Restricted tunes

Ok, parents may ask, just what is the difference between iTunes and KaAaA (the pay-per-tune vs. the file-sharing services)? At sites like iTunes, Napster, etc., USATODAY's Andrew Kantor ably explains, "when you pay for and download a song, it comes with various built-in restrictions. Maybe you can only pay it while you're subscribed to the service. Maybe you're limited to playing it on certain machines. Maybe you can't copy it to other media (say, a CD to play in your car)." Kantor goes on to explain that, if you add those restrictions to the media companies' business model ($15 for a CD with one or two good songs on it), you get a lot of music fans grabbing at the nearest alternative: the P2P services. That the music is free isn't the only reason - it just helps. Kantor argues that if they'd just make the paid services as easy as the P2P services *and* restriction-free, people would flock to them. Well, maybe not teenagers short on cash, but it would help. All the lawsuits seem to have helped a bit too - the latest Pew Internet & American Life figures hint that file-sharers are at least less willing to admit to their P2P activities. We may be seeing the tide turning, but parents need to be in the decisionmaking process too - for everybody's legal protection and to help kids think through the ethical issues, even if you're all copy-leftists. Here are some discussion points: "A tech-literate dad on file-sharing" and "Bigger picture on file-sharing."