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Thread: File Swappers to RIAA: Download This!

  1. #11
    Purveyor of Lather Syini666's Avatar
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    The RIAA is just plain greedy and I can deal with that. They are busting their butts to choke the life out of filesharing, and I can find ways around that. What really makes this whole thing come up as a major blip on my radar, and I'm sure others is the lengths to which they want to go to stop it. I know its been debated and discusses alot here, but I think the measures the RIAA thinks are going to win the war for them will actually be their worst mistake in a long list.

    allenb > good one on the vinyl prices, I've dug through my familys' collection and none of them had a price anywhere near the range of cds. And to think that technically speaking CD's are of lower quality than vinyl (its the most accurate way to reproduce sound so far) yet we shell out sometimes twice as much for them
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  2. #12
    Senior Member RoadClosed's Avatar
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    Bands have always made more money from Concerts versus CD sales. I have read 100s of interviews and documentaries of bands. They all say the same thing, concerts are where the money is (unless they get lucky and hit a tune that stays number one for an entire year). It's the RIAA that's not getting their cut now, they claim to be helping bands but they get huge kickbacks from CD sales. I see their point, when you look at sales drops. I mean sales have dropped something like 10 percent - that is significant when all you look at is the bottom line. To be honest in my opinion there is nothing coming out these days, from the mainstream circuit, which I really like. And it’s those mainstream bands that are the bands that RIAA invests in, Redundant CRAP. And I say crap for the most part, there are some good talent coming out but most of what I like is underground, bands pushing their music over P2P and places like MP3.Com or hitting the college circuits here in U.S.

    So sales have dropped 10 percent. So has the world economy and in addition we have more and more commercial free venues available to us. I can get 40 digital channels of satellite music that has a continuous rotation of NEW music. Does that stop me from buying some CDs, you bet? There is a core group of bands I totally love and I will always buy their CDs just because it's them. One is U2 and I use them as an example to case my views. If you look at their biographies, they were RICH before they hit it big, because they toured the hell out of Europe during the early years. That was before the Joshua Tree came out, they broke into supreme band status after a concert at Red Rocks in the US. As for ticket prices: I hate them too, but in the US ticket master logs a hefty premium on most concerts and the venues are expensive. I have some insight into this area, if a band wants to make some money they have to charge large fees. If they just want to play and lose money then they can charge a nominal fee. It's just expensive unless you get lucky and catch them in a small bar or theatre. Heck some bands just want to make money at all cost. I'll pick on one that is currently popular here. They charge a minimum of 500k to appear (or percent of tix sales, whatever is greater). Our local radio station tried to get them for a local festival and they just couldn’t cover the cost of the venue and raise any money by hiring that band. I mentioned Red Rocks (the best place to see a concert on the planet). To rent Red Rocks it's not very expensive, 10k or percent of ticket sales (last year prices). It's not very expensive and bands try and get that venue, but it's small. I too complained about 200 bucks that I spent on U2 during their last tour, but you know what? I loved every second of that concert and after watching the DVD where they show an empty stadium being retrofitted for the production, I cannot believe the amount of equipment, personal and talent that goes into a large production. That has to be expensive, but the band still made over 100 million on the project, sold out show after sold out show across the planet. Did they deserve the money? I think so. But they have their own production company and most bands don’t. So the concert promoters have to make a profit as well as the bands, and if they can’t make a decent profit, why go through the hassle of arranging a production? So we eat the cost as each group takes a cut of the pie. It’s unfortunate and the RIAA only plays a part in promoting newer bands they think will garner a nice return on their money. I believe by looking at the demographic of people I know in person who use P2P, are people who wouldn’t go out and buy a CD anyway. They didn’t before they found P2P. And what about used CDs? How does that play into the equation? I have a bad taste in my mouth for RIAA and bands that I love, like Metallica buying into their abusive behavior and tactics. A group that actively attacks it’s own consumer base is blind to it’s own bias and greed. In addition, a private group that seeks government approval to lay out tactics that are currently illegal is scary. They are seeking to change a law meant to protect users from unauthorized access to their computer files, and CHANGE it, to exempt certain private organizations! The RIAA is on a path to self destruction, but if they win, a corporation could be given the power of a government, to police a digital environment. That is not acceptable, and those who value their freedom should watch closely what the RIAA does and who’s government support they rally. Whew I could go on, but I rallied my point.
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  3. #13
    I want the folks to get paid who do the writing and performing. I spent much of my money, as a kid, on those vinyl disks that played once or twice and sounded awful after that. Riaa has done allot to push the cost of quality recording media up so that it is prohibitive to purchase. It is annoying to me that folks like the RIAA, as well as individuals; want to use the Gov for their own profit. Taxpayer’s dollars. I might get a little sympathy when they turning their illicit drugs.

