RIAA's Latest Legal Strategy: Sue Globally; Promote Locally
from the one-way-to-do-it dept
Three years into the RIAA's strategy of suing people who file share, they may claim that the strategy has worked, but the evidence shows more people than ever are file sharing -- and the general sense of distaste for the industry has only increased. It appears that the RIAA has also started making a subtle shift in how it approaches the lawsuits. Recognizing that the national press is more likely to point out when these lawsuits are mis-targeted, they're now filing a bunch of lawsuits together in one geographic region, while working hand in hand with the less skeptical local press to promote the fact that someone nearby has been fined for sharing music. They believe this strategy will be a more effective educational campaign (which seems to suggest that, despite the RIAA's claims, it knows the old strategy wasn't working). The problem, though, is that plenty of people who file share are educated on the matter -- and recognize that the copyright issues aren't so black and white as the RIAA would have them believe.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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Hatred of this organization
When their time is up and its time to face the man upstairs, I hope everything they ever did that hurt people financially, mentally, and emotionally will be accounted for. They don't have a soul. (they = people that work within the umbrella of RIAA that contribute to all the "bad" things that we hear about.
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Re: Hatred of this organization
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Re: Hatred of this organization
I make sure to buy from independent artists/labels where possible and from RIAA members not at all.
If you want an alternative to the current cartel it's important to support it finincially if it's going to survive in a capitalist society. Not all labels are RIAA members.
For me the problem really arises when excellent, genuine artists become involved with dodgy labels. Take Rykodisc... They currently publish the back catalogue of the likes of Frank Zappa and Bill Hicks as well as new and old albums from favourite bands like Mission of Burma and Meat Puppets. Thing is, they're a long time RIAA member and were recently bought by Warner Brothers...
...which is kind of a kick in the teeth given Zappa fought for years to wrestle control of his music from WB.
Anyway, back to my little dilemma... Artists who I would have considered independent and independently minded are now published only by a media conglomerate who I couldn't in good conscience give a single penny, cent, pasie, drachma, lira, yen, ruble or koruna. I don't want to "steal" but when it's a choice between experiencing the output of the free thinkers I respect under terms I can support or hearing them in the shadow of another empire I don't lose any sleep.
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Re: Re: Hatred of this organization
Last.fm
Audiogalaxy
Netlabel/Netlable
Search MySpace for "bands"
Downhillbattle
Boycotriaa
Review your concept of "freethinker". Everyone who signs a record deal with a major label knows the score. Maybe they're not the freethinkers they advertise as?
There are hundreds of thousands of brilliant, talented artists out there who make high quality music and give it away for free download. Some don't even have a donations button for paypal which shows what their true motives are.
Right now the biggest hidden battle the RIAA are fighting is not to stop you downloading their music, it is to stop you downloading or even hearing about the alternatives. That's the story nobody talks about.
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Re: Re: Re: Hatred of this organization
My point was that artists whose output was once independently produced is now in the hands of WB and so on. If you want to explain why Bill Hicks and Frank Zappa weren't free thinkers... I'm all ears.
Oh, if you're band's on myspace then fuck you. I'd rather choose to listen to you than have it forced upon me by visiting your "website".
As for artists giving their music away... I doubt the number is in hundreds of thousands but I have a good few albums under licenses such as Creative Commons. If you want something decent to listen to right now, check out a good friend's band (now defunct, sadly) Who is Elmo Blatch?
Now go away and find out who I really am before you try to lecture me, you patronising twerp. Jesus H Fuck, you almost pissed me off there.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Hatred of this organization
You're band? I thought I was just drunk and surly but it turns out I'm on crack...
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Hatred of this organization
Perhaps you should have made your point more clearly. You seemed to suggest that they had "sold out". Since we both know that Hicks and Zappa were great thinkers perhaps the onus is on you to suggest a reason why their material is now owned by a criminal cartel. Maybe they weren't as smart as they seem, or maybe thier estate was mismanaged. Are you suggesting that their material was misappropriated?
"Oh, if you're band's on myspace then fuck you."
That hardly seems like an open-minded and balanced view of new music. Why would you be prejudiced against the website on which the material appears if the disposition of the artist is sound?
"As for artists giving their music away... I doubt the number is in hundreds of thousands "
You would be right to doubt that. I was being conservative. It's just that "millions", which is a more accurate estimate for the global situation, always sounds like an exaggeration pulled out of ones ass.
