RIAA Settlement: Possible Consumer Payback 510
KoopaTroopa writes "Over on Ars Technica they are running a story about the RIAA handing out consumer payments as a settlement to a price-fixing class action. If you bought a recording at retail between Jan. 1, 1995, and Dec. 22, 2000, claim your money." As usual, the lawyers win a lot more than you will, but the process is pretty painless if you'd like to collect part of the settlement money; you may recall this earlier story about the settlement.
No thanks RIAA (Score:5, Funny)
No thanks RIAA,already gave at <insrt-store> (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:No thanks RIAA,already gave at (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No thanks RIAA,already gave at (Score:3, Informative)
I read recently that they've collected over 28 million, but none of it has yet to reach musicians like they claimed it would.
I didn't exactly have a stunned expression on my face when I read that. I'm sorry, but I don't remember where I read it unless it was on Wired.com within the last week.
Re:21 cents?!? (Score:3, Interesting)
Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Interesting)
I haven't figured out yet whether they're deliberately lying or just ignorant. (These are the same guys who had no idea what I meant when I told them they shouldn't leave their monitors in the PC section at the default 60hz.)
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Informative)
They're actually neither.
The audio CDs are more flexible. They can be recorded in any equipment, whereas the "regular" CDs require either a data drive, a professional audio CD recorder, or a newer consumer CD audio recorder that has a built in DAC/ADC stage.
They also sound better. Unlike regular data CDs, which when recorded in the newer consumer CD audio recorders are recorded after a pass through the DAC/ADC, the audio CDs are a bit-for-bit copy.
It might be sly, it might even be misleading, but it isn't lying, or ignorance.
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Informative)
Exclude yourself from the Settlement Group (Score:2)
Re:No thanks RIAA (Score:5, Insightful)
Part of their guilt came from their prohibition against any store advertising CDs below a certain price. Strangely, I haven't seen much of a change.
In any case, CDs are priced WAY too high. Now whether it's ok to copy based on that is another story.
Also, don't you find it strange that each time you back up your data to a CD, you have just paid a tax to the RIAA?
Injunctive relief (Score:3, Informative)
No, I don't know where they got these magic termination dates....
Re:No thanks RIAA (Score:3, Insightful)
Theft is when you sell a consumer something they can't preview or return. "Open your mouth and close your eyes!"
Re:No thanks RIAA (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:No thanks RIAA (Score:3, Funny)
No thanks. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:No thanks. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Interesting)
Read the terms, though: they have $67,375,000 to give out to anyone who's purchased a CD, cassette or record from the beginning of '95 to December 22 of double-naught. It doesn't take into account how may albums you bought; the money is split evenly for the class. If the numbers end up being less than $5 a head, "the cash portion of the Settlement shall be distributed to not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products." So, if 13,475,000 people claim their chunk of the settlement, you get your $5 check. When Mr. 13,475,001 rolls along, the record companies /conspiracy theory/ will set up a not-for-profit shelter so they can hand the money right back to themselves /conspiracy theory/
Amen (Score:4, Interesting)
I guess we'll know when the 'identity theft' ring goes into action.
Preach it, Lamont!
Re:Amen (Score:2, Informative)
I called my credit card sompany and told the guy I want to have my card checked for signature with a passport or Drivers liscense, then I want the phone calls I make to them to confirm a few things, I ask for a list of things they coudl ask
1) date of birth
2) if a po box then the real address
3) telephone Number matching
4) LAST 4 digit's of your SS number
5) e-mail address if you have one for your CC
and the list went on.
Something is not right when someone ask you for the last 4 digit's of your SS#. I hope it's not a con.
Mike
Re:Amen (Score:3, Interesting)
the data is worth $20+ or more. because they will be able to say IP# 24.123.256.21 is cable modem in new england, human person with the age of XY, then if they can then cookie you, you'll be tagged for life.
quite whining and read the form (Score:5, Informative)
If you're unwilling to give them your name and address, how precisely do you wish for them to send you the $$$?
