Evil Music Labels Make For Easy Lawsuit
from the it's-for-the-victims dept
A class action suit on behalf of 11 plaintiffs accuses the major record labels of colluding to fix the wholesale price of music that they sell to online retailers like iTunes. The collusion isn't the smoke-filled room variety, but based on a contractual agreement, oddly known as Most Favored Nation status, that requires the retailer to give all the labels the same deal as whoever has the best. It's no surprise that labels want to aggressively influence retail pricing, but is a class action lawsuit the best way to solve a murky legal issue that the DOJ and Eliot Spitzer are already working on? Class action lawsuits have a tendency to not actually help the affected class, while the prosecuting firm can make out with a sizable cut of the settlement (this particular firm is well known for shareholder lawsuits, resulting in million-dollar out-of-court settlements). Independent of the legal action the labels are hurting themselves more than enough by making stupid choices with respect to online music. A lawsuit against an easy and unpopular enemy feels like piling on, just for the lawyers' sake.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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No Subject Given
i hate lawyers as much as the next guy, but if this lawsuit is successful, perhapes the vultures will see major labels as easy targets and systematically dismantle the evil cunts!
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- j a s o n | a n t h o n y | s t e r l y
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No Subject Given
Now it makes sense ;)
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No Subject Given
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Bastard Labels
One argument the labels give for screwing over the buying public on prices is that the artists have to be paid. Well I had a modest record deal once upon a time, and have known people with major deals and the experiences are much the same. The labels screw the artists even more than the public, from grossly unfair clauses in unreadable legal jargon contracts, to blatant non-payment of royalties, to (in our case) selling rights to a publisher that we the band owned, without our permission. The labels have only ever been out for themselves.
I'm with jason (above) - screw the majors and let the indies, many of whom care about MUSIC, back into the game.
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Elliot Spitzer Knows how to get Elected
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Support the Major Labels
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Re: Support the Major Labels
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/12/yourmoney/music13.php
Looks like giving away free music can work - bye bye RIAA (eventually).
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well from a legal users standpoint....
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Support the Major Labels? What cave have you been
This is just simply not true. Independent labels have promoted and released some of the most original material out there. And the name calling, "punks and emos" just shows that you aren't even thinking, just jumping to conclusions. Maybe you like the BS that is on the radio, and don't understand the fact that major labels rip off the artists AND the consumers. That's a lose-lose deal. The only winners are the jerks that collude to price fix, fail to adapt to technologic change, and steal from the consumer.
They've lost class-action lawsuits before for this, and I hope they do again. That is why class action lawsuits are available in the first place; when a group of companies or even just one rip off a massive amount of plaintiffs.
I don't care what happens to the money, at least it helps send a message that unethical business behavior will not be tolerated.
David, the next time some jerggoff label like Sony corrupts a bunch of material on your PC in effort to "protect" their content, maybe you will remember that you ought not complain. May your .wma files fail to function, and your "Indie label" [which you conveniently fail to name] fail. Maybe you ought to put a name to your claim, eh? This way bands will know to avoid you.
--Prof HighBrow
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More to the point, David......
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Part of the problem with Major Labels is the problem some of us have with capitalism itself. The labels make a very small minority VERY VERY rich and successful and shit on everyone else.
As for Indie labels, many have been on the verge of great success, through promoting left field artists that the majors wouldn't touch.... until said artists are looking like becoming huge, at which point a major buys up the indie (a hostile takeover usually).
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music labels- new-aged mafia
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