I don’t weigh in too much on the whole file sharing argument. In general, I figure technology will balance out the situation. I have my opinions, but they are relatively unimportant. But, one thing I can say for sure is that the recording industry is not only handling it badly, they are looking like complete idiots in the process
I don’t like the RIAA. They pretend to defend artists and musicians, but turn around and try to rape them with contracts that only an 18-year-old rock star wannabe with a thin coat of bong resin on his brain would sign. They utilize pathetic competitions like American Idol to further promote what is a failing industry.
The whole system is collapsing under the weight of poor management, over-consolidation and a general lack of forsight.
As a musician, I know firsthand how unbelievably shitty the industry can be. Combining music and business is a tough thing to begin with. Art and commerce are nearly polar opposites in philosphy and really should be to preserve both the integrity of the art and the efficiecy of commerce. But, in order to entertain and pay the bills, you make sacrifices.
The RIAA facilitates that to an ever-dwindling degree through bad contracts, poor development of new artists and a vision only slightly less impaired than the average blind person. To make matters worse, they go after college students who, in an effort to circumvent the rising costs of CD’s, have taken to the internet to “share” music files.
As I said, I’m not going to debate the issue. I have plenty of opinions on file sharing and its implications for musicians and the industry in general, but that is for another time.
No, this diatribe is about the RIAA and its tactics to rein in file sharing and profit by it all in the name of defending its slaves…er…artists it would prefer to keep to itself. After all, you wouldn’t want to share your concubine with just any frat boy, would you?
So, today, the RIAA announces a new round of court docket filling nonsense. They plan to sue students using Internet2, a much faster internet used primarily by researchers at universities, for their file sharing antics.
Here is the story from today’s Houston Chronicle.
What makes this whole thing so ridiculous – it would be hilarious if it weren’t so stupid – is the way that the RIAA defines file sharing in terms no doubt decided upon by lawyers raping the industry who are raping artists and are about to rape students for raping the industry who is raping art…oh, you get the point. It’s one big gang bang and, as usual, the poor folk – songwriters, producers, engineers, independent musicians, music fans, independent record store owners, etc. – are the one’s getting the ol’ ram job first.
Here is a quote from the story that literally made me laugh out loud…
“We cannot let this high-speed network become a zone of lawlessness where the normal rules don’t apply,” said Cary Sherman, president of the recording association..
A zone of lawlessness?? Are you shtting me? What is this, Dry Gulch? Maybe they should just line up the attorneys and the students and have them draw pistols at 30 paces. Better yet, a shootout at the OK Corral!
To make this story even more bizarre, there is a good chance the industry snuck in a back door to find out who on the Internet2 were actually illegally file sharing because very few people off of educational networks have access to Internet2 and, even those that do, don’t have access to records of who uses the system.
They claim they did everything legally. Riiiight.
What a crock of crapola. Once again, the RIAA rides in and protects us from those dangerous file sharers who are clearly a menace to society.
That sound you just heard were my eyeballs hitting the ground as they rolled out of the back of my head.