not have the ability to copy for personal usage because of the concern of theft.