I don't want it to look like I'm defending her position, because I'm not. I think artists need to be paid. But I can't let that letter's maths go unscrutinised.

He starts off by saying "I’m gonna give you a break" and then ignores the record company's cut, which is about 80%. And then proceeds to use this drastically reduced value to lay a guilt trip.

It doesn't work that way, the record company isn't going to cut her a break, it's going to charge her the full 99c. Which means instead of $17.82 a month, she would need to pay $89.10 a month, for 10 years between the ages of 10 and 20.

And a great simple info graphic about royalties http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/how-much-do-music...