In non-caucus news, the Recording Industry Association of America is continuing their race to obsolescence by declaring