Rick, the problem is that when you walk out of a store without paying for cola, there is one less bottle of cola in the store. If I walk in, make an exact replica of the cola, and leave the original behind, what has been looted?

Matt, Laninsg Mi, USA

Bono should start living in England not Switzerland and he should pay full taxes like every hard working member of society who are struggling to make ends meet because everything is just so dear now. What's more the music industry needs to be dragged into the 21st century.

How about putting all back catalogue music online for free for everyone to share then use advertising to pay for it? Simple solution. But trying to force us to conform to an antiquated business model in the digital age simply will not work.

John, London, uk

CD prices. One of the complaints of the looters. Rubbish.
You buy a CD ONCE, you can use it over and over and over and... You can copy it to a device, like your computer, and store it away. YOU NEVER HAVE TO BUY IT AGAIN! Name another item that you will never need to replace.
It's the best bargain out there.

I'm seeing now that this looting has moved over to movies. The looters use the same argument, "screw the movie companies!" I guess they're the bad guys now.

This is nothing but looting, the cops arent' around so take it. If it's not and you're making a statement then walk into the store and steal your next Pepsi, no sugar and water is worth what they're charging. Walk in and steal those Nike's, they cost a fraction of what they charge.

Show some melons! Steal it all!

If you want to steal then steal but don't wrap it in some high and mighty cause. You're a looter, accept it or stop.

Rick, Washington, DC, USA

I don't condone illegal downloading, but I belive the music industry has to wake up and put the problem back into perspective.

The music industry has developed the reflex of blaming others when they don't make as much money as they want.

First its the downloaders, now its the ISP's. Who will it be next? Obviously any scapegoat will do, just don't admit that maybe they themselves need to re-assess their antiquated business model.

Andrew M, Zurich, Switzerland

Maybe Mr. McGuiness should explain to us how broke U2 has become because of file sharing.

Frank Marra, Ocean, NJ, USA

U2 sucks is the worst band in the world.................
Nobody will download ur stupid MP3s because U2 sucks..

Belinda, Cape Town, South Africa

How about if U2 was held responsible for all their fans that break all sorts of laws [not saying that they do, but if they do], then U2 not sell them tickets to future concerts or not sell them music at all.

Why should the ISP lose clients and revenue and not U2?

Paul, Tampa, USA

Being rich makes you ignore obvious things...

Denis M, Chicago, USA, IL

Thats like cadbury's suing the local milk-bar because someone copied a chocolate they bought there. Copyright security is the manufacturers job not the retailers. Its really sad when huge recording companies can't write security codes as fast as some 16 y/o nerd in his grannies garage can break them. We have become a society of buck passing, make someone else responsible for our short comings. A guru on a deserted desert island could get lawsuit insurance today.

Udo, Melbourne, Australia

All you whiney kiddies are just pissed that you can't sneak off with the cookies. Sharing a CD with your buddies is one thing. File sharing sites are another thing entirely. Uploading a song so an unlimited number of people can gorge themselves on the free snacks isn't sharing, it's wholesale DISTRIBUTION.

Rick Sundvall, Portland, Oregon, USA

"Well the U2 I believe in isnt short of cash...Mister"

Tim, Scotland, UK of A

enforcement would be difficult. how would illegal P2P filesharing be distinguished from legal P2P filesharing?

dan, san diego,

And while you are at close down book sharing libraries too.

jasper, chelmsford,

ps... forgot to add.... let them cut people off the internet. i mean that so obviously will stop people from sharing/trading/copying cd's won't it...
best to check your home's for spycams watching what you do with your legal cd's. never know when they'll be hauling you arse in for letting a friend borrow it

paul, glos,

In what way did the "honesty box principle" "backfire"? If something that's available for free ends up on p2p networks, where's the problem? They should be glad it relieved their servers of quite some traffic. Seems to me that music managers are not only greedy but also very stupid.

Matt, Wuerzburg, Germany

Most people here are missing the point, an artists work is his work full stop. As such they are entitled to expect a fee for the listening/viewing/use of that work. It simply does not matter how much money has been previously made, and in any case such an idea by Paul McGuiness is designed to protect all artists, not just U2

Tony, Midlands

Tony , Leicestershire,

"but the collapse of the old financial model for recorded music will also mean the end of the songwriter"
Yeah right, songwriters will always write songs, what he meant to say it is the end of the 20% cut managers like him.

