Finally something to put a smile on this old sourpuss!

Hilary Rosen, the departing head of the Recording Inductry Association of America, made some pretty wild comments at a convention in Florida a few days ago. Billboard reported:

Rosen spoke of addressing customers' demands for music in more formats, a deeper catalog, and even "a way to make compilations without feeling guilty or like criminals." In short, she said, "They want us to find a way to solve our piracy problems without encroaching on -- or even talking about -- their personal-use flexibility."

Fighting piracy, she said, is "a waste of time if the customer is not served in the legitimate marketplace." Referring to the multiple revenue streams of the film business -- theatrical releases, pay per view, TV rights, and DVD sales -- she said sound recordings should also carry a "panoply of rights" that extends beyond the sale of CDs. She applauded record companies for experimenting with pricing and value-added incentives, and heralded the return of the singles format.

Talk about a full 180 from the histrionics she's been spouting off over the last year! It seems as if -- with the benefit of a broader field of vision as she steps down as head of the RIAA -- Ms. Rosen has finally found a clue and realized that the base of the whole file-sharing problem might just rest in the crap product that the major labels see fit to foist upon the public.

Why didn't she realize this sooner?