Free samples might not be so free

What's your usual process of buying music? Most likely, you open up iTunes on your desktop and search for the artist you want, select the album, and double-click on a song to hear a 30-second sample of what you're about to purchase. The last part in this process has become kind of a second nature for music patrons, but recent developments in the online music business might eliminate the quick double-click option for a free sample.

In an article by columnist Greg Sandoval, the issue of songwriters and musicians not making enough money by regular online downloads alone is fleshed out. Those behind the music complain of making far too little money while those on the other side of the coin accuse their opponents of whining and to stop crying, basically.

I don't think there is a valid argument for songwriters to push their royalty-collecting onto song samples and the other music playing scenarios discussed in the article. Although they hold an important position in the production of all things entertainment, they are not God's chosen children who deserve more attention and pay than the rest of the struggling entertainment business. If they suck it up for a little longer, their pay influx is sure to improve, and they'll probably feel a tinge of regret for their present behavior of acting like bullied school children.