RIAA facing RICO?

[Roadtoad]

Ran across this story of a mom who'd had her fill of the RIAA. I have to admit, her strategy takes some serious cojones.

Accoding to this news story, the mother had decided to use the RICO statute to hit back at the RIAA suits.

You know, when I was a kid, I bought a bunch of blank tapes, and taped the songs I liked right off the radio. Later, I'd buy the albums from the artists I liked, and wound up with a rather sizable record collection.

I don't buy a lot of CDs; they're expensive, and I don't have much money. But I do buy them on occasion. Lots of classical and some jazz, even Enya, but mainly, it's stuff I have grown to enjoy listening to. Stuff I'll like in a few years.

I have serious questions about the RIAA's motives, and their methodology.

 

[toddjh]

I have serious questions about the RIAA's motives, and their methodology.

Methodology, certainly. But was their motive ever anything other than wanting to make money? I don't think they're different from any other big company that way.

That said, I hope they can make the charges stick.

Jeremy

 

[Zero]

Let's be honest here...swapping out pirated music has existed for decades, and no law is going to stop it. The real thing that is hurting record sales is crappy music, not Internet downloading.

 

[bignickel]

Big differance between copying music off the radio and buying the album: the radio copy bites.

If you want high quality, you had to go get the albums. Which, as a young lad, I did.

But now, we have huge amounts of CD quality music floating around the Internet for free. And the reason that someone would bother to get the album, when they already have all the songs on their hard would be...?

So, in the end: theft is theft. If I've gotten any songs I d/led from the internet, then I'm as guilty as the next guy. Only differance is, I recognize my guilt, rather than try to rationalize it away be redefining the definition of 'theft' as obsolete.

That said: I hope that her lawsuit works. The RIAA is too powerful, and needs to be taken down a peg or two.

 

[CFLarsen]

In 1999, I attended an Internet conference in New York, at the Javits Centre. It was when Napster was just beginning to pick up steam, so they had a session where file sharing issues were discussed.

They had some head honcho from RIAA, who spoke of theft, crime, jail, blah, blah, blah. She did, however, spill the beans on a very interesting snippet of data.

She said that, when the CD arrived in the store, it had cost about 80 cents to get it there.

This, at a time when the CD cost about 18 bucks.

Now, consider the many layers of production that go before a CD is in the store: The music company has to produce the record. Post-production, buying the empty CDs, "burn" them, creating the artwork, printing it, putting the package together, and ship it. Also, add ad campaigns, make a video, buy time on MTV and VH1, and so on. All that is paid by the CD.

But 80 cents when it hits the store? Who are the criminals here?

Zero,

I am not saying that file swapping isn't hurting record sales - of course they are. But you are right about the lousy music today. It sucks! And I lived through the 70s, so don't tell me about bad music, OK?

An example is those "Absolute Music" and "Now, that's what I call music" type of records. They contain only hit music, and they sell in droves. Who buys these records? The very same people who are likely to rip'n'burn the exact same music. Now, why do they buy these records? Because it is, after all, a bit easier and kids today have money to burn. They get a package, readymade - they don't have the hassle of collating the music.

That's what the record companies don't understand: In their quest for new stars all the time, they have lowered the bar so much that too much crap is being put out.

You know who sell most in Denmark? Kim Larsen, who has been around for more than 30 years. The old bands, who know what good music is. And look at the list of the highest grossing bands of 2003 in Britain:

Rolling Stones 600 mio. kr. (£55,3m)
Sir Paul McCartney 440 mio.kr (£40m)
Sir Elton John 374 mio.kr. (£34m)
Robbie Williams 330 mio. kr. (£30m)
Coldplay 278 mio. kr. (£25,3m)
Sting 276 mio. kr. (£25,1m)
Phil Collins 276 mio. kr. (£25,1m)
Fleetwood Mac (£23,5m)
Iron Maiden 197 mio.kr. (£17,9m)
Dido 174 mio. kr. (£15,8m)

Source: Heat Magazine / http://www.jp.dk/kultur/advsog/artikel:aid=2271878/

Do. Not. Say. "50 Cents".

 

[bignickel]

Claus, I suspect that .80 was the production costs alone. Then again, we'd have to ask her for more clarification.

The 90s completely sucked for music. The only good stuff out there was Pizzicato 5, Cibo Matto, and Atari Teenage Riot. Everything else made me cringe.

The only that thing that excited in the last 5 years was Outkast. Finally: a song I actually liked! That's how often good music appears these days.

Which is why I've been listening to X and The Pixies on my car's tape player for the past 2 days...

 

[Zero]

Big differance between copying music off the radio and buying the album: the radio copy bites.

If you want high quality, you had to go get the albums. Which, as a young lad, I did.

