RIAA Reveals Method to Madness!

The Associated Press. ^ | August 28th, 2003 | Associated Press

[ConservativeMan55]

Boycott the RIAA! Take a stand against these money grubbers!

[cyborg]

Method to their madness of charging $20 for a CD with only two good songs?

[tomakaze]

this RIAA garbage was settled back in the late 80's - there's basicly a "tax" all blank media (VHS, Cassetes, CD's). I don't recall whether it was just an "agreement" or if legislation was passed to enforce it, but it was big news for a while there.
Had to do with people taping movies off tv, radio etc,
I can't find jack referring to this on the net (Im sure I'm using the wrong search terms, and I can't remember the exact name of the law). I remember this, and It drives me nuts that I haven't heard anything mention about this on any tech news show I've seen when the subject comes up.
If anyone's got any info on this I'd sure appreciate it.

[gitmo]

Copyright lawyers said it remains unresolved whether consumers can legally download copies of songs on a CD they purchased rather than making digital copies themselves. But finding MP3 music files that precisely match copies that have been traded online could be evidence a person participated in file-sharing services.

Huh?

[LS]

The problem is, the LAW, which says "sharing" is illegal.

That's reality. But there is another reality, which is that there is no way to get the genie back in the bottle. As George Gilder says, when you have one person stealing, you have a thief problem, when you have a million people stealing, you have a marketing problem.

The recording industry needs to begin with the assumption that regardless of what the law says, there is no reasonable or efficient way to enforce the law. Thus, it must turn to marketing.

I am MORE THAN WILLING to pay $1 a song for the song I want at "buymusic.com." I would rather do so than break the law and get a song illegally. But if I can't get it any other way---short of buying a $14 CD, I will. I can't be alone. Thus, the industry needs to deal with people like me, who want to cooperate and are willing to pay---but not get screwed.

[SamAdams76]

The RIAA is biting the hand that feed them. I just purchased two CDs yesterday. The new Dierks Bentley CD due to sampling some of the songs on Kazaa. The only song I heard on the radio by this guy was "What Was I Thinking" and that alone was not going to get me to buy the album. When I discovered that the other songs were worthy, I grabbed it at Wal-Mart yesterday. Also, I picked up the new CD by Rodney Crowell after sampling his "Time To Go Inward" online. I was made aware of Rodney's new album but a posting on a newsgroup. I'm a big fan of Crowell so I knew I'd like the album. And I was not disappointed when I took it home. I highly recommend it.

Point I'm making is that if I relied on radio or (shudder) MTV, I wouldn't own either of these two albums today. The Internet is the best promotional tool the record industry has and it has the potential to sell millions upon millions of albums for them. So what if people end up getting some songs for free? How many of us taped off the radio back in the day? FM radio used to play entire album sides. I made many tapes off the radio back in the 1970s. As a result, I own most of those albums as CDs today.

The RIAA is so afraid somebody might get something for nothing that they are doing irreparable harm to their long term survival with these kind of tactics. I believe the expression is "cut their face to spite their noses."

[ConservativeMan55]

Bump!!! Boycott the RIAA!

[ConservativeMan55]

The "What was I thinking song" is great isn't it?

[ConservativeMan55]

If you buy a CD at the store..then you can...according to the RIAA..offer it up for sharing.

[chainsaw]

We'll Spare the Small Fry RIAA

A discriminatory approach - Yes. I believe this type of selective targeting is illegal. All are guilty but they will only prosecute some of them.

[ConservativeMan55]

I think thats what they are saying.

[ConservativeMan55]

I read that they are only going to prosecute those who would "look good in court"

Meaning those who look more like criminals.

They wouldn't want to put some 87 year old granny up on the stand.

[ConservativeMan55]

The average price of a new CD is right around 20 bucks!!!

That alone is reason enough to boycott!

[tomakaze]

RE:.... Thus, it must turn to marketing.
Yep, when cassete recorders became readily available, didn't they start adding extras to the albums? posters and whatnot.
 
I am MORE THAN WILLING to pay $1 a song for the song I want at "buymusic.com." I would rather do so than break the law and get a song illegally. But if I can't get it any other way---short of buying a $14 CD, I will. I can't be alone. Thus, the industry needs to deal with people like me, who want to cooperate and are willing to pay---but not get screwed.
 
I haven't bought a corporate CD in years. Most of the new stuff is overpriced ghetto trash crap, and I mainly go for the indie stuff anyway, and usually get CD or cassetes at shows (Deadbolt, Ding Dang, local bands etc). Dunno if Horton Heat's still with sub-pop or not (or if sub-pop got gobbled up or is still and indy label)
I find it amusing that outfits like time-warner that pump out this canned "ghetto-thug-rhymin-n-stealin-f*ck-the-man" crap can claim to be baffled when it becomse clear that the audience for that crap don't play by the rules.
 
Still looking for info on the ting I orginaly posted, but so far all I'm getting refers to a proposed canadian blank media levy that's been on the back burner for 5 years or so.

[gitmo]

If you buy a CD at the store..then you can...according to the RIAA..offer it up for sharing.

Are they then maintaining that these songs were never purchased before making it to the internet?

[SamAdams76]

Great song. I just had to check out some other tracks before buying the album because I've been burned that way before. Especially with country albums. Nashville is notorious for surrounding one or two good songs with utter, recycled dreck. This album sounds pretty good. There's some bluegrass in there too (Del McCoury Band is featured on one of the songs). I think this guy will be around for a while.

[DB]

I agree with you.

I rip songs off my own CDs for my own use using variable rate mp3 which sounds much better than standard 128k mp3 files. It averages about 9 to 1 compression instead of around 11 to 1 for 128k so the files aren't that much larger for a big improvement is sound quality.

I'm hard pressed to find any CDs from the major labels that I want songs from... I buy CDs fairly often but nearly all off obscure labels.

[ConservativeMan55]

What they are now claiming is that the songs being offered up aren't the same quality as those put on out CD's. They claim this makes the artists look bad.

[ConservativeMan55]

I recommend Brad Paisely's new Album Mud on the Tires.

I know I know..I said boycott the RIAA...but Brad's got a darned good album out.