Re:quite whining and read the form (Score:4, Informative)
Re:quite whining and read the form (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately many financial institutions use the last four digits of your social security number as a password of sorts. It's sometimes used directly as a PIN, and sometimes as the initial password when you set up online banking for the first time. Armed with a name, address, date of birth, and last four digits of your social security number, you could get access to many bank accounts.
Now, a financial institution shouldn't use your SSN as a password of any sort, but there is still no reason for these people to requirement.
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Insightful)
(On a more serious note, I can trash your credit rating by sitting at a restaurant you pay credit with. Your waitress can trash your credit rating. Anybody with access to your garbage can trash your credit rating. What on earth are you people so terrified of?)
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Informative)
The domain is registered to Rust Consulting, Inc. [rustconsulting.com] They specialize in technology class-action lawsuits. And their address matches that in the whois records.
Looks legit to me.
Just called Rust Consulting (Score:4, Informative)
The Notice of Proposed Settlement is available at: http://www.musiccdsettlement.com/english/notice.ht m and includes both the individual state's AGs on the case, as well as actually listing the URL for the website itself.
Mr. Potter stated that the detail of information is to ensure that fradulent claims aren't filed -- primarily by attempting to prevent the same person from filing multiple times.
I suggested they put in a privacy notice. We'll see.
I also warned him of the impending Slashdotting. He didn't know what I meant. hehe
been around for a while (Score:5, Funny)
Re:been around for a while (Score:2)
Re:been around for a while (Score:3, Informative)
Why would you guess the EFF? What has the EFF got to do with price fixing?
The EFF won't see a dime of this money, and rightly so. I'm not anti-EFF, but ... again, they have nothing to do with this.
Sorry (Score:5, Funny)
I'll just download a few CDs from a P2P and call it even.
Re:Sorry (Score:5, Funny)
Not guarenteed. (Score:4, Informative)
Oops, now nobody will get any money... (Score:3, Informative)
Posting this to slashdot will draw ALOT more claimants, and therefore, reduce the amount each claimant will recieve. That will probably drop it below the $5/each mark, and then nobody will get any money. (Well, some nonprofit or the government will..)
Re:Oops, now nobody will get any money... (Score:2)
With our luck, it will go to 'consumers for palladium' or something. Ecch.
Re:Oops, now nobody will get any money... (Score:2)
Think about it.
It's not the RIAA that they're suing (Score:5, Informative)
The Distributor Defendants are: Capitol Records, Inc. d/b/a EMI Music Distribution, Virgin Records America, Inc., and Priority Records LLC; Time Warner, Inc., Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp., WEA, Inc., Warner Music Group, Inc., Warner Bros. Records, Inc., Atlantic Recording Corporation, Elektra Entertainment Group, Inc., and Rhino Entertainment Company; Universal Music & Video Distribution Corporation, Universal Music Group, Inc., and UMG Recordings, Inc.; Bertelsmann Music Group, Inc. and BMG Music; and Sony Music Entertainment Inc. The Retailer Defendants are: MTS, Inc. d/b/a Tower Records, Musicland Stores Corp., and Trans World Entertainment Corp.
Re:It's not the RIAA that they're suing (Score:2)
Its fair enough to say that the behaviour that led to the lawsuit was exactly the sort of behaviour the RIAA is famous for
Re:It's not the RIAA that they're suing (Score:3, Informative)
But the individual distributors in question are the largest and most powerful members of the RIAA, the leadership. For all intents and purposes, the RIAA was sued.
No Cash Option. (Score:3, Interesting)
With the publicity the settlement is getting, it's strongly possible that consumers will get little or no cash. Sorry.
Instead, the money will go to "not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products," much like the Tobacco money, which funds anti-smoking things like those "Truth" TV commercials.
Re:No Cash Option. (Score:3, Insightful)
Presumably, these programs for the "benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products" will no doubt be aimed at educating the public about the threat of music piracy...
