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Music Media

RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes? 374

Posted by simoniker from the only-show-in-town dept.
An anonymous reader writes "George Ziemann has written the latest installment in his 'history repeats itself' series of articles regarding the record industry and the tactics utilized by their lobby, the RIAA. This time Ziemann focuses on the recent RIAA lawsuits against individuals who file-trade, and the search-and-seize missions against independent music stores. Slashdot posted his first two articles back in June."
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RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes? More

RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes?

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  • Didn't we learn anything from Napster? (Score:4, Funny)

    by the man with the pla ( 710711 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:14PM (#7226254)
    A lot of people used Napster, before it was shut down. There was sentiment against file swapping for a short while, but then Kazaa, Morpheus, and others stepped in, and file swapping increased.

    After the RIAA sues a few thousand people, and the tide turns against swapping, it will slow again.

    But the fact of the matter is that the RIAA members need to come up with a new business model. File sharing will always be around in some fashion, and the technology will just get more and more complex - making it easier to do truely anonymous swapping.

    It's been said a million times on here already - the RIAA is just like SCO - they need to adopt a new business model if they're going to survive. Litigation alone won't support them forever.
    • "the RIAA is just like SCO - they need to adopt a new business model if they're going to survive. Litigation alone won't support them forever."

      The RIAA's new business model should be a legal services company specialising in intellectual property litigation.

  • Why complain? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Exiler ( 589908 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:19PM (#7226289)
    The RIAA has finally learned to evolve and change their buisness model, just like SCO.

    Instead of selling goods and services, they're litigating themselves afloat.

  • Let's hope so... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bersl2 ( 689221 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:19PM (#7226290) Journal
    Then they'll eventually go away and, unlike Edison, won't be remembered for actually inventing anything. After all, I look around the room, and much of what I see, Edison had a hand in shaping. What has the RIAA had a hand in? What is their redeeming quality? Britney Spears and boy bands? Edison invented modern invention, among other things; thus I can forgive his lack of business tact.
    • In this case, it's the artists that create something (music!), and the RIAA does nothing but leech off of them and the consumer. They are an unnecescary middle-man that provides no value to either party.

    • Re:Let's hope so... (Score:3, Informative)

      by aalegado ( 168251 )
      This might not count for much in this day of digital audio but anyone who still listens to vinyl records have the RIAA to thank for something: The RIAA Equalization Curve

      The RIAA Equalization Curve is used to describe the property of a specially tuned audio amplifier that boosts low frequencies and then slowly tapers to unity gain as it approaches the higher frequencies. In effect, an audio amplifier with a "permanent" graphic equalizer feature.

      Without this curve, the sound coming from a record player wo
      • Hmm... we learn something new each and every day...
      • Close, but not quite. Without the equalisation curve, the sound would contain a lot of noise caused by the naturally slightly rough surface of the vinyl. To overcome this, the higher frequencies are boosted on the recording and then attenuated again on playback. By attenuating the higher frequencies the level of noise is reduced to an acceptable level.

        The RIAA set the standard back in the 50s or somewhen for its members to follow when making the recordings. As far as I can tell, it is the last good thing t

    • " Then they'll eventually go away and, unlike Edison, won't be remembered for actually inventing anything. After all, I look around the room, and much of what I see, Edison had a hand in shaping. What has the RIAA had a hand in? "

      How about the fact that they singlehandedly sparked the bonfire that P2P has become? It is hardly a fad, and has had a resonating impact on the way information is moved about. They thought they'd shut it down, but only caused it to spread like the plague, and evolve too. I thin

  • Of course (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hamstaus ( 586402 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:19PM (#7226291) Homepage
    RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes?

    A statement like that puts an unfair association on Edison. It's like comparing apples to dog crap.
    • " It's like comparing apples to dog crap."

      Apples can eventually become dog crap. Granted, it's not all that likely.
      • An excellent point! This is a fine metaphor indeed. One might also note that dog crap can actually become apples as well! The requirements for this is that you:
        1. Annihilate the dog crap into it's associated molecules
        2. Bury said molecules in the ground for some other life form to use constructively

        I think we can see that this is a logical course of action to take with all sorts of dog crap. Although, one might also note that if left alone to it's own devices, the dog crap will complete the process by itse

      • "Apples can eventually become dog crap. Granted, it's not all that likely."

