The technical boffins over at Wired have just published an overview of how Google’s axis of evil might break through Apple’s online music monopoly. It talks a lot about the potential of cloud technology, enthuses how it could dispense with “the tedium of managing each and every file transfer by hand,” and mentions how Google might be prepared to put their faith in a micropayment model where each song will cost a mere 10 cents.

I think it misses the wider – and less technology-based – point though. People aren’t downloading music for free because they find the current paid system tiresome to manage or too expensive. People are downloading music for free simply because it’s available for free. There are now two, possibly three, generations of kids who have grown up never having to pay for music. They’re not going to suddenly start putting their hand in their pockets – at least not voluntarily.

The micropayment argument also overlooks the voracious way people download music. Sure, 10 cents a song sounds a pittance, but if you were to grab six or seven albums in a day – which is entirely normal for a lot of people – then you’re still looking at $10 a day in music fees. No one’s going to pay that – and especially not those who inhabit message boards where it’s common to see an entire artist’s discography posted up at once.