  4. #14
    Senior Member RoadClosed's Avatar
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    I want the artists to get paid as well, that way they can afford to make more records and improve the quality of their recordings. I have even come to grips with Metallica, I hated them for a while after they joined RIAA and shut down Napster. I gave in and bought tickets for their upcoming tour this summer. I was exceptionally angry with them because they are a heavy metal band that sings about control and tyranny and about opposition to it, and then they go out and sue some company for letting kids connect to file stores easily through a central database. That friggin pissed me off, but I still love em and I paid 75 bucks to see the show. It still hasn't sold out like they would have a few years ago.

    Whatever your opinion on P2P and copyright and motivation for sharing, the issue that I can't deny is the tactics they want to impress on their own customers. They want the ability to destroy your computer or make it illegal for a person in this country to copy anything, through hardware controls and changing laws. I know the founders of the United States had no idea what kind of capabilities we could have when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and then later the Bill of Rights. They couldn't have known that a 10 year old in Texas would be able to instantly share a file through electronic conduits. But the basis for their reasoning was to prevent tyranny and oppression by enabling certain rights to privacy and due process from corrupt individuals and governments. That still applies today and I believe the cost of RIAA success could be our digital freedom. And for what? A 10 percent increase in sales?? I have no evidence but I have a feeling this campaign of theirs is costing much more than any loss they have had so far.
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  5. #15
    AO Security for Non-Geeks tonybradley's Avatar
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    I am with allenb1963 on this one. The issue is much larger than P2P or Napster or Kazaa.

    The problem stems from the recording industry trying to make money for nothing. They throw together prefab boy bands and put out CD's with one (two if you're lucky) good songs and then put out another mediocre (at best) album every 6 months to a year. The suckers keep coming back for more at $18 a pop twice a year to essentially get one decent song each time.

    I agree that artists deserve to make money, but from most of the information I can find and that has been cited here the artists aren't making much from CD sales. It costs maybe $3 or $4 to produce the CD, $1 to the artist and $13 per CD into the RIAA coffers.

    Prince had a war with Warner Brothers. Allegedly part of his changing his name to the Symbol was a legal ploy- the contract was with Prince so if he wasn't Prince anymore the contract doesn't apply to him. Could just be a bullshit urban myth though.

    In any event, once his contract was up he didn't renew or go find another label. He started a web site called NPG Music Club. You must subscribe to the site as a member to access it, but he puts out 3 to 5 songs a month. He markets new CD's, hats and shirts and members of the service get first shot at concert tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

    In my opinion the Internet and P2P level the playing field so that artists don't NEED a label. Anyone can record their own songs and set up a web site. Anyone can sell a whole CD of songs or release certain songs to the P2P community to generate interest. I think that the only thing in the way of an independent band making it huge is the RIAA's death grip on the radio industry. You can get a decent underground following through the Internet and word of mouth, but its hard to become U2 or the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith without some radio play.