Price Fixing Has Ended? (Score:5, Insightful)
Are we to believe that as of Dec 22, 2000 all price fixing on the part of the music industry ceased? Or will there be a similar suit in 2005 to cover the next 5 years?
Re:Price Fixing Has Ended? (Score:3, Interesting)
I was going to but... (Score:2, Insightful)
That's cool.. More money for us... (Score:2)
PS. Beware of those rogue Birthday Carolers!!
Already Claimed Mine (Score:2, Interesting)
For some reason when I submitted this EXACT same story a few days ago it was rejected in under 10 minutes. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
Only applies to the US (Score:2)
So how many of you that qualify actually have receipts to prove your purchases during the period. Like most people I save my receipts from big ticket items for warranty and insurance purposes, but CD receipts usually get tossed. The RIAA will probably laugh it's way to the bank on this.
on slashdot = no one gets the payout (Score:2)
Dear Hillary, (Score:5, Funny)
Please keep the few dollars you've earned from me as I've downloaded much, much more than that and my conscience is getting to me.
Thank you.
Big whoop ... (Score:4, Insightful)
The cash paid by the Defendants, after the payment of attorneys' fees, litigation and Settlement administration costs, shall be distributed to consumers who purchased Music Products. The number of claims filed will determine the actual amount of the individual refund but will not exceed $20.00 per claimant. If the number of claims filed would result in refunds of less than $5.00 per claimant, there will be no cash distribution to individual consumers. Rather, the cash portion of the Settlement shall be distributed to not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products.
This kind of settlement won't benefit consumers directly. Even if you could locate six year old receipts, the odds are pretty good you won't get a direct settlement out of this.
Re:Big whoop ... (Score:2, Insightful)
Between the several large conglomerates, I've got to believe that it wasn't hard to come up with $67 million to pay out this settlement. Will this really change anything?
Buy a CD (Score:4, Insightful)
buy 100 CDs get 5.00 back in the lawsuit...
that means I got overcharged 2 cents for each of my CDs...
how about they lower the prices instead?
I just love the bias-free journalism (Score:4, Insightful)
This may come as a huge surprise, but the lawyers actually earned that money. All you had to do was fill out a form on the web.
I concur, RIAA still gets bled (Score:2)
This goes right in line with those Sprint Spectrum settlements- where the settlement "deal" was worse than what you could get in Radio Shack! (yep, I got that one in the mail, got excited, checked the prices, and decided not to opt in)
It isn't so much to really re-imburse the consumers, but to hurt the corporations first and foremost.
Re:I concur, RIAA still gets bled (Score:5, Informative)
Holy shit, the ignorance flying around here is blinding today. Sorry to single you out, but you are one of many who seems to completely misunderstand what you are signing up for here.
1. The RIAA loses nothing. This is a lawsuit against a group of record labels. Yes, the RIAA lobbies on their behalf, but if anything this will result in the labels investing more money into the RIAA, to help insure that they don't get stung like this again over something.
2. Your signing up does not mean more money gets added to the penalty. The penalty was already settled by the ambulance-chasing lawyers who set up this class action... and it ain't much. You signing up just means the tiny fraction of the settlement that actuallly goes to those who were "damaged" by high CD prices gets divided up more thinly.
3. The settlement didn't do jack shit about high CD prices. Go to your local record store, and notice that albums that used to cost $13 about two years ago are now going for $17. Like almost all corporate class-action lawsuits, the lawyers get rich convincing you that you got "free money" coming, but the reality is that the costs of litigation and penalties are typically passed on to you, the consumer, while the handful of lawyers who suckered you into helping them make the suit look legitimate are making off like bandits... which is what they are.
If you want to fight the RIAA, give money (more than $5 would be nice) to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or 2600's legal defense fund, or Senator Hatch's campaign fund. Signing up for this settlement just makes you a participant in the over-litigious culture we are rapidly becoming, while doing nothing about the problem other than make you feel like you are doing something about it.
