Here comes the RIAA!

Duck & cover if you're a file-sharer. Big Brother RIAA has been watching you, and they're coming for you bearing subpoenas as early as this Friday.

www.usatoday.com...

Usage of top pirate service Kazaa has fallen 22% this summer, says analyst Phil Leigh of research firm Raymond James. But it's "a hollow victory," he says, noting that summer CD sales have fallen more than 9%

There are some legal questions arising from the first round of subpoenas regarding privacy and unreasonable searches.
It's an interesting point, because the RIAA trolled file-sharing services, downloading songs and gathering information about sharers without first obtaining any sort of subpoena or other legal documentation.
australianit.news.com.au...

Is anyone else boycotting the RIAA?

-B.

CD sales down 9%, and the # hasnt really hit the fan yet. Wait till people end up in court, or better yet, when they implement the NET act, and drag people to jail.

Talk about a backlash! Can you say sales dropping 50% or more?

Hey, what a novel concept in marketing... putting your customers in jail and in the poor house, guaranteeing that they will never buy your product again!

Hell yeah, boycott 100%!

as I've said before, the RIAA can go to hell and die, as can the MPAA (coughbittorrentcough). I'm boycotting the RIAA, but it's kind of hard. I'm torn between supporting artists that I truly enjoy and that don't have huge record sales, but I also realize that most of that money doesn't go to the artist anyway.

on another note, anybody see that "don't download movies" trailer with Ben Affleck? I saw it just after Gigli came out and thought "if downloading movies will put you out of work, I'm going to download as many as I can!"

Keep supporting artists, or you will be in a world of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys forever.

Originally posted by MorningtonCrescent
as I've said before, the RIAA can go to hell and die, as can the MPAA (coughbittorrentcough). I'm boycotting the RIAA, but it's kind of hard. I'm torn between supporting artists that I truly enjoy and that don't have huge record sales, but I also realize that most of that money doesn't go to the artist anyway.

on another note, anybody see that "don't download movies" trailer with Ben Affleck? I saw it just after Gigli came out and thought "if downloading movies will put you out of work, I'm going to download as many as I can!"

I know, MC, it seems like a Catch-22.
But the artists aren't suffering from piracy.
dir.salon.com...

There used to be a site where you could donate money and they'd supposedly send a check to the artist directly with donated money. I can't remember the name of it (gonna look for it), but I recall hearing an interview with, I believe, Sarah MacLachlan where she said she'd received a check from this site.
If I can find it, I'll post.

-B.

Seems to me that the average that the artist actually gets per unit CD (assuming $18 per CD) is something like $1, and the rest going to the label.

Artists tend to only get true money from live concerts, which is why they spend so much time touring.

Are they busting people who dont use p2p programs? There are other ways to download stuff.

i refuse to buy another cd.
I burn everything.
# riaa.

[Edited on 30-9-2003 by Creepy]

Want to support your favorite music without lining the pockets of the RIAA?
Use Music Link (formerly FairTunes.com) to send money directly to the artists of your choice.
www.musiclink.com...

-B.

Originally posted by Banshee
Want to support your favorite music without lining the pockets of the RIAA?
Use Music Link (formerly FairTunes.com) to send money directly to the artists of your choice.
www.musiclink.com...

-B.

Can the RIAA tell the difference between legally owned and burned MP3s on your hard drive and ones that are downloaded illegally though?

Usage of top pirate service Kazaa has fallen 22% this summer, says analyst Phil Leigh of research firm Raymond James. But it's "a hollow victory," he says, noting that summer CD sales have fallen more than 9%

Don't forget that the burden of proof is on the prosecution. Remember, innocent until PROVEN guilty.

In order to PROVE that someone is guilty of contributing to the reduction of summer CD sales via file "sharing", shouldn't they first PROVE that summer CD sales declined as a direct result of file swapping?

In other words, somebody lost money because most of the music released this summer absolutely sucks. However, record labels don't want to acknowledge this because they tend to view the music (and the musician) as a product, rather than as a unique artistic creation.

I wonder how many international file-swappers they intentionally overlooked because they were unable to prosecute?

They're doing this to make an example of file-swappers, these are clearly scare tactics designed to control behavior via FEAR. The typical American dance.... avoidance of painful or feared consequences.

If money wasn't involved, nobody would give a damn.

My policy is to make my own music... they'll never get that and they have zero rights to it.

The latest version of kazaa lite blocks IP known to be own by the RIAA and such organisation, and also fitler buggy-songs distributed by them.

I will still buy *some* cds, when I really like some group and want to support them.