Comment Re:The RIAA sucks (Score 1) 1688
In the latest case...fining a 12 year old kid from the projects $2000...they most certainly ARE gouging a kid of her lunch money.
What I've seen categorically ignored in this "discussion" is the reported purpose of these lawsuits. The RIAA blames piracy for the decline in sales of the music business. They point the finger at children and young adults...who they have been gouging for years with the price of their wares.
What they DON't tell you is that this behavior is historical. What they don't tell you is that this is the exact same argument that they used against cassette recorders. The ame argument they used to kill DAT technology. The same argument they used to attach a vig on sales of blank cds.
That 12 year old girl switched from listening to the radio...with her finger poised on the pause button of her boom box...to record the latest Britney song. Now she has Kazaa. At no other point in history was she prepared to pay for the song...becasue at no time could she afford to pay $19 for a 2 cent piece of plastic containing largely garbage so she could listen to her one favorite song.
The real issue..the one being ignored...is that sharing music has ALWAYS been the case. Somebody on the floor in my college dorm bought a new cd...everyone else bought a cassette and recorded it. So why the sudden downturn in sales? THEIR PRODUCT SUCKS, ITS OVERPRICED and THE ECONOMY IS BAD.
No mention of piracy there, was there?
What I've seen categorically ignored in this "discussion" is the reported purpose of these lawsuits. The RIAA blames piracy for the decline in sales of the music business. They point the finger at children and young adults...who they have been gouging for years with the price of their wares.
What they DON't tell you is that this behavior is historical. What they don't tell you is that this is the exact same argument that they used against cassette recorders. The ame argument they used to kill DAT technology. The same argument they used to attach a vig on sales of blank cds.
That 12 year old girl switched from listening to the radio...with her finger poised on the pause button of her boom box...to record the latest Britney song. Now she has Kazaa. At no other point in history was she prepared to pay for the song...becasue at no time could she afford to pay $19 for a 2 cent piece of plastic containing largely garbage so she could listen to her one favorite song.
The real issue..the one being ignored...is that sharing music has ALWAYS been the case. Somebody on the floor in my college dorm bought a new cd...everyone else bought a cassette and recorded it. So why the sudden downturn in sales? THEIR PRODUCT SUCKS, ITS OVERPRICED and THE ECONOMY IS BAD.
No mention of piracy there, was there?