Re:I just love the bias-free journalism (Score:2, Insightful)
Uhh, we didn't have to earn the money (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I just love the bias-free journalism (Score:5, Insightful)
For example, I read that the lawyers involved in the tobacco settlement ended up with about $60000 USD per hour of work. Something tells me they were overpaid, even if I fully supported suing big tobacco. Nobody works hard enough to deserve $60000 per hour.
Payments Could Be Nullfied (Score:3, Insightful)
In fact, if more than 13.5 million people make claims which causes each claim to be less than $5 than everybody gets NOTHING. I wouldn't be surprised if more than 13.5 million people do make claims with all the press this story will get. The RIAA will probably try to get more press so that payments are nullified.
I'm curious to know where all the money goes if the average payment is less than $5... Do the lawyers get a week in Bermuda?
I think I would rather excude myself from this (Score:2)
How can this be a Class Action suit? (Score:4, Funny)
To bad I can't cash for all the MP3s I downloaded (Score:2)
A link to the actual article would be nice... (Score:2)
What happens to the $$? (Score:2, Interesting)
The cash paid by the Defendants, after the payment of attorneys' fees, litigation and Settlement administration costs, shall be distributed to consumers who purchased Music Products. The number of claims filed will determine the actual amount of the individual refund but will not exceed $20.00 per claimant. If the number of claims filed would result in refunds of less than $5.00 per claimant, there will be no cash distribution to individual consumers. Rather, the cash portion of the Settlement shall be distributed to not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products.
So now that this is on /. we all know the # of claims filed will result in a refund of less than $5. So now what happens? The money gets donated to pro-RIAA groups, yipee!
Breakdown... (Score:5, Funny)
Settlement from class-action lawsuit (regarding the purchases of overpriced one-hit wonder crap):
The cost of filling out a marketing infomation form (to get your refund from one-hit wonder crap): Dead trees and spam
Trying out mp3's before wasting any more money on hard copy: Priceless
There are some things that are a ripoff. For everything else, there's P2P.
But Don't You All Sign Up! (Score:2)
I was actually hoping Slashdot wouldn't get wind of this, so I'd have a better chance at getting $20. Oh well. (If I were one of those charities I sure would be working hard to sign people up for the settlement.)
AUGHHH! NOOOOOO! (Score:5, Funny)
money and the money coming from the settlement will make them earn less from the distributor for their next album and soon James will be kicking in your door demanding money and spontaneously combusting all over your shiznit!
Maeryk
They're still doing it (Score:5, Insightful)
No doubt the RIAA attornies realized they would lose the case and be forced to sell music at reasonable prices. They can't have that! So settle for a few measly millions, instead.
Apply Anyway (Score:2)
I'll tell you why: Because at the very least we can get some money out of the thieves that today are trying to screw us in other ways. Its too bad we can't use the money to fight the RIAA and their co-conspiritors. I'd waive my refund for such a cause. I'd love to see them punished, and brought to task for their misdeeds.
Personal Strap-On Aircraft for Auction on eBay [xnewswire.com]
Does taking the $20 limit further action? (Score:3, Interesting)
If I take the $20 does that mean, either implicitly or explicitly, that I'm claiming full restitution?
Re:Does taking the $20 limit further action? (Score:3, Informative)
If I take the $20 does that mean, either implicitly or explicitly, that I'm claiming full restitution?
Yes
According to this [musiccdsettlement.com], as well as every other similar class action settlement I've seen, participation in the class settlement is a final resolution of your claims.
Note that you need to take affirmative action to NOT be in the class. If you do not specifically remove yourself from the class, you ARE IN the class
You can withdraw from the class, and pursue legal action on your own. This would be foolish in this case.
so they've been caught... (Score:5, Insightful)
ummm...when did CD prices go down by $5 each? Did I miss it? Or did they just factor in inflation, and keep prices the same?(even thought their production costs have dropped)
fushing FEEVES!!
