Despite 'Piracy,' CD Sales UP Music & MP36/5/2000; 7:17:27 AM April 24, 2000: "the industry has been claiming rather loudly this year that digital piracy would hurt music retail. Despite the fact that the issue might not come up as focal point in the lawsuit, the fact that people are purchasing CDs at a higher rate than they were in 1999 is going to have to be addressed in the court of public opinion."It's really only a PR issue that the industry grew, because the RIAA is right: "'If we grew 3 percent as an industry, maybe we could have grown twice as much,' [Alex Walsh, the vice president of market research for the RIAA] said. 'There is just no way to tell how much we could have lost. There is no scientific or empirical way to determine how much more music we could have sold.'" True. Still, this points to the dangers of making a snap argument that's convenient now but not thinking about the future: At some point in one of these lawsuits, the RIAA or one of its representatives will be wanting to put monetary damages on the losses, and I'm sure this will be thrown back in their face. I will if nobody else does "smile" It should be thrown back at the RIAA, because it is correct. We're all arguing from ignorance, and bluster serves no purpose.