        Then look at it the other way arouond, dog crap eventually becomes apples! It's the circle of life!
    • RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes?

      A statement like that puts an unfair association on Edison. It's like comparing apples to dog crap.

      I'm guessing you don't know a thing about Edison.

    • RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes?
      Just think of how much efficient the RIAA would be if they repeated Edison's mistakes in parallel!

      They can't even screw up properly...

      Xix.

  • Edison and Tesla (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Dancin_Santa ( 265275 )
    On the one hand you have Edison, a generally gregarious fellow who worked hard and built a company full of smart folks and is remembered as one of the fathers of invention. He was probably a little overboard taking credit where credit wasn't due, but as the CEO you get to do that.

    On the other hand you have Tesla, a genius in every respect of the word. Smart, talented, able to make leaps of intuition where others (including Edison) muddled, and able to cause an uproar with his outrageous comments and freq
    • ...what does that have to do with anything?

      This article is comparing Edison's business tactics regarding motion picture patents to the RIAA's current tactics with music copyrights.

      I didn't see Tesla in there anywhere.
    • Not 'the' mistakes, just mistakes. Specifically in his quest to dominate the recording industry as explained in the referred article and elsewhere.

      As for Tesla I don't know if he made mistakes. I don't know what he was trying to achieve so I don't know if he made mistakes as he went about trying to achieve it. Because someone doesn't make money it doesn't mean they made mistakes in what they did.

      For all I know Edison made so many godawful mistakes that he failed utterly to take control of the world as he

      • As for Tesla I don't know if he made mistakes.

        I need to study the Edison vs Tesla feud more but maybe his mistake was to piss off Edison?

        For all I know Edison made so many godawful mistakes that he failed utterly to take control of the world as he would have if his plan succeeded.

        What are we going to do tomorrow night?

    • You Have It All Wrong (Score:5, Funny)

      by Farley Mullet ( 604326 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:45PM (#7226433)
      Tesla, on the one hand, sucked seriously, but on the other hand, still get tonnes of play on "Classic Rock" stations with "Signs". So they have to still be clocking some pretty good royalty payments, and it'd be irresponsible to call them "poor". Also, 40-something skid radio station programmers still appreciate them, although I fail to see the relevance of their standing with the scientific community.

      I saw Tesla open up for Skynard once, and I can confidently that they aren't at all geeks.
    • I know Edison won the AC vs DC long power transmission war, since he abdicated DC an obviously that's what goes over power lines and comes out of my outlets.

      Seriously though no one seems to remember Tesla, even though we rely on his work every freakin day.
      • Biz types tend to remember Edison. Physics types tend to remember Tesla. This is as it should be, to my reckoning.

    • Re:Edison and Tesla (Score:5, Funny)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:00AM (#7226522)
      "The other died poor and in poor standing with the scientific community and is generally regarded as a kook."

      Yeah, that's why the SI unit of magnetic flux density is called the edison. Oh, wait...
    • As long as the people that matter (i.e. not the general public) know the truth, all is well.
    • Edison - inventor of the electric chair (an exceptionally painful and barbaric device even compared with the guillotine) and the public executioner of elephants whilst trying to promote DC against AC power.

      It so happens that we know now that AC isn't the best for grids (synchronisation issues) but it is still the best for transmitting power at the local level. Edison was partially right, but he was at the least dishonest and morally deficient (although he would be considered good MBA material today). His

    • As Far as I can see in all my scientific carrier (physic) I heard only of Nichola Tesla. Edisson was mentionned but not really acclaimed and put on a "golden" pedestral like US people seems to puit him.

      Heck Tesla even has an UNIT (the Tesla :)... ) of its own. And NO there is no Edisson unit. I never heard of Edisson so much as since I connect to slashdot.


      One can argue that Edisson might be underestimated for a reason or another, but this is usually not the way of science, which is usually not country

  • He missed a step (Score:4, Interesting)

    by sakusha ( 441986 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:23PM (#7226308)
    Interesting article, but I wonder why he left out the most interesting of Edison's anticompetitive actions. In Hollywood, it is legendary how Edison hired assassins to shoot his competitors movie cameras when they worked on location. He could have drawn a comparison to Orrin Hatch's proposal to make computers self-destruct when playing pirated tunes.

