I don't really know where the solution to the issues surrounding online music sharing lies, but it's clear that intimidating and extorting money from twelve year old girls is not the way. Disgusting and outrageous actions like this will (hopefully) come back to slap them in their collective faces. The really sick thing is that $2000 that could've gone toward the girl's education will now line the pockets of price gouging vampires.

Food for thought:
Future of Music Coalition
Downhill Battle
RIAA Radar
The Problem With Music
Boycott RIAA
Discussions at WDIK and Kottke

All this makes me glad that the majority of my musical taste happens to fall in the independent realm.

Interesting note: As I was typing this I got an e-mail from eMusic promoting their "Safe, Fast, Cheap & Legal" mp3's. For what it's worth, despite being owned by Vivendi Universal (which is odd/ironic since their catalogue comes from "900 of the world's best independent music labels"), eMusic has always seemed like a worthwhile service, combining a very low price with the best selection of the kind of music I listen to anywhere online.