Disclaimer: This is not to preech internet rights, it's only background to my opinion on Apple's disabling Library sharing-no riots please
It's impossible to argue that downloading music for free is theft, it is; you're obtaining copyrighted material outside the license of the copyright, and without remunerating the copyright holder. Just because it's easy doesn't make it right.
I say it's almost analogous to being able to obtain a master key for all Porsche cars on the 'net for free: just because a Porsche is more expensive than a CD, and a tangible item, doesn't make it any more legal to get a key and grab a Porsche from the factory.
It is merely a question of how tolderated this is by the artists and community in general.
Apple has worked pretty hard at protecting artist's rights and stopping pirated music (such as the AAC iTunes Music Store keys). I was amazed they implemented Library sharing at all, and was kinda shocked when they allowed it over the internet--that's kind of like writing their own proprietary LimeWire or KaZaA, right?
So I'm all for disabling internet sharing, myself.
toast, actually, yes it is a crime. If you look at the copyright notice on almost any CD, DVD, or VHS casette it clearly states that the sale, rent, or
loan or public presentation is prohibited; downloading it constitutes loan.