  • Wow what a terrible quote: (Score:3, Funny)

    by Stubtify ( 610318 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:25PM (#7226320)
    "Even if there are [independent basball teams], they're certainly not going to make it into the World Series. The public doesn't complain because all the teams are apparently subject to the same rules. No team "wins" just because they have the richest owner."

    And I hate the Yankees for this exact reason.

    • Same for hockey last year--almost.

      The Ottawa Senators are the lowest paid team, and came within one goal of making it to the Stanley Cup finals last year.

      Even better, when the team declared bankruptcy in January, the players all received slips in their lockers saying they couldn't be paid that week. All the players shrugged and played anyway, putting the team above themselves. A real class act, especially compared to one of the New Jersey Devils' star players, who said that if he'd received a slip saying
    • Baseball is a bad metaphor to pick. MLB has an exemption from anti-trust law that allows collusion between the teams when it would otherwise be illegal. The RIAA enjoys no such exemption... so while it's okay for MLB to decide who to admit into their little club, the RIAA can't hold onto their monopoly by claiming they're the only game in town.

  • Not Just Edison, Not Just Copyright (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Crashmarik ( 635988 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:26PM (#7226330)
    In the exact same time frame, Automobile manufacturers had an association based on the patent for a self propelled vehicle with an internal combustion engineering. The patent was owned by a lawyer who formed an association regulating who could make cars. If you weren't a member of of the association you got sued to oblivion for manufacturing automobiles.

    Funny thing is a guy name Henry Ford came along wanted to make a car that was much cheaper than what the association thought was reasonable. The association reacted predicatbly, sued ford motor. When their lawsuit against Ford didn't progress as rapidly as they would have liked they started suing people buying or driving a ford. This was their mistake. While coniderably more legitimate than SCO's threat to sue users, it had much the same effect. A PR nightmare. The general public doesn't have patents, or get to play the IP game. They do however buy things, and suing people for buying things was not a great PR move back then

    Needless to say most people know who Henry Ford was, not many can name the owner or members of the patent association.

    The same thing also occured in Radio.
  • Major league baseball is a perfect example -- there's no such thing as an independent major league baseball team... No team "wins" just because they have the richest owner.

    George must live far away from NYC

  • Electricity (Score:3, Funny)

    by aardvarkjoe ( 156801 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:35PM (#7226379)
    Well, if the RIAA is repeating what Edison did, eventually we'll start putting criminals to death by playing some recent CDs at them until they die.

    (link [snopes.com])
    • Actually, overcompressing MP3 type formats would be a closer parallel (killing music with the opponents scheme), which is being demonstrated on some CDs.

      Its not quite as gruesome as electrocuting various creatures, but I wouldn't put that past the RIAA either. Just tell them your neighbor's kittens are trading music. :-)
    • Well, if the RIAA is repeating what Edison did, eventually we'll start putting criminals to death by playing some recent CDs at them until they die.

      or kill themselves rather than listen?

      (Aaaaack! It's a Pepsi Commercial! Hit the Mute! Hit the Mute!)

      Just out of curiosity, have you listened to Laurie Anderson? [laurieanderson.com] Specifically Dance [gatech.edu] of Electricity? [flyingmoose.org]
  • His "steps" can be attributed to just about any business under the sun. The purpose of a business is to make money, and by controlling the market, you therefore make the most money. To just focus on the music industry is be unfair about the whole situation. What he writes is what every corporate exec knows and wants. But why does that make them evil? They need to make money. If you were in their shoes, you'd do the same.

    • Re:Oh please (Score:5, Interesting)

      by mvdw ( 613057 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:15AM (#7226605) Homepage
      If you were in their shoes, you'd do the same.

      Actually, if I were in their shoes, I would not do the same. I would make my product more attractive to my most profitable demographic: the teenager. The average teenager wants to listen to "kewl" music, to instant message, and to talk to their friends on their new mobile phone.

      So make the music CD computer compatible. Embrace the new technology, rather than stifle it. Make the kids want to spend the $15 or whatever it is on a new CD, rather than download the CD from kazaa - make it worth their while to do so. Add value to the tracks.

