The general idiocy of the companies that provide us with recorded music on CDs and such no longer ceases to amaze me. For years they sped along making countless amounts of money off the backs of the artists that actually create the music. When I was younger and dreamed, as most young men do, of becoming a famous music star, I realized early on I’d want to do it on an independent label. The major labels are nothing short of schoolyard bullies. A couple years ago it was discovered that the evil Internet allowed people to simply download the music they wanted to hear without having to spend $15 a CD to get it. How the recording industry has reacted to this, and mark my words here, will go down as one of the stupidest reactionary moves in entertainment history. If anything kills the recorded music industry it will be this – but not the way they think.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/775684.asp
Auto Researcher: “Sir, it would appear people are buying used cars instead of new ones.”
Auto Executive: “Hrmph. Ok. Raise car prices, we need to offset costs.”
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Auto Researcher: “Sir, more people are buying used cars, they say new ones are too expensive.”
Auto Executive: “Hrmph. Ok. Sue the used car dealers, take them down.”
…
Auto Researcher: “Sir, we closed them down but four more opened while we weren’t looking.”
Auto Executive: “Hrmph. Ok. Sue them all.”
…
Auto Researcher: “Sir, we’ve closed down two of them but six more have opened. What now? Lower prices?”
Auto Executive: “Hrmph. Ok. Sue anyone that buys more than 10 used cars.”
You read the previous link right – the recording industry is going to start suing YOU. The average joe who downloads music. The funny thing? Once I believed in supporting the artists and buying CDs. I have hundreds of CDs and hundreds of cassette tapes here in my office. Not anymore. In the last two months I have downloaded the MP3s or ripped the CDs without buying them of Anders Osborne, Ashley MacIsaac, Barenaked Ladies, Eminem, Gillian Welch, Gomez, Gorillaz, Hank Williams III, Josh Rouse, Kasey Chambers, Kelly Joe Phelps, Moxy Fruvous, Neil Young, Nirvana, Mourning Widows, O Brother, Roger Clyne, Slobberbone, Snoop Dogg, The Lemonheads, The Strokes, and Whiskeytown. This coming from someone who never would have pirated music before this year. Most of these albums I’ve enjoyed and would love to own, but they expect me to shell out $25 plus tax to buy them. It’s not worth it to me, it’s not worth it to millions of others, and now they’re going to sue us for it? That is absolute, 100%, grade-A, restaurant-quality crap. These RIAA bigwigs sitting in their palatial offices smoking cigars lit with $100 bills should be earning their fat-cat salaries by using this new technology to their advantage. The software industry has, the auto industry has, the stock trading industry has – it’s not hard. Microsoft is fully aware that thousands pirate Windows XP – the difference here is they don’t drop lawsuits on them for doing it.
Cheers,
Rick Jessup