Music Industry Cracks Down

[steve.milner]

The recording industry also gets paid a percentage from ALL blank CD sales so they are, in effect, already being compensated for all of the copyright theft to some degree.

I wonder it that's true in the UK?

It had better not be, 'cause otherwise I'll be very cross.

Steve

[tonybradley]

According to this article, if the Electronic Frontier Foundation statistics are right it will take the RIAA 2191.78 years to sue everyone.

It is a little tongue-in-cheek, but it still illustrates the futility of this strategy for the RIAA. Not that futility makes stealing songs legal- but they need some other strategy than trying to sue everyone.

The article also points out that the artists that everyone claims are getting short-changed by the file-sharing won't ever actually see any of the money that comes from the lawsuits.

As we discussed earlier in the thread- when the RIAA sues Joe Smith for having 3000 illegal MP3's and win a court judgment against him for $450 million- that doesn't change the fact that Joe Smith doesn't have any money.

The RIAA will still have to pay its lawyers. The government will still have to pay the judge and everyone else involved in the court system. In the end- everyone loses money to try and make an example out of Joe Smith in hopes that it will scare others into not file sharing.

I suppose that is one "advantage" to making it a felony crime. The threat is larger. As long as its just money, and not jail time, the threat isn't that big because nobody has the money anyway. If they started threatening people with jail time that might make more people think twice. However, as I have pointed out countless times- draconian law doesn't really work. It gives the illusion of working while in reality just pushing the booming business to the underground and the black market.

As I have said- laws only work for the lawful. Those who are stealing the music because they feel like stealing the music will continue to do so somehow. IMO the RIAA should try to focus on the lawful consumers who will pay money to have legal copies of the songs if you give them a way to do it. Yes- there are CD's. But, I think many people will use services like Apple's iTunes or BuyMusic.com to actually purchase what they want for $0.80 or $1.00 a pop rather than stealing the songs and risking a lawsuit or potentially jail time.

Here is the article: RIAA will take 2191.78 years to sue everyone

I wonder it that's true in the UK?

I don't know about the UK, but here is an article about blank media taxes in Canada: Will passive Canadians tolerate More Blank Media Levies

This is a quote from the AARC web site :

In October 1992, the United States Congress passed AHRA, which requires manufacturers or importers of digital audio recorders (including, for example, DAT, DCC and MiniDisc recorders) and blank media to make royalty payments.

This means that you are already paying the RIAA every time you purchase a blank CD or a CDR drive or a minidisc player, etc., etc. They don't really have the right to whine on TOP of this that they want even more money. In effect, they are being compensated for the music downloaded and burned from P2P.

[TheMechanic]

Wow. This has been a lot of fun watching you guys go back and forth. And I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one with a sense of morality here. My faith in humanity has been restored. Thanks tonybradley and mohaughn.

I think that this thread has been an excellent exercise in futility . . . meaning that no matter how much you try to appeal to people's sense of logic and/or morality they're still going to, not only do immoral and illogical things, but try to justify and excuse it.

So, I think that we should let this thread die (but not before I throw another two of my cents in!)

I don't share my files on line, because of this RIAA bot or bug. But I think that file sharing should be free. The internet needs to stay free. But, for people who sell, you are theives and you should recieve the full out come of the law. You are no better than a drug pusher on the street selling dope to little kids. Well, that may be to hard, but we do need to keep our way of life free. The history of file sharing has told us that people are feed up with spending thier hard earned cash on crapy music.

I'd like to say that you made several good and well-thought-out points Fred, but I'd be lying if I did. First, no one is saying that file sharing shouldn't be free. If programmers want to make freeware or shareware, that is their prerogative. But that is not what music is (unless the artist wants to give away their music). The internet is not free. I know I pay for a connection (I don't go to school anymore) and I pay for things that I buy online (books, etc.), so I don't know what you're talking about.

And " . . . for people who sell, you are thieves". I'm going to file that one under "most hypocritical thing I've ever heard." All I'm going to say is that it is already illegal to trade music, so I wonder if you think that you "should receive the full outcome of the law."

Anyway, Fred, I don't mean to pick on you, but I think that your justifications for downloading musics seems to be typical of the type and I found your posts entertaining. But, now that I think about it, you're not that bad; at least you only download crappy music, most other people download top 40 stuff, I think.

Oh, BTW, there's another technology that allows you to listen to music for free. It's called the radio. Maybe you should try it.

(I use sarcasm as a defense mechanism )

[Kimeramon_2001]

I'm very confused about this whole entire mp3 crackdown. I mean mp3's arnt the only media that is copyrighted on the p2p network. Also, how do they expect people to pay all of that money if they dont have it? Finally, if you move all of the files from your shared folder do they still know you downloaded it?

[alphabetarian]

I get a kick out of how the RIAA is willing to attack the very group that it should thank for it's existance...the consumers. It's the consumers who buy the CD's in the first place and line the pockets of these greedy individuals. I've heard rumors and other various horror stories of the RIAA willing to actually attack computers of file sharers...jeez.

But what I want to know is how they can tell the difference between a track that was downloaded from P2P and a track that was ripped from a CD purchased ligit?? Sounds rather difficult, if not impossible if you ask me. If they continue to follow through with this, I hope there is some serious backlash. I heard on TechTV this morning, something about file sharing causeing a 20-something percent drop in revenue allegedly. If this kind of "attack the consumer" crap continues, I hope that amount increases from boycotts, increased downloading, whatever.... And when it does, the brainchildern of the RIAA will most likely scratch their head and wonder why their customers are so pissed.

On a side note, I do like the idea earlier in the thread of going with independent, non-RIAA affiliated bands. May have to look into that more, but how do I figure out who is and isn't affiliated with the RIAA??

[Cyanosis]

If they shut down 1 p2p network, one hundred more will show up in its place. Check download.com and search for peer to peer sharing. It goes on for days.

[Maestr0]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/32048.html
Good old price fixing again.

[RoadClosed]

On a side note, I do like the idea earlier in the thread of going with independent, non-RIAA affiliated bands. May have to look into that more, but how do I figure out who is and isn't affiliated with the RIAA??

www.boycott-riaa.com

There are many excellent arguments for and against their actions at the RIAA. I have stated my issues with freedom, etc. And also stated my avid desire to collect music and pay the artists for what they produce. You would be surprised what is on the indy (independent) labels in this country. One of my all time favorite bands is Great Big Sea, from Newfoundland. They don't get RIAA support so they aren't huge but there is a treasure out there and that site can get you started. Notice my sig?

[Fred Brown]

Pardon my French - but that's a crock of ****!

Well, the people have spoken. If you don't like, tb. The numbers are there. Even if it means death, people will find a way to speak out and in this case, they have. By the way you French smells funny . It can be songs, it can be movies, it can be programs. It will have to be the work of the programmer to stay ahead of the game. You will not be able to stop it. Tonybradley, this is a debate, so let's be cool about the words we use.

Freddy

[PuReExcTacy]

Screw the RIAA, I'm going to PuRe's Escape. www.pureescape.net ftp://www.pureescape.net/pub/music

See ya there!


--PuRe