      How do they do this, you ask? Here's a few suggestions:

      • When you put the CD in the computer, send the user to a website where they can download their own instant messenger logos and mobile phone ringtones;
      • Add extra stuff into the sleeve - maybe a voucher to send away for a poster, or to send away to get a free ringtone or logo for the mobile phone or similar;
      • Add extras to the CD, like filmclips, (cheesy) games, pictures, multimedia so the mp3s they download are not the whole content of the CD.

      Rather than trying to "protect our artists' IP", the record companies should be trying to attract the buyers back that they are losing to p2p.

      Rather than shipping deliberately broken CDs, they should be shipping CDs that are enhanced not just in name, but in content, so downloading mp3s and a CD cover is not enough to have the whole experience.

      Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't think you can sell more product by alienating your customers. You sell more by having a good product at the right price.

      • How do they do this, you ask? Here's a few suggestions:

        The only problem is that this stuff has already been tried, and I can only conclude that the fact it's not all over the joint is an indication that it didn't help matters greatly.

        I particularly remember the cheesy multimedia from the Christmas/Special Edition of Aquas Aquarium ( Jesus, there goes my credibility ), and including concert footage on CD's is likewise not incredibly uncommon ( I think Dreamtheater did this on the Live Scenes from New York

        • Re:Oh please (Score:3, Interesting)

          by mvdw ( 613057 )
          The cereal box trinkets are not aimed at the 20-50 demographic. They are aimed purely at the teenagers who would otherwise download the songs from the internet. Rather than threaten them with legal action, the record companies should be encouraging them to buy more CDs. If a teenager has a so-called "buddy icon" on their IM, and everyone goes "hey, that's cool - where did you get it?", they are going to reply that they got it with such-and-such album. I notice that record companies give away the buddy icons

  • Bad Parallel (Score:2, Interesting)

    by brolewis ( 712511 )
    I understand the parallels that were made between the two, but I find the discussion a bit skewed. Edison was one who had the interest of people in his mind. The reason he had the money is because he gave the people what they wanted. He helped found an electric company that gave power to houses. He invented items that have become household standards. We owe a great deal of thanks to Edison. MPAA, on the other hand, cares about nothing but profits and ways to maximize profits. Time has allowed America to be
    • Actually it worked for a lot of people in Edison's day, in fact even before Edison's day it worked. Big companies go out and screw the little guy in teh name of profits all the time, that's why they're big companies and everyone else is the little guy. Things only happen when people are tired enoguh of getting screwed over that they get up and demand that someone make changes, just look at the Robber Barons, no one called anything on them for a good long while, and government corruption (patronage) was only

  • This is all wrong -- I own a independent store! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dada21 ( 163177 ) <adam.dada@gmail.com> on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:43PM (#7226420) Homepage Journal
    I own an independent record store, my margins are in the vicinity of 100%, and I've been increasing my product line by nearly double every 2-3 weeks just by buying two CDs for every one I sell.

    Of course, I don't sell Sting or Britney Spears or any of that garbage. I send those customers to Circuit City or Borders.

    I move product that you can't find in stores, and you can't even get easily on the Internet. My two big Internet competitors are Interpunk and Angry, Young, and Poor. They sell the CDs for $12-$13. I sell them for $15. We both buy them for $6-$8.

    I also sell T-shirts, punk pins, patches, and hats. About a 100% margin there. I move music the same way the big labels do: I play a new CD over and over and over again in my store. I carry peripheral items as well, to attract a crowd. I offer compensation for customers who bring in their friends.

    I sponsor events at local shows with local bands, and sell my merch there. I give a percentage to the local band, usually more than what the venue offers them for playing. I sell the bands' music directly on consignment, and keep just 15-20%.

    And guess what? I make a profit. A pretty good one. Sure, you never heard of 99% of the bands, but does it matter when I am turning over my inventory every 45-90 days? I don't sit on a CD for more than 90 days, and if I do, I move it at cost and replace it with a different one.

    Let the big guys control the big bands -- there's no profit in those guys for an independent store like me. I don't have any MP3s in the store. I don't have any CD-Rs. I don't even have a CD-Recorder in my PC at the store. I block Kazaa and other apps so my employees can't get me trapped.