It works! (Score:2)
At any rate, we all need to sign up for this, and hopefully we'll get a slight reimbursement for being ripped off, and maybe even a letter of apology from the RIAA. That's worth it to me
Website to file a claim (Score:3, Insightful)
Um, you would be pretty stupid to file the claim on the website.
No encryption/SSL on the website, so your name, DOB, last 4 of SSN, etc. all belong to us.
Sign me up.... (Score:2)
It'll get my money back from "Da Man" all
Personally, I'd be much happier with a court order mandating they drop their current prices. I think it would send a stronger message to the RIAA members.
What about large cd collections? (Score:2)
But then again, is this ruling fair? Even though I think cd's are overpriced, I still believe that the music industry should be able to charge however much they want. It is then up to us as consumers to not buy their cd's until the price is affordable. That is how the system is supposed to work. They sell their wares for what the market will bear, or they go out of business.
Hrm, pretty crappy deal. (Score:2)
The Defendants have agreed to pay a combination of cash and non-cash consideration. Defendants' combined cash payments total $67,375,000. In addition, Distributor Defendants will provide $75,700,000 worth of prerecorded music compact discs.
Cash Distribution
The cash paid by the Defendants, after the payment of attorneys' fees, litigation and Settlement administration costs, shall be distributed to consumers who purchased Music Products. The number of claims filed will determine the actual amount of the individual refund but will not exceed $20.00 per claimant. If the number of claims filed would result in refunds of less than $5.00 per claimant, there will be no cash distribution to individual consumers. Rather, the cash portion of the Settlement shall be distributed to not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products.
So, no matter how much the RIAA took you for, you can't get more then $20, and probably close to $5, if anything. But, hey won't it be nice to know the government will get all this money if we don't!?
But hey, there's also $75 million of free music that the stores are going to give out, of course they'll 'figure' it by the full album price, rather then what the disks cost.
I wonder if they're going to run ads on channels like MTV, VH1, and other teen channels. Something like "Hey kids, while you were all stealing theoretical money from the record companies, they were all stealing real money from you! Now you can get a small fraction of it back by going to our website" etc. Might to a bit more harm to the RIAAs already shitty public opinion (I'd love to see some polls on that)
I would have have rather ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Who am I kidding. This is the RIAA. They'll probably still try to milk their customers and find ways to NOT pay people from this 'settlement'.
what a farce (Score:2)
Also, note that no matter how many CDs you bought, you are treated the same. The class action weazles are not doing anything to help you, just themselves.
Adding insult to injury, Defendants' combined cash payments total $67,375,000. In addition, Distributor Defendants will provide $75,700,000 worth of prerecorded music compact discs. What crap is this? The industry is being allowed to pony up more "worth" in junk CD's that nobody wants than in the cash they stole? Clearly the class action weazles winked and said "just make sure I get mine and we'll let you screw the consumers again".
Next case, refund for copyprotection (Score:2)
When they copyprotect movies or songs, they are preventing copies but still collect that "tax" on the blank media.
Here's an idea (Score:5, Insightful)
The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing to determine if the proposed Settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate on May 22, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 2, United States Courthouse, 156 Federal Street, Portland, Maine 04101. If you remain a member of the Settlement Group, you or your counsel have the right to appear before the Court and object to the Settlement. However, you must file a Notice of Intention to Appear and Object...
Do you live near Maine? There is a good chance the settlement will not go far enough. The lawyers don't care, as long as they get their beach houses, but we, the actual party being represented, ought to. If you live in the area, check out the settlement, and if you disagree, say so in court. You don't need a lawyer, but try to be extremely well prepared when you go. Do your homework, and be prepared to represent those millions of us in a way the lawyers may not. If you're a lawyer yourself, all the better. Let's make sure this is fair.
