The RIAA/MPAA represent a frightened, bullying, dying
industry--distributors. Instead of reinventing their end of the
industry, they, along with companies like Comcast and RoadRunner, are
going after the customers and throttling the service. Both business
models will drive customers away.
Individual artists and studios will be able to distribute their own
works via the Internet--music now, HD movies, soon. Artists give away
their creations online, asking for donations, while getting their income
from live shows.
No, the pirates/terrorists are the RIAA and MPAA who sue the customers
and steal from the artists. Some day we can have the ultra fast
broadband that people in other countries enjoy, and our economy will
improve partly as a result of the expansion. The new model will succeed
and they will fade away. If only the death throes didn't hurt the rest
of us so much.
Write, phone, email your representatives in Congress. I know that at
least one of three who supposedly represent us will listen here in Maryland.
Betty
---
"Piracy is the act of stealing an artist's work without any intention of
paying for it. I'm not talking about Napster-type software. I'm talking
about major-label recording contracts." -- Courtney Love
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_hi_te/mukasey_intellectual_property
I almost feel like I'm sputtering in frustration with this one. The
MPAA/RIAA and software companies have completely hosed/bought off members of
congress and other members of the government on both sides. The article
concerns AG Mukasey believing that fighting thirteen year old girls who are
downloading the newest Madonna album (yeah Hard Candy comes out in a few
weeks, I don't admit why I know that), is fighting terrorism. The
entertainment and software companies would have you believe that every copy
of Adobe Photoshop downloaded by some pimply faced artist is one for lost
sales, a ridiculous premise. That is how they reach their millions in lost
sales figures, each copy downloaded was a sure sale if not for BT or Kazaa.
I have a friend with so much music he can't possibly listen to it
all...why? Cause he's like an old lady with cats. He never would have
bought any of it. No it's not right he just downloaded it, but it sure
isn't 'lost sales' to the RIAA. And to believe it somehow funds terrorism
isn't even laughable, it's just sad that someone believes that. Most
hardcore piracy occurs over seas in countries where copyright laws do not
exist, in China etc. These are the places they are losing money. Not P2P
servers running in Manchester.
I'd like to make sure artists and programmers get paid like anyone else,
sure I'd like to fight terrorism...but they aren't even in the same
ballpark.
As a side story, Patrick Wilson from Weezer was on macbreak weekly this week
and at one point said he really didn't care if someone downloaded his songs
for free. This was part of a larger conversation and I think work listening
to from the perspective of an artist.
*************************************************************************
** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy **
** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ **
*************************************************************************