What utter nonsense about banning Internet services to illegal downloaders. Does he think that it will stop the tens of million of people who already do it?

I say "Make music managers live in poverty!"

Blocks, Telford, UK

My last comment wasn't posted up, suprise, suprise!

Anyway, on another point..... do you really think the ISP's who are advertising 20mb broadband etc are going to seriously enforce restricting people's internet access and investigating there users to monitor what they download and to see if they are breaking copyright laws?

What about BT's 100mb that they are testing down South now?

If Virgin media come out tomorrow and said we are going to ban everyone who downloads illigal MP3's, I'd get rid of my £35, 20mb package and get the 2mb one or even better, cancel all together and get someone else's 1mb one, cos why would I need 20mb to brouse website's?

Fact being, I used to download on my 56k modem illigally(9 years ago), just for the fact I was on £4 pocket money a week and do you think I was gonna save up for 3 weeks to buy an album? GET REAL RICH BOY!!! Same applies today for the young one's n' all!

Andrew, The UK,

hmmmm lets see, the way i figure it is if you like a band you'll support them i do. i couldn't live without SLAYER, so i support them and buy their stuff. the real reason people are "stealing" U" stuff is to piss them off andbecause they suck. but seriously where were these people when tape recorders came out, and video recorders....ohh ya and dvd recoeders??? i do a lot of legal file sharing i got family on the other side of the world. they gonna penalise me cuz i am a heavy internet user? ohhhhh crap! i'm gonna have the star trek crew after me! i d/l-ed loads of tng series's!!! i'm out b4 they find me!!!! ahhhhh!!!

jeff, gloucestershire, uk

The reality is that the music writers and performers get a small portion of the total fee paid for music whether it is a CD or legal download. If artists set up their own websites and charged, say, 10p per song, they would make more money. No advertising costs, no distribution costs, and no manager taking 10% off the top.

The irony is that the bands who sold tons of LPs in their heyday were ripped off by managers (check out David Bowie's story), Music labels or both.

Bands like U2 and Metallica benefitted from that history and were better able to maximise their earnings.

Now the music labels, managers are crying foul (because they realise they are the least value in the chain now.)

Meanwhile bands like U2 and Metallica who are creatively finished are the ones taking up the charge.

If it isn't bad enough that the mega rich Bono has to ponce around the world saying we are mean for not giving more, while he lives in tax haven heaven, now we have this! Give me a break.

UnBono, Atlanta, Georgia

If that's the attitude of U2 .... I don't think I like them any more.

Remember Metallica Mr McGuiness ... Metallica started a campaign against their fans.... didn't work there did it.

You should be more successful though - U2 has a lot more fans to lose.

Best of luck in your campaign against fans of U2

Joe

Joe, Cambridge, UK

No surprises here. After all, Bono pays his taxes in the Netherlands instead of Ireland because in the former he only pays around 5%. Talk about ending global poverty!

Alberto, London, UK

an internet connection isn't a luxury. you might as well threaten to cut off food, water and a testicle.

as someone who has never illegally downloaded any music, but has a huge collection of cds, I wonder if the authorities would like to punish the music companies for their cartel pricing?

I suspect the cost of cds has been ramped up quite enough to cover "losses" from illegal downloading and quite a lot more besides.

I've got all u2's albums, incidentally. paid for in full. and then some. (if anyone wants to pop round and borrow one, you can make a much better quality copy than you'll ever get from qtrax. sounds like no one does, though.)

jem, london, uk

Make Bono History!

Sam, Dorset,

Trust me, if they cut everyones connection off who are classed as "illegal downlaoders" then 1% of the population will have the internet. Illegal downloading has become such a "norm" that no one in the puplic even sees it as bad because I'd say most people do it.

Stephen , Skelmersdale, Lancashire

"you get to feel so guilty, got so much for so little... then you find that feeling just won't go away..... you're holding on to every little thing so tightly... til there's nothing left for you anyway....

"you wanted to get somewhere so badly... you had to lose yourself along the way.... you change your name, well that's okay, it's necessary.... and what you leave behind you don't miss anyway..."

hmmm.....

jem, london, uk

And will cutting peoples internet connection stop people from copying a CD using basic media player? No! Another stupid idea. These comments... along with Bono's "saint" act... make U2 one of the most annoying bands in history!