Settlement Notes (Score:2, Funny)
I've submitted mine, so (Score:2)
remember if more then 13.4 million people ask for one, then all the money goes to a Non-profit orginization.
That pretty much sucks, unless they give me the option to choose who it goes to.
Helping OGG? (Score:3, Interesting)
All goes to charity (Score:3, Funny)
I'd be amazed if any consumer saw a dime.
On another related note, though, I DO remember getting like $2 sent to me back in the way early 90's because I sent in the UPC symbol from my Milli Vanilli cassette when their record company got hit with a class action suit. So maybe.....
(note: I apologize for mentioning Milli Vanilli on
Signing also says you agree. (Score:5, Insightful)
I say *noone* sign and we fight for whats really far.
A free cd ? bah thats not fair settlement.
Re:Signing also says you agree. (Score:5, Interesting)
In fact, everyone should go beyond just passively not claiming their share of this settlement, and actually submit the appropriate paperwork to exclude yourselves, in essence rejecting the settlement. We all know this isn't a fair compensation, and the more people who speak out and say so the better the chances that a more equitable settlement will be reached.
Re:Signing also says you agree. (Score:5, Informative)
I couldn't agree more! I'll even take the liberty of helping this along:
Just so you don't have to find the means of doing this:
From the settlement:
If you do not wish to be bound by the terms of the proposed Settlement described in this Notice, you may request to be excluded from the Settlement. To do so, you MUST send a written request for the exclusion to:
Compact Disc MAP Antitrust Litigation Administrator
Post Office Box 1643
Faribault, Minnesota 55021-1643
Your request for exclusion must be postmarked by or before March 3, 2003, must clearly state that you want to be excluded from the Settlement, and must provide your full, legal name(s), address, telephone number, and the name and number of this Litigation (In re: Compact Disc Minimum Advertised Price Antitrust Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1361). NO REQUEST FOR EXCLUSION WILL BE CONSIDERED VALID UNLESS ALL OF THE INFORMATION DESCRIBED ABOVE IS INCLUDED IN ANY SUCH REQUEST.
we're still prisoners to the RIAA (Score:3, Interesting)
Consider the consequences! (Score:5, Interesting)
JWZ had a very good point -- this was discussed on BoingBoing [boingboing.net], and here's what he had to say [quicktopic.com]:
- "Doesn't taking their $20 payoff constitute an agreement that they have paid their debt? If they have in fact engaged in price fixing, they owe us a hell of a lot more than $20 each. I suspect that taking the $20 in hush-money will preclude one from participating in any future, similar legal action against them."
Damn skippy.Too bad I don't have Microsoft-level resources for lawyers, or I might end up owning the RIAA. (Yeah, right.) On second thought, I'd better be careful -- MS might get ideas...
The question of SSNs also came up, and was addressed -- it looks like they have a legitimate reason for asking.
I wonder if anyone noticed (Score:5, Interesting)
Cash Distribution -- 20 Bucks Max (Score:3, Insightful)
Thank you, laywers! I can retire now.
Not RIAA, but 8 companies (Score:3, Informative)
And what happens at $5/claimant? (Score:3, Interesting)
So, what do you bet the defendants will publicize this heavily and get enough claimants to drop below $5/claimant? Then, they'll get the money funneled into not-for-profit, charaitable, etc. organizations aligned with the distributors and the RIAA. They'll lose money out of the general fund, but it'll get pushed back into other organizations they control.
Wait and see...
Putting in my two centers, one thousand times... (Score:3, Insightful)
Non-Cash Settlement ... (Score:3, Funny)
Here's the way this works... (Score:3, Funny)
If no one agrees to the settlement, then perhaps the courts, when they try to see if the settlement is fair, will realize that it is not, and that the price fixing must be stopped.
And then I sign up for the refund, and being the only person signed up, I walk away with a cool $25 mil. Muaahahahhahahahahahahhahahaha. *cough* Ignore that last part.
