Can we really end illegal music downloading?

I can assume that many students in Economics courses have heard one or two lectures on the issue of illegally downloading music. But just hearing about it can make one wonder, what would motivate people to take the risk of illeaglly downloading music in the first place?

Could the fact be that the average person wishes to perform tasks the easy as much as possible? It is common knowledge that CD albums cost $20+. Also, usually when someone purchases a CD, they usually only have the intention to listen to a few select songs from the entire album. What would the point be to spend over twenty dollars to buy an entire album when you only wish to purchase a few individual songs? Are there not enough CD singles in the market to meet consumer demands?

Even buying music online has its restrictions. It can be difficult to move your music to another computer or even a portable MP3 player. There are restrictions are the number of times you can burn a song onto a CD. Plus, Apple's music store allows you only to download music to an iPOD alone. All the above tend to be reasons as to why someone would rather break the law and illegally download music instead of trying to abide by the rules and permissions that have been set already.

So, could illegal downloading and sharing of music be stopped ever? Probably not. However, I do believe that the music industry is trying to meet consumer demands while also maintaining profits in good shape. But still, what is there left to be done for the music industry to satisfy every consumer? CD singles are being sold in cheap music stores and iPODs have helped to give consumers their own customized collection of music to have with them at all times. What else would it be that consumers are looking for to get the kind of music they want in the way they want it? Besides, wouldn't buying an artist's album be the best way to thank him/her for his/her enjoyable music?