Copyright and protection: it shouldn't be. And Steve Jobs certainly isn't wrecking that, and legal free digital music certainly isn't either, just like open source and free apps aren't wrecking the software industry: they simply change the game.
As for revenue: it's just the markets, not everyone gets to be an artist. There's too much music out there now for people to pay for. You can argue "there will always be a market for premium content" til you're blue in the face, it doesn't change the fact that no one agrees on what premium is.
You can't say pop music is deserving of copyright protection in one breath, rationalize copyright violation in the next breath, and claim to have a serious argument.
I think you misunderstood me, I never rationalized copyright violation I meant to imply that there isn't as much copyright violation going on as people assume. I also meant both should be copyrighted, and I agree that those who argue music doesn't deserve copyright while software does are hypocritical.
But the fact that the music industry is failing (changing, whatever) right now can't only be the fault of piracy and copying. Along with those came a HUGE increase in the volume of media. Old institutions that confused themselves with being quality barriers were actually just distribution barriers operating in a drought. I support people's right to copyright their music and sell it, and sue those who copy it as well (edit: support as fairness within our system, overall I do think it sucks for both, but we don't live in a perfect world). But if people just aren't buying, maybe it's because there is a wealth of mainstream, free, legal stuff out there everywhere.
As for revenue: it's just the markets, not everyone gets to be an artist. There's too much music out there now for people to pay for. You can argue "there will always be a market for premium content" til you're blue in the face, it doesn't change the fact that no one agrees on what premium is.