    This is a huge conspiracy that the RIAA is walking all over guys like me -- they're not. I find a market and I dominate it and I make money.

    Would I make more if I sold Sting and Bush and Avril Lavigne? Maybe. But then I'd have to work by their rules, and I won't. So I accept the fact that I can't make 7 figures a year, but I'm on track to make 6. And if I open a few more stores (with great customer service, an awesome ability to promote new bands, and a friendly atmosphere that never feels like the mall) I'll only multiply my take.

    Face it -- if you think you're in a bind, controlled by a monopoly, you don't realize the big issue: you have choice on what you carry.

    I can make a buck. Go try it. You can, too.

    • Argh the over priced indie store. Don't get me wrong I think its cool that you are doing so well but I can't imagine shopping at your store w/out being a bit annoyed (indie store w/ Sam goody prices). The prices in ny/philly/boston aren't that high. Even newberry comics (boston chain) has the $12 standard.
    • Parent comment is either a troll or astroturfing.
  • I don't really think that musicians can simply walk away from the RIAA or the major labels. It is from these sources that flow the biggest venues, and huge promotional machinery that can make or break an artist in a few weeks (which oddly enough seems to be their lifespan).

    Film exploded in 1920 sure, but it's in a rather sorry state now (even the best movies of the year are pretty crappy) go, go and look at the local marquee.

    The RIAA has had a good half century to solidify their machinery and all the bitc

  • ENOUGH ALREADY.. Edison??? please (Score:4, Insightful)

    by acomj ( 20611 ) on Wednesday October 15, 2003 @11:45PM (#7226435) Homepage
    Here is the deal. The RIAA represents.... ta da.. The "Recording Industry". The recording industry (record labels) pay them. They Don't represent YOU or ARTISTS (song writers are represented by ASCAP [ascap.com]. They are a trade group for companies that SELL music. They are not YOUR Friends.

    In case you haven't thought this through, when you download a song off a P 2 P network NOBODY makes any money directly. Not the artist not the record label not the RIAA (Artists may get some marginal benifit from having there music "out there". Please see ll cool Js senate testomony about this.. .

    The world has never had such a quick and easy way to produce copies before. This is new.. This is not someone in the basement making bootlegs one at a time on a crappy cassette player and selling them at college fairs.

    One wonders why law enforcement isn't looking into piracy more and the RIAA has to defend itself.

    If artists want to put there music out there for everyone to copy for free they wouldn't sign music deals, they'd set up web sight. Many do give music away for free!. Go to a show, SUPPORT BANDS YOU LIKE so they don't end up flipping burgers.

    • "In case you haven't thought this through, when you download a song off a P 2 P network NOBODY makes any money directly."

      true, however that does not it means ANYBODY is loosing money either.

      I would argue that Eminem's last CD was the most traded pre-release piece of music ever. How many millions of copies did he sell?

      What people are failing to recognize is that the technolgy, and easy of use is here to allow people to not pay for Music, yet they do.

      the RIAA seems to fail to mention that there industry i
  • The record industry is doomed because we no longer need any industry to record data (musical or otherwise) thanks to personal computers which even using entirely free software [dynebolic.org] can be better then entire recording studios few years ago. We don't need multi-million-dollar equipment, so there is no point in centralization. RIAA knows that and they are desperately trying to do anything to save their obsolete business model. They can only be safe if there is DRM everywhere and people need a license to publish the
    • If there is a microphone involved, say for quiet vocals or acoustic instruments, you still need one of the more expensive parts of the recording studio that you'd like to say is obsolete: you need quiet.

      It's really, really expensive to get -96dB of quiet. Maybe you aren't that picky, but I record acoustic piano and wood flute, and the slightest extraneous sound ruins a take.

      Another important thing, is there is still a divide between the best you can do with consumer equipment and minimum requirements fo
    • The record industry is doomed because we no longer need any industry to record data (musical or otherwise) thanks to personal computers which even using entirely free software can be better then entire recording studios few years ago.

      I am so tired of seeing this mantra repeated over and over.

      I am a university-schooled musician. Today's home studios are powerful in many ways, but they are still completely outclassed by a professional environment. There are several factors that are important to the equatio
  • Hopefully the RIAA doesnt have any chairs with extra legs to prevent tipping... or a battery operated hammer.

