But what are the solutions to the illegal downloading solution? Has anyone thought about that? Are people really buying less CDs? I hear CDs being promoted as aggressively as before, and I'm sure people are still buying CDs. Whenever I go down to my favourite CD shop it's not as if I see it empty, with the sales staff twiddling thumbs. When it comes to movies, our theatres are still being packed - considering how movie-going is not that cheap here, it's still quite a feat, isn't it? Regarding software, the solution's simple - MAKE THEM AFFORDABLE.

People still download music because they would prefer to check the songs out before they would buy them - especially in the album format. The solution would be let listeners have a full preview of your album, artistes, on your website. Technology has enabled these previews to be undownloadable. I remember checking out Michael Bublé and Keane this way - and I was eager to get the Keane album before they reached Singapore. I had listened to it over and over on their website before. Last week I heard an argument on a radio morning show - that Singaporeans download movies because they just take too long to reach us (not to mention the censorship and all that puts us off). American movies are advertised for up to five or six months before they start screening the movies, and meanwhile, they're already out in the States. That's crazy, especially in this Internet age - everyone knows what everyone else in the world is doing! I really can’t see the solution to software downloading – except that it isn’t that convenient for me. It’s messy and risky and a lot of what you find out there isn’t reliable.

I confess. These days, I mainly download TV shows. Why? Because the programmes take too darn long to reach here, and reading about the hype just intrigues me too much. Not to mention once the programmes do reach Singapore, if they’re not on cable, they’ll be on free-to-air TV, and the quality programming are not given decent timeslots. Gilmore Girls screen on Sundays at 6pm. Without A Trace, on Wednesdays at 12am. CSI, the original series, is an award-winning series, yet Channel 5 is only starting Season 3 now when Season 5 has just started in the US, and Season 4 has been over forever on cable and will be out on DVD soon. They hyped CSI Miami more than they did CSI (which I think is an injustice). By the way, while we’re on this topic, I don’t think turning CSI into a Law & Order situation is very wise.

Pass your laws, sure, but try to solve the problem too. The problem is just more widespread for music because the files are smaller. Movies and TV shows take forever to download, even on broadband connection, because it’s a question of also having to find the right person with the right connection speed at the right time to transfer it all to you. So for goodness sakes, authorities, keep up with technology and current news. Right now your consumers are all much much faster than you on what can and cannot be done. Especially in Singapore – what on Earth is the bloated bureaucracy doing? Pushing papers and pencils all day, and then scrambling to attention when the boss barks?