"Turning Japanese" isn't by the Kinks, goddammit
Perhaps the most detrimental effect of Napster, its imitators, its predecessors, and its scions is the propagation of mistitled and/or misattributed music.
OK, lots of people think The Who's "Baba O'Riley" is actually called "Teenage Wasteland" (though that doesn't exculpate the file sharing agents from such stupidity). But come on, you're originally ripping these songs off a CD, right? Would it be all that difficult to look at the back and see what the actual song titles are? And are people that lazy that they can't rectify misnamed songs? And I mean, "One Step Closer" by awful rapcore outfit Linkin Park is a contemporary song; people should know that it's not called "I'm About To Break", as some on Napster would have you believe. A perusal of my ex-roommate's revealed just how grave the situation is. Better Than Ezra's "Desperately Wanting" is not called "Running Through The Wet Grass"! Alanis Morissette's "Head Over Feet" is not titled "Head Over Heals" (sic)! And unlike most mistitleds, the words "head over heels" aren't even in the song. (And what's my roommate doing with Alanis Morissette mp3's, anyway?) And the greatest travesty of all: Cracker's early 90's hit "Low" is not titled "Like Being Stoned", and anyone who thinks it is deserves to be shot! How can people so galactically stupid have the brain power necessary to rip and/or download mp3's?
Worse than this is artist misattribution:
Friend: Let's see what you got on this machine...
Me: Load some Replacements songs, dude. They're good.
Friend: Here's an R.E.M. song...another R.E.M. song...
Me: How about the Specials? They're good, too.
Friend: Oh, look at this. Some guys called The Vapors covered "Turning Japanese" by the Kinks.
Me: What the fuck are you on? "Turning Japanese" isn't by the Kinks, goddammit, it was originally done by the Vapors.
Friend: No it wasn't, "Turning Japanese" is by the Kinks.
My roommate: In defense of what he's saying, there are all these "The Kinks - Turning Japanese" files on Napster.
Friend: Exactly!
Me: This is just what's wrong with file sharing, it's promoting stupidity! The Kinks are like, what, 60's, 70's rock, not 80's alternative.
Friend: Yes they were!
What you just read was a real-life manifestation ugliest side of file sharing. Because of the idiots on Napster, people will live their lives with all these misconceptions. Some musicians will go uncredited whilst others will garner bastard credit. A sizable percentage of the population will go on thinking "Turning Japanese" is by the Kinks.
That's why the day of Napster's demise was a beautiful day. It stemmed mainstream file sharing; now people who want songs will have to be a little more resourceful than before if they intend to get them. And by this natural selection, all the people stupid enough to think The Kinks did "Turning Japanese" will hopefully be cut off from mp3 existence.