Stephen Fry's Thoughts on Digital Piracy

At the iTunes festival in the UK last month, author/actor/comedian Stephen Fry took the stage. While many in the audience were probably prepared to be amused, instead Fry spoke passionately about the conflict and the questionable tactics of organizations like the RIAA to vilify individuals who download songs illegally. In short, Fry calls for common sense to prevail, painting a picture of the history of shared communication/information as the basis for the belief that piracy today does not negatively affect sales to the extent record companies would have you believe, and that alienating the biggest fans of music isn't good business.

It seems to me, a subscription service, or free ad-supported service is the only long-term solution to satisfy the studios and our appetite for music. Yet subscription services just aren't catching on...

You can listen below. (Caution, occasional NSFW language.)