    The radio is almost a form of brainwashing. How many times have you heard a song you didn't like but after the 1000th time you heard it that week it "grew" on you. Payola (the industry paying radio stations to play certain songs) is illegal and supposedly doesn't occur. However it was just replaced with an equally corrupt middle man- the independent analyst. IA's are paid to consult with the stations and help them select which songs get radio play. If the IA doesn't push it, it probably won't get played. The IA's are making money from the industry and the radio stations as I understand it and it is still payola - just hidden a little.

    Going back to the Prince example- he still creates music and releases CD's but you never hear them on the radio. Why is that? They still play his songs from 20 years ago- 1999, Purple Rain, Erotic City and even from 5 or 10 years ago, so it isn't that they feel Prince is not popular or that people don't want to hear him. He just sin't paying any IA's to ensure his music gets pushed onto the airwaves.

    OK- enough conspiracy theory for one day (or at least one post). The bottom line is that artists can promote themselves if they could just get past the IA's to get some radio play.

    So sales have dropped 10 percent. So has the world economy and in addition we have more and more commercial free venues available to us. I can get 40 digital channels of satellite music that has a continuous rotation of NEW music.
    P.S. - oddly CD sales have declined ever since the RIAA forced Napster out of business. It doesn't make for a very good case for how P2P is negatively affecting CD sales.

  6. #16
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    but why does it seem that the artists who complain seem to be big stars who dont need the money anyway...aka madona, metallica and so on...
    Everybody is gready, if you already own a couple of million dollars, earning a thousand more will seem like nothing. Look at Elvis Presly's daughter (I can't remember her name) she recived all her fathers money when he died and she is now a millioner without having had to lift a finger for it. Yet she has decided to start making her own music making even more money not that she needs it in anyway.

  7. #17
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    What I really want to know is, if the music industry is losing SO much money and they are all getting SO poor, then why the hell are they still shelling up literally BILLIONS of dollars to the RIAA to attempt to stop piracy. I say attempt because they have done an asinine job so far. I still have the ability fire up any p2p program and download any song I want or need. So, to me they have done literally jack in helping the music industry so far, who are still happy and willing to shell up more and more money, even though they are so god damned poor. So maybe I am missing it or something, do artists expect us to feel bad for them because they lost one of their 20 lexus's to internet piracy and the other 18 to the RIAA. Give me a break, come on, open your eyes, the real pirates are the RIAA. I got your internet piracy right here, , I wish that the RIAA would read this thread/post but I know that they are too damn lazy to actually work so .

  8. #18
    Senior Member RoadClosed's Avatar
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    Hey The3ntropy, tell us how you REALLY feel, eh.
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  9. #19
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    ... Maybe we should ONLY start downloading pop and rap music, and together we can collapse such crappy generes!!

    Hrm... Whatever.

    RIAA have a decent point to stand behind, but they're also rat bastard selfish greedy pigs. I remain impartial.

    Yet the only reason I do buy albums, is because of the cover art. Nothing more really.

    Speaking of all this music and whatnot. A few friends of mine are starting a band - we'll make Cds to sell to people at our shows, but ontop of that, every song we record will be up on our website for anybody to download (and this is every song, and the full song, not just the first 5 seconds or anything). I think that brings a new approach to musicians. If little teeny-boppers want to listen to our music, our website's up 24/7. If they want to see us live, they pay - if they want a crappy CD, they pay (not the ridiculus amount you'd pay at BestBuy either).

    But i'm just rambling now. Meh... My 2 cents need revision.
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  10. #20
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    The radio is almost a form of brainwashing. How many times have you heard a song you didn't like but after the 1000th time you heard it that week it "grew" on you.
    So true. That's probably why i rarely listen to the radio anymore.

    Personally i don't really buy CDs anymore is because
    There are only 9-12 songs on a CD, and switching them all the time is annoying and since I own a MiniDisc player and having CDs are pretty useless.

    Sure, the artist needs to get paid, but not that much. There are LOTS of artists on the internet that let you download their music in mp3 format... Didn't Weezer have mp3s on their site a while ago?... And also my favourite dance artist The Cynic Project sells CDs and let's you download almost all of the songs from their site.
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