  • Eliminate unnecessary middleman expense (Score:3)

    by southpolesammy ( 150094 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:05AM (#7226545) Journal
    This is what is going on here with KaZaA and other file sharing programs -- there is a model in place that allows for the product to get to the users faster and cheaper, and without the unnecessary middlemen markup that the RIAA imposes on us. The RIAA's problem with this is that it completely breaks their business model, so they do the only possible things they can -- pretend it doesn't exist, and then when that fails, villify those that use it, even for legal purposes.

    The RIAA's biggest fear about this is the possibility of the use this distribution method coupled with direct compensation to the artists who create the music. At that point, musicians stop signing with the RIAA companies en masse, and the RIAA companies instantly become obsolete and die off, as happened to Edison's movie industry. In fact, I'm surprised that the RIAA hasn't also lobbied against mastering programs like CakeWalk, since that potentially affects their revenue streams as well if the artists begin to mix and master their own recordings, circumventing the need for RIAA technicians.

    The bottom line is that the RIAA member companies will never embrace these technologies because they take out the overwhelming majority of the built-in cost they tag on every recording they produce, and without that cash flow, how are they going to afford their yachts and vacation homes?
  • The RIAA's legacy is that of a LIAR! When CDs first came out, LPs cost 6.98. CD prices were a full TEN DOLLARS MORE at $16.98! The RIAA claimed this was because CD's cost more to make and would come down as technology improved. Well, IT took OVER TWENTY YEARS for ONE company to lower them to twelve dollars - and this only happened as a RESULT of file sharing! The other companies still fix prices at around 16.98. Also, they killed the 45 RPM single - the way for the consumer to get the song they WANTED with

  • RIAA forced to squeeze indie stores by the gov't (Score:5, Interesting)

    by leviramsey ( 248057 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:15AM (#7226601) Journal

    Remember how the RIAA was found guilty of price-fixing on CDs and settled?

    This is a direct consequence of the settlement.

    The RIAA maintained the effective price-fix by instituting a minimum advertised price rule. Stores could sell CDs for whatever price they wanted, but if the price they were advertising was above a certain threshold, the RIAA would pay for the advertising. This had the effect of keeping Wal-Mart and Best Buy from achieving a near-monopoly position in retailing (and thus being able to dictate to the RIAA in matters of content and pricing). Wal-Mart and Best Buy were planning to sell CDs at cost to lead to increased sales per square foot of the store (and generate foot traffic) and their plans would depend on being able to advertise $9 CDs (from a very limited selection; only the stuff that was new and exceptionally popular would be carried).

    In order to prevent the big box retailers from taking over the retail market, the RIAA cut their legs out by giving stores that were willing to charge full price (and take a guaranteed profit) free advertising. This in turn kept the small stores and music specific chains in business.

    Then Wal-Mart and Best Buy sued for price-fixing and won. The result since then has been even more more blandness in the recording business; with Wal-Mart and Best Buy accounting for greater and greater shares of the retail market, they will only carry CDs that will sell a lot of copies very quickly. Artists who only go consistently gold are getting pushed out because the retailers aren't interested.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:17AM (#7226616)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • >>...They came without a notice - no warrant, no
      >>nothing. They're making up their own laws, if
      >>you ask me.

      >ok, so if they didnt have a warrant, why didnt
      >you just tell them to get the hell out of your
      >store?

      Or even, call the State Police and have them arrested for robbery. Not just shoplifting mind you, we're talking organized crime here, 5-25 years in prison for each individual and whoever they took their orders from.

      But we're not really hearing the whole story, are we?

  • Somewhere, far from Slashdot (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    A music industry exec reads this article, turns to another, and asks "Which step number is 'profit!', again?"

  • It is only about control. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by fermion ( 181285 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:20AM (#7226634) Homepage Journal
    I wish the issue of control were publicized more. The RIAA and the member companies are not worried about the artists, they are not even worried that much about copyright infringement. What they are worried about is the possibility that long term profits of the corporations will be decimated.

    This is happening somewhat in the movie industry. Independent films have been gaining market share. The majors have insulated themselves by distributing the independent films and by the fact that a movie theater needs to fill seats, which leaves the independent film without a large advertising budget or an Oscar nomination without a home.

