Hey, Hey, Let’s Boycott The RIAA
Seems like the RIAA is coming down harder than ever these days. Earlier this month Kurt got nabbed for putting up one song (one song!) by Mika – a new artist that I actually like, and would never have heard of had it not been for his post. Kurt has plenty of other articles on his site about RIAA-bullying, if you’re interested.
I’m not saying anything new here, but any of us who are posting music files aren’t doing it so you can steal music from the artists. We’re doing it so you can learn more about the music we already dig, and make an educated decision about whether it’s worth your hard-earned dollars. The industry has a long history of automatically suing anybody and everybody that works to give listeners a personal choice in their music.
But blah blah blah. You know all of this already. The question is: what to do? Well, Gizmodo has an idea: they’ve declared March Boycott The RIAA Month. Please see their post for all the details.
Yeah, I know these internet-driven boycotts never seem to do much, but who knows? Most of the people reading this blog are frequent purchasers of music. Maybe we could make an impression.
Check out the site. As they say, they’re not advocating piracy, or abandoning purchasing music altogether; they just want you to find a way to do so "without your money making its way to the lawyer fund."
Let’s do it. And if you’re a music blogger and feel the same way, please spread the news to your readers.
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
This is off the cuff (don’t you hate how lawyers disclaim everything?) but I think the reason no MP3 bloggers have been taken to court by the beloved RIAA is that most MP3 bloggers have at least a colorable claim of fair use. This is not to say an MP3 blogger would actually prevail in a copyright suit (I am inclined to think they wouldn’t in almost all cases, unfortunately), it’s just that the P2P kids are easier meat.
March 3rd, 2007 at 3:02 am
I worry about the mp3 bloggers, but more about the people who download music from their blogs. Although, in my own defense, I have bought more music in the last year or so, than in the last five years, since reading your blog, Jefito, and Ickmusic. Of course, that defense doesn’t hold up with the RIAA.
March 3rd, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Here’s your major mistake, guys: you’re making logical sense, and we can’t have that. Most honest bloggers post with the intent of "try, then buy". Many times, they sincerely use their space to promote, not subvert, favorite artists and new finds. But the RIAA, much like the music industry itself, is not run by artists, but lawyers and mid-managers. "Buy, then try (to give it away if it sucks)" is the business model at work. Last night on Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Hour, he said there used to be many record labels once, and each had a sound unique to themselves. Now we have Sony/BMG, Universal, EMI/Virgin. That’s it, unless an indie label takes a shine to you (even that is getting more and more difficult). As much as I want to support this boycott, and will to my best extent, it’s pretty fruitless. The industry is going back to singles, not albums, and it’s the Bar Association not Col. Tom Parker we all need to worry about. DwD
March 4th, 2007 at 3:22 am
GRRRRRRRRR……….since me start visiting U and Jefito blog SNOOD has spent more MONEY on new CDs and new Artists than SNOOD has in about 10 years. The radio here in Orlando is SHIT!
Thta is why SNOOd is consantly thanking JEFITO and U for making me spend more money. LOL. How these labels/lawyers of lesser known or underground artists can;t get it throught their head that 90 percent of the population willl never ever be able to hear their work if not for these blogs SNOOd will never understand.
Guess most of these LABELHEADS & LAWYERS spent most of their pre/teens listening to ………….had a few bands SNOOD thought of here, but thought might offend some peeps, so me will say ……..listening to mainstream CRAP!
Serious though……throught this link alone SNOOD has spent a decent amount of money on old 70s bands/songs that me forgot names.
JEFITO has caused me to spend a fortune. GRRRRRRRRRRR
And SNOOD thanks you both
March 4th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Here’s a thought: music bloggers should get together in a class-action lawsuit and sue the record companies for fees owed for free advertising for all of these years. Supporting documentation would consist of testimony from ppl like Snood and your other readers that have bought music as a result of reading about it and listening to it on blogs. Why not? That’s more logical than their suit, not that that’s saying all that much.
Michael? You’re the guy with legal perspective, do you think we have a case? :)
March 5th, 2007 at 10:43 am
No love, it’s a nice thought, but it’s also sort of akin to someone sending you a book you didn’t ask for and then demanding payment for it, or someone keying your car and then sending you a bill for "custom automotive detailing."That is, they didn’t ask for the services in question, so it would be hard to say they should pay for them.