Clive Owens, Manchester`, UK

I agree bands like U2 have made enough money to last all 4 lifetimes, how about they give something back?

as for ISP's, i pay to get a connection to the internet, NOT i repeat NOT a restricted connection where ALL services no matter what that might be are available.

If they stop torrents and other file share progs, they will just push sharing underground again like it was years ago, bring forth the FTP server!!!!

steve, Brighton,

ISP would loose to much money cutting off that many people. not worth the risk.

c, c,

U2 sound desperate for wanting to cut of illegal downloaders. I dont even listen to U2 or even know any song they sing.

Sarah, Belfast, UK

"Music fans who indulge in widespread illegal file-sharing should have their web connections cut off by internet service providers"

yeah right, that's enforcable isn't it.

henry blince, torquay,

Radiohead made more money with their "pay-what-you want "than they would have done had they released the record through the conventional cd format.The record company was the big loser.

John, London,

If I promise not to download any U2 music, will Mr McGuinness bugger off and mind his own business?

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

It's quite scary. I have no idea of the millions of pounds that guy has got through U2's work, and still he wants more.

How much money does one person really need. How many houses? How many cars? And why does he want more?

I'd agree, if everyone got paid every time someone used their services (a plumber when you flushed the toilet, a garage everytime you started your car, a glazer everytime you looked out of your window, etc), but the music industry seems to want to work for 2 weeks, and get paid for life.

And they call us greedy!

They are just a bunch of greedy, good for nothing, un-hireable (rather rude word!)

Arthur, Newcastle,

Remember the "Hat" story. This band and their management are determined to protect their interests at all costs including their money with clever tax avoidance.

The irony is... who downloads their stuff anyway. There were probably more taped pirate copies back when they had an audience who wanted to hear them in the 80's. What would McGuinness propose, ban all tape recorders.

P2P is a threat to issues of copyright but banning users access to ISP connectivity is a civil liberty issue over a property issue. In effect, despite technology advances the law boils down to property. Perhaps Bono should look at Creative Commons licences if he really has any interest in anyone but himself, his band and his money.

Keith. Nichol, London, uk

So interesting.. it's the bands who have "made it" (like Metalica, U2) that gripe about the file-sharing even though they are so walthy that it shouldn't matter... and the middle of the road bands that are barely scraping by that say to fans at their shows to listen to their music and have fun, no matter how they do it.
At what point in their career does that sense of entitlement come into play?

Emily, Long Beach, CA

Instead of trying to get the ISP to punish downloaders, stop recording your music in a copieble fasion. If you don't want your moms pie receipe to get around, don't write it down, duh!

Peter, Maine, USA

Why should Yahoo! be prosecuted?
It is not an Internet Service Provider.

Mr McGuiness is ill informed and should stick to drinking his near namesake.

Mike Smithson, Bristol, UK

People share stuff because they like what they share.....I think U2 can rest easy on that score then.

Sedgwick Morrison, London,

I create content for the internet, therefor it's copy written. Does that mean that people should be cut off for downloading what I give away even though it's copy written, or only be cut off if you're a super rich, tax avoiding mega pop group who has overpaid lawyers?

Another one of these music dinosaurs that knows nothing about anything. Maybe he should get a degree in I.T before commenting.

U2 can stick their rubbish music to the G8 leaders.

Andzej, Dovercourt, UK

re Radiohead... people didn't want to use the "official" download link because it required giving away details and signing up to receive emails from them in future... to get the record, you had to agree to being spammed in future... and also they could sell on your details for any purpose. Also a lot of people didn't realise you could enter 0 in the amount box...

paulc, gloucester,

I they want me to make room on my hard drive for their next album, they're going to have to try a lot harder than that. There's a lot of music much better than U2 on Pirate Bay!

Adela, Peterborough, UK

poor tax avoiding U2...it's them who are allowed to rip people off and not vice versa.

gabe, Dublin, ireland

Aww, poor U2 - with all these potential lost sales, how will they afford to eat?

Alex, London,

Yet further proof that U2 slowly metmorphoses into G8. Why don't they start a 'Make Downloading History' campaign.

Besides, I wouldn't download any U2 tripe if Global Overlord Bono paid me.

Des, Dublin,