Note that I qualified the statement with "talented" which reduces the figure somewhat.
"Now go away and find out who I really am before you try to lecture me, you patronising twerp. Jesus H Fuck, you almost pissed me off there"
It makes absolutely no difference to me who you think you are, I will, as always, base my opinion on the content of your words. So far your score is slightly below average. I've no idea why you might feel you are being patronised or why my humble suggestions constitute a "lecture". Perhaps you should take a look at that.
Good luck in finding great new music and widening your horizons.
Do share your discoveries with us all.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hatred of this organization
Not at all. It was legally acquired... and since the law has replaced morality in our culture that's all there is to it.
I agree, it's not... but myspace is a horrifying medium. I listen to music on my computer all the time and would rather queue up what's new than have it shoved in my face via some plugin urgency. If myspace.com/yourband interrupts Captian Beefheart then I will bear an eternal grudge.
I doubt I'm below average. I'm just obnoxious and uninteresting. I'm ageing - it comes with the territory.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hatred of this organizatio
Yes, that's the sickener. And I agree with you on law and morality. It's the ultimate insult to artists like Hicks, but y'now I think he would see the funny side of it.
"I listen to music on my computer all the time and would rather queue up what's new than have it shoved in my face via some plugin urgency."
You object to the delivery mechanism of the site? I'll come clean with you, I don't frequent MySpace much so I don't know what I'm talking about. But I am *passionate* about advocating channels for good independent artists to reach their audiences. If MySpace doesn't pass muster then it will die and something will replace it. All the quality acts imho have their own sites and feed through radio portals like Last.fm, I spend a lot of my time listening to random inet radio channels, noting down the bands that tickle me and trying their site out. You have to look to the new, because those bastards want to own our past and sell us back our own experiences and culture.
"I doubt I'm below average."
Sorry. You're not. But your words were.
"I'm just obnoxious and uninteresting."
Obnoxious yes. Uninteresting no. And obnoxious isn't *always* bad.
"I'm ageing - it comes with the territory"
Tell me about it, you and I both brother.
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Yay
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Yawner
...that's supposed to convey a big yawn with RIAA somewhere therein...
Anyway, no one cares RIAA. We will still share and reproduce what you charge $20.00 for on average and untill you catch us we'll just keep on pissin you off.
At this point, it's not even about the music. It's akin to the Rebel Alliance vs. the Dark Side. We hate you because you not only destroy the artists and the music industry but you represent all that is old, immobile, and stagnant about industry in this country. You are the Goliath in this whole story and yes as tough of a fight you put up...you will surely be brought to your knees by your own arrogance.
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Re: Yawner
So after Goliath is defeated, what will be left to take it's place? Expanding your logic even more, when MPAA (RIAA mirror image) is one day defeated for being old guard and just "evil" what will take its place?
I like Indie movies and rock as much as the next guy but I'll miss some blockbusters and chart toppers too.
"Now that we have plotted to destroy the man and his machine of oppression, how will society be run, or will it slip into anarchy?"
- Stockley Carmichael
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Re: Re: Yawner
Thats why I dont really want them to go away, I just want them to get over this shit and LOWER cd prices, start using their own music file services, and give more money to the artists.
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Re: Re: Yawner
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main stream file share
IRC, bitorrent, ftp, person-to-person...
so they managed to shut down Napster and Grokster...good for them....as if it'll slow down all other back channels for pirating
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RIAA can keep trying.
Look at this rate.. we will crush the large record lables that promote shitty music, who in turn deligate the social destruction of our youth's intelligence.
Since the advent of compressed audio file algorythms, we have seen an upsurge of underground music, promoting intelligence and true creativity. I say rip music... support starving artists and down with corporate globalisation.
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law of the land
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Re: law of the land
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Re: Re: law of the land
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Huh...
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Hatred of this organization
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They can't catch me
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RIAA hyprocracy
Are we buying the license or the media? How do I sell my licenses they was I sold or traded by CDs once I tired of them and wanted to hear something new? How do i pass them on to some of my kids who may also like certain Beatles songs?
The answer is that they want to rip you off and are talking out of both sides of their mouth. Same with the MPAA. The only way to stop them is to cut off their funding. STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS!!!! STOP NOW! STOP FUELING THEIR FIRE! DIE RIAA, DIE! lol
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American Law
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From This is True for 30 July 2005
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Re: Hammond
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Ludacris
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