P2P and MP3 are killing the industry. (Score:3, Insightful)
Before ppl ask "SV has a music scene?" remember, bands like green day come out of here. Our music scene is totally different than that of L.A.'s a.k.a. Hollywood. I can't describe it, because I see everything as data, but I can tell you what the musicians are fearing.
So today, i'm riding around delivering the latest issue of Zero with one of our big bosses. Boss delivering zines you ask? It's hard times, everyone is pulling double effort.
Anyways, this cat is a musician, and
All Wherehouse music stores around our area are shutting down... We have noticed a trend too, less people in other music stores.
So who's to blame? Napster? The economy? Pirates?
Well, my partner started asking questions about the technology. He's what I would call a reforming luddite (yeah strong words but he'd agree with me) "Isn't there some way they could make a CD so it's uncopyable?" he asked. I explained to him as long as there was some sort of digital, to a speaker coil coversion, the RIAA will never be able to stamp out piracy.
"Well who the fuck would want to download a shitty copy of a song then!" he chirped.
"The same fucks that would bring a camera into AOTC's, compress it to mpeg and share it over kazaa" I replied.
Stumped, he went back to his first question. After repeating that there had to be some way of doing it 3 times I answered..
"Yeah, if they could convince everyone to replace their ears with DRM enabled digital implants, then yeah the RIAA has a chance"
Well, he got the point after that. So he moved onto "How do you stamp out P2P?"
I put it into another analogy for him. Napster with it's central peer topology is much like a football team with 1 quarterback. You sack the quarterback.. You sack the network.
"So the RIAA can just sack kazaa right?"
"No, Kazaa would be the equivelent of every player on the team being both QB and reciever"
See, our zine stays alive by record lables having the money to buy adspace from us. If the record lables are losing money from P2P it affects us because they've yet to evolve to the net.
"What should they do?"
Personally, I think the record lables should ditch CD production altogether now. They should make songs freely downloadable. Fuck it, cut their losses.
But rather than look at it like a loss, the record industry should take a Las Vegas approach to it. Just use the music as a "comp" to milk money out of people in other ways.
For instance, that $50 dollar green day ticket, fuck it, if people won't buy the albums anymore, double it. I think people wouldn't care if they had to pay more for live performances. I'm biased because I do get in for free, and don't have any money to pay for tickets anyways. I'm 30 years old in feburary and am perfectly content to staying at home.
The market is really for 14-25 year olds. Those are the people with expendable cash. They live at home, don't have a mortgage, and can afford $100 bucks to see a live performance. With the rate of inflation over the last 10 years, $100 doesn't really seem like a lot to me to see a big headliner band if I had no financial obligations.
I'm the oldest of 6, my youngest siblings are more at home in the computer enviroment than I ever was at their age. The RIAA doesn't realize this yet, but their biggest age group has a huge understanding of internet distribution, and they will never be able to beat it. That's just an unfortunate fact about it.
So to recap the RIAA should...
Cut back CD production,
Raise the price of live performances
Focus on promotion more than CD distribution.
Well, it's 3:30, and after a night of bouncing 300lb pac islanders from my karaoke bar, I need some sleep. Slash you in the morning and I hope your friday was as fun as mine.
--Toq
Re:Ah it's about time something is done! (Score:4, Informative)
Remember that retail stores typically double the prices, so your $15 CD is bought by them for $7.50, ~$3-4 is taken by the distributor, unless the record company is also the distributor (Time Warner, for instance), and the remaining $4.00 is split between the artist and the record company, usually 98% recording company, 2% artist. The record company then claims most of their money was spent on promotional and distrobution costs (which may also get taken out of the artist's paycheck).
Record companies claim to take the risk, which they do, to a degree, by fronting money for recording, but I seriously doubt many of them don't break even, as they still expect the artist to pay back expenses out of their 2%, and if they don't break even they "lost" money. Major artists can get 20-50% of the cash rather than 2%, but I don't know any of them (I know a lot of bankrupt bands, tho).