Oh Look... RIAA Still Filing Lawsuits...

I can't think of any industry organization that has behaved in a way that is more self-destructive to the industry they are representing.

Thankfully, the internet has totaly changed potential distribution models, and continues to evolve in ways that benefit creators rather than these archaic dinosaurs.

they only have themselves to blame for this problem.

1. the recording industry, supposedly based on technological advances, was too slow to keep up with digital progress

2. something like iTunes should be the basis for purchasing music from each recording company. its astounding to think that major labels don't have their own "iTunes" as a retail platform

3. they got too comfortable with inflated sales figures when customers switched from vinyl and tapes to CDs. Replacement purchases falsely inflated sales revenues and when digital file sharing peaked, they mistakenly placed the blame for revenue loss on sharing. In reality, their numbers were not to accurately depicting new sales, but replacement sales.

4. the convenience of purchasing single songs instead of the decade old practice of album sales killed their overall revenue because it allowed customer to purchase exactly what they wanted for a small price and not purchase an entire album of a higher price. the industry went from singles-based format in the 50s and 60s to album-based format up to the late 90s and 2000s back to singles-based again, yet a lack of foresight on the industry's behalf has led to this idea that a small percentage of unauthorized downloads is having a staggering effect on their revenue. Its just not true.

5. When its was vinyl and cassettes, millions of pop music listeners taped friends and family's copies of albums to avoid buying it themselves. Blank cassettes were sold right next to the album racks, but there was no complaining then from the industry. stereos were designed to make audio tapes from records AND the radio.

They made this mess through poor planning and lack of foresight. Suing the very people that create your revenue is counterproductive and at best, tempts customers to take things into their own hands.

this subject makes me ill and it's the reason i absolutely despise metallica now.

see, i was a huge fan. i went to see them more than a few times, i met them a couple of times, i got in the snake pit and backstage, i owned some of their vinyl, interviews on vinyl, all of their tapes (including singles) and when cds started being churned out, i got them too. i had tshirts, stickers, patches, posters, bought mags with articles about them.. the whole devoted fan thing..

but then i got robbed and i lost everything i had collected over the years. when i heard their stance on file sharing it really pissed me off. if everything hadn't gone from tape to cd and ditched our ability to copy music it wouldn't have bothered me so much.. but at the time cd burners weren't that affordable and i wanted my old stuff back. but whatever. they've turned into gluttonous swine. profit > fans and music.

not that kids even have a concept of what selling out means anymore. shelling out 100$+ to see bands at arenas where there is NO personal fan experience. you can't get in front of the stage, the odds of meeting them after the show are almost zero. ugh. they pretty much watch the show on large screens anyway.. what's the point? it's so stupid.

the whole music industry just turned into a pile of crap.

i support small venues, bands that play them and love that there are still musicians out there that do what they love and aren't in it for the fame and fortune. one of my favorites being.. jerry only! talk about someone staying true to his fans!

@!$%# the riaa.

Oh, how I long for the day that all the artists realize that they can distribute their music over this thing called the "internet" on their own, charge less, make the fans happier, and eliminate the need for record companies and industry associations...

Nah. It doesn't really surprise me. Once a bunch of greedy bastards, always a bunch of greedy bastards.

It's a wonder they don't just cut to the chase and sue people for not buying their crappy dumb music to begin with. Nearly everything signed on a RIAA affiliated label sucks.