If this copyrighted work was YOUR work, you'd be singing a different tune (pun intended). The very purpose of "statutory damages" is that it is very difficult to prove actual damages, especially for the "little guy" who gets ripped off by Internet piracy.
Removal of statutory damages would declare open season for stealing the creative work of millions of creative people.
The only way creative artists can avoid being totally screwed by Internet piracy is for a very strong application of severe penalties for infringement.
You can legally buy songs all day long for 99 cents each.
Is that too much to ask of you?
I consider it a bargain for good music and I buy songs on iTunes in that way all the time.
The 30 songs in question in this lawsuit would have cost the Defendant less than $30.
It's his own fault it's going to cost him $675,000.
Actually, excessive "statutory damages" are akin to excessive punitive damages and cause harm to society and our justice system in general.
Applying the formula used by this jury to some copyright infringement of just some common PC software which was developed by smaller companies and/or individuals that I am aware of would result in the bankruptcy of a number of Fortune 100 corporations.
Somehow I think that the courts that are willing to sustain a $675,000 verdict against some college student would be a little less comfortable with an 80 billion dollar verdict against an iconic American corporation.