But now, we have huge amounts of CD quality music floating around the Internet for free. And the reason that someone would bother to get the album, when they already have all the songs on their hard would be...?

So, in the end: theft is theft. If I've gotten any songs I d/led from the internet, then I'm as guilty as the next guy. Only differance is, I recognize my guilt, rather than try to rationalize it away be redefining the definition of 'theft' as obsolete.

That said: I hope that her lawsuit works. The RIAA is too powerful, and needs to be taken down a peg or two.

Hey, I admit that it is illegal, but it is illegal the way jaywalking is illegal. We don't fine people $10,000 per step, do we?

 

[Zero]

I think we should countersue for damages related to buying CDs with only one good song on it, especially if that one song isn't indicative of the actual style of the band.

 

[Nasarius]

I think we should countersue for damages related to buying CDs with only one good song on it, especially if that one song isn't indicative of the actual style of the band.

No, you should just be smacked for buying the album of a one-hit group

 

[bignickel]

Hey, I admit that it is illegal, but it is illegal the way jaywalking is illegal. We don't fine people $10,000 per step, do we?

Not a fine: a lawsuit to recover for stolen property.

And unfortunately, they're in the right. No one forces you to d/l music off the Internet.

I certainly agree with what you're talking about in your next post. But I think it applies EVEN MORE to software purchases: especially for games where it is IMPOSSIBLE to get past a certain level without a patched game

Perhaps an ordering system is needed where YOU decide the songs that appear on the CD you're buying?

The whole Napster thing might be a wakeup call for the music industry. Then again, it's more likely that it's closing the barn doors after the horses have taken off...

 

[CFLarsen]

Claus, I suspect that .80 was the production costs alone. Then again, we'd have to ask her for more clarification.

As far as I can recall, it was all costs. But, as you say, more clarification could be sought.

 

[Zero]

No, you should just be smacked for buying the album of a one-hit group

Well, see, I don't have that problem...I download the songs, and if they suck I don't buy the album. I make ALOT of entertainment purchases in a year, I feel like I am not hurting anyone by checking out the merchandise before spending my hard-earned cash.

 

[MartinGibbs]

Fortunately, there's a ton of good music to be had in heavy metal these days. No, not the mall-metal crap, with ididots jumping up and down screaming how "he hate me"... I'm talking melodic, power, death, black, all those genres have decent talent and quality available...

check places like The End records and Metaldisc.


just my vent.

 

[Zero]

Fortunately, there's a ton of good music to be had in heavy metal these days. No, not the mall-metal crap, with ididots jumping up and down screaming how "he hate me"... I'm talking melodic, power, death, black, all those genres have decent talent and quality available...

check places like The End records and Metaldisc.


just my vent.

Uh huh...a good place to start would be the Headbanger's Ball CD, especially disc 2. Then I guess you see who tours with those bands, read magazines and stuff...and then download off the Internet like crazy!!

 

[richardm]

As far as I can recall, it was all costs. But, as you say, more clarification could be sought.

I have seen cost breakdowns that have similar small production costs.

It's also quite surprising how little money comes the artist's way per CD. I recall reading many years ago when a CD was about the £12 mark that Dire Straits (then one of the biggest bands in the world) got about 50p per CD sold. And their manager was really chuffed that they'd negotiated such a big slice.

 

[MartinGibbs]

Uh huh...a good place to start would be the Headbanger's Ball CD, especially disc 2. Then I guess you see who tours with those bands, read magazines and stuff...and then download off the Internet like crazy!!

Actually, I don't download anything--I tried Kazaa but nobody had anything. If I can sample an MP3 on a label's or band's site and I like it, I buy. If I read enough good reviews, I buy Ebay or whatever...

 

[jj]

The 90s completely sucked for music. The only good stuff out there was Pizzicato 5, Cibo Matto, and Atari Teenage Riot. Everything else made me cringe.

Hey, Cowboy Junkies!

Hrmph. But it was sorta barren, indeed.

 

[pgwenthold]

Hey, Cowboy Junkies!

I don't know anything they did from the 90s. I guess I associate them with the 80s, although as I think about it, it was the summer of 89 when I was listening to them. Or at least a lab mate was. Way too slow for me.

 

[jj]

As far as I can recall, it was all costs. But, as you say, more clarification could be sought.

Royalties typically cost about $1 US. Royalties for "cover art" amount to a bit, sometimes. Promotion costs run about $1.00, so I don't think you saw the entire cost, which I've seen, before distribution costs, at about $4.00.

I think you saw manufacturing cost.

 

[Wrath of the Swarm]

Okay, so let's assume that the total cost of the CD is $8.

That still means the studios would have a profit margin of 125%.