    The only thing the RIAA has is the fact that radio sells records, and they pay Clear Channel enough money to keep independent records off the radio. This is why they attacked internet radio so much. It represents the ultimate loss of control. This is why they don't want to distribute tracks over the internet. Almost no physical costs means the barriers to entry are almost non-existent. They have to do so now because people are just downloading the tracks anyway. It will be interesting to see what the restriction on the internet retailers will be.

    Of course the big concert halls will be still be owned by the corporations, and the children with their innate need to fit in will still beg their parents for 50 bucks to see the teen heart throb. OTOH, the kids can be smart. I remember a few years ago when our clear channel station that played music which was only minimally offensive to the suburban parent finally had to admit defeat to the Hip Hop revolution. The kids couldn't bring themselves to change the radio station, but they could certainly pick up the phone and complain that the station was pretty much the only station that would not play 'Stan'.

  • An Unremarkable Article (Score:2, Interesting)

    by porp ( 24384 )
    Edison muscled people and companies with all of his patents, created an empire, and utterly failed. His inventions were extraordinary, but his business practices were unethical and illegal. Shit happened and his dreams for a movie empire died--as he tried harder to squeeze his competition, the more 'star systems' slipped through his fingers.

    The RIAA is doing all they know how to do: stop people from using their product without paying them. Every stupid corporation does this; Edison is merely an example.

    Ev

  • I figured out what "RIAA" stands for. (Score:3, Funny)

    by rock_climbing_guy ( 630276 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @12:27AM (#7226668) Journal
    RIAA is one of those weird recursive acronyms, like GNU.

    RIAA stands for RIAA Is An Acronym. ( Can you think of any other good words that start with the letter "A"? I don't suppose that any come to mind at all! )

  • An excellent piece (Score:2, Interesting)

    by lavaface ( 685630 )
    This article succintly describes the current state of music. It's clear that the tools to create quality albums are easily attainable by anyone with a passion for music. Cheap hardware and software enable the bedroom rockers and djs to not only produce, but widely distribute their tunes. E-mail lists at shows help the band and their fans market music on a low budget. People network both online and through fellow music fans.

    I lived in Athens Ga. a few years ago. Many of the bands had sold more records in Eu

  • Never made it on /. (Score:3, Informative)

    by wo1verin3 ( 473094 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @01:42AM (#7227010) Homepage
    The EFF has taken on defense [eff.org] of another alleged filesharer. Here is a snippet:
    Los Angeles, California - EFF today announced that it will defend Ross Plank of Playa Del Rey, California, against a wrongly filed complaint, among the 261 copyright infringement lawsuits the recording industry has filed against individuals.

    The federal lawsuit filed against Plank in Los Angeles accuses him of making hundreds of Latin songs available using KaZaA filesharing software earlier this summer. Plank does not speak Spanish and does not listen to Latin music. More importantly, his computer did not even have KaZaA installed during the period when the investigation occurred.

    More articles on Ross Plank and his 'wrongful accusal' at Wired [wired.com], The Reg [theregister.co.uk], The Inq [theinquirer.net], DSP Reports [dslreports.com], and p2pnet.net [p2pnet.net].

  • Can someone explain... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Zocalo ( 252965 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @06:01AM (#7227778) Homepage
    How the hell it is anywhere near legal for the RIAA to send the equivalent of enforcers into an independent music and seize property? Just because the music is on a CD-R doesn't mean that it's a copyright infringment or anything like that. Imagine if Microsoft had tried to shutdown the early pioneers of the Shareware phenomenon using these kinds of tactics. I don't think I'd be drawing a parallel with Edison here, more like Al Capone.

    The land of the free? Not anymore it would seem. The American Dream: July 4th 1776 - September 11th 2001, RIP.

  • Major League Baseball a Terribly Example (Score:4, Informative)

    by werdna ( 39029 ) on Thursday October 16, 2003 @07:16AM (#7227961) Journal
    The public and the government will actually tolerate a benevolent monopoly for quite some time if no one complains about it. Major league baseball is a perfect example

    Not. Major league baseball is an example of an entity that is exempt from the antitrust laws because it has an exemption. A trilogy of Supreme Court cases [go.com], beginning with Oliver Wendell Holmes in the twenties have sealed the deal.

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