At what price could you market a cd to compete with "free" filesharing? It appears that even Itunes $.99 a song is not low enough. Of course those evil business practices that require sending thousands of your product to radio stations for free in the hopes that your artist can make the top 40 sure don't help.
They could always just email them the MP3 instead.
Stealing is stealing. You can rationalize your theft however you desire... but if it weren't for rampant theft, software, music, and movies would be a hell of a lot cheaper than they are.
The 'ramapant theft' part of your quote is an example of how the RIAA rationalizes their high prices, but it really doesn't wash. The simple fact is that if people didn't share files, they'd tape songs off the radio or burn their friends CDs or sing the damn song themselves.
Gonna start dragging wet naked old ladies away in paddy wagons because they were singing Hank Williams in the shower? Didn't think so.
Once any other person has heard the song, the genie's kinda outta the bottle on 'ownership'.