Kind of fitting isn't it?
Jack Valenti even looks the part of a MAFIAA Don; wouldn't you say?
Posted on 01/18/2007 7:00:10 AM PST by steve-b
As regular readers know, I've been working through a series of posts on how economics works when scarcity is removed from some areas. I took a bit of a break over the holidays to catch up on some reading, and to do some further thinking on the subject (along with some interesting discussions with people about the topic). One of the books I picked up was one that I haven't read in well over a decade, but often recommend to others to read if they're interested in learning more about economics, but have no training at all in the subject. It's Robert L. Heilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers. Beyond giving readers a general overview of a variety of different economic theories, the book actually makes them all sound really interesting. It's a good book not necessarily because of the nitty gritty of economics (which it doesn't cover), but because it makes economics interesting, and gives people a good basis to then dig into actual economic theory and not find it boring and meaningless, but see it as a way to better understand what these "philosophers" were discussing.
Reading through an early chapter, though, it struck me how eerily a specific story Heilbroner told about France in 1666 matches up with what's happening today with the way the recording industry has reacted to innovations that have challenged their business models. Just two paragraphs highlight a couple of situations with striking similarities to the world today:
"The question has come up whether a guild master of the weaving industry should be allowed to try an innovation in his product. The verdict: 'If a cloth weaver intends to process a piece according to his own invention, he must not set it on the loom, but should obtain permission from the judges of the town to employ the number and length of threads that he desires, after the question has been considered by four of the oldest merchants and four of the oldest weavers of the guild.' One can imagine how many suggestions for change were tolerated.Requiring permission to innovate? Feeling entitled to search others' property? Getting the power to act like law enforcement in order to fine or arrest those who are taking part in activities that challenge your business model? Don't these all sound quite familiar? Centuries from now (hopefully much, much sooner), the actions of the RIAA, MPAA and others that match those of the weavers and button-makers of 17th century France will seem just as ridiculous.Shortly after the matter of cloth weaving has been disposed of, the button makers guild raises a cry of outrage; the tailors are beginning to make buttons out of cloth, an unheard-of thing. The government, indignant that an innovation should threaten a settled industry, imposes a fine on the cloth-button makers. But the wardens of the button guild are not yet satisfied. They demand the right to search people's homes and wardrobes and fine and even arrest them on the streets if they are seen wearing these subversive goods."
Hollywood said the same thing about VCRs, asserting that those machines "were made to steal" films. Hah.
The RIAA also killed local internet radio stations by insisting that those small outlets pay enormous royalties to play records produced by member record labels...instead of viewing those little stations as terrific distribution outlets for product.
Schmucks.
Exactly ... and what a coup !!!!
Instead of 2,5 or 10 dollars admission price ... 10,15,20 or 30 dollars cost to purchase.
A VCR (dark ages technology, now) or DVD player ... purchased many times because they're inexpensive to build, easily broken and re-purchased ... VCR tapes or DVD's rented ... !!!!
I believe this is why we will win the war against our freedom and liberty ... we are so damned clever.
I thought it was candle-makers.
Sorry RIAA. It's too late. Personally, I will never, ever buy another music CD again in my life.
The opinions I read here at Freerepublic about RIAA would be right at home at DU. True conservatives respect intellectual property. A CD isn't just a hunk of plastic that costs 10 cents to stamp out.
I'd rather pay $1 for a song download than have to pay $15 for it on a CD along with 10 crappy songs. What's the RIAA's position on that?
The media industry has so abused the copyright privileges granted by Congress that it has earned contempt.
I would guess they would prefer you buy the CD, since they are a trade organization, but I think their main concern would be that their members get their royalties. Just as you probably like to get paid for your work.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I also wish that the actual artists get what is due them. Hell, I'll send them 5 times what RIIA claims they "deserve". What's that add up to? Fifty cents?
Faux outrage is sooooo "progressive"!
One of us is an idiot.
They don't like it. They've been trying to get Apple to raise prices and make album-only downloads on iTunes more common for a while now, but Apple keeps resisting.
I hope you're not talking about the artists. The labels do as much as they can to rip off the artists.
Did I wander into a liberal forum by mistake?
Lets suppose that is true. Now, lets take an old, but popular album, such as "Dark Side of the Moon". The album has long since paid back production costs. It is no longer actively promoted, so there are no marketing costs. The manufacturing costs are measured in pennies, and the shipping is not much more. Out of the $14.99, how much do you think is going to royalties, how much to Govt. tax baksheesh, and how much to pure profit for the recording label?
Using the power of the Government to protect your outmoded business middleman model is not a particularly conservative attitude. The Apple iTunes store and others show that people will pay a fair price for the product. What they won't do is continue to pay an artificially inflated price when an alternative is available.
If the RIAA wants CDs to remain a viable distribution model, then they need to offer them at a competitive price, just like movie studios had to do with videos.
Kind of fitting isn't it?
Jack Valenti even looks the part of a MAFIAA Don; wouldn't you say?
While I can't recall the artist's name at the moment; I recently read a letter he sent to congress regarding artists rights, and the recording industry, and how the RIAA literally screws the artists out of a whole lot of money. A serious amount of money.
It really puts into perspective the RIAA's screaming rants about how the digital medium is screwing the artists.
What it boils down to is: the RIAA protecting their racket, not the artists rights.
BTW: Some music group out of England or somewhere in the British Isles just became the first group in history to hit the charts with a song that has no label, or no recording label in the traditional sense. They did it all on-line, and on their own.
That right there scares the living $#!t out of the MAFIAA, and it should, for it is the wave of the future. The MAFIAA is the buggy whip manufacturers of the 21st century.
They could have very easily embraced the technology they so railed against; sold tracks for around 10~15~25 cents apiece and marketed it to a world of 6 billion people, who at that price, would have no need to pirate songs. They could buy them easily and cheaply.
You said -- "Sorry RIAA. It's too late. Personally, I will never, ever buy another music CD again in my life."
No, no, no..., that's not the idea. Buy at least one CD and circulate it among the population. Of course, RIP your MP3 file first...
:-)
Regards,
Star Traveler
P.S. -- Say, have you heard the rumors that the "majors" are thinking about resorting to simply MP3s (sold in online stores), without any DRM, as the only way they have of "fighting" Apple iTunes. Boy, they are really feeling desperate now, if they would resort to that. What do you think will become of the issue of piracy if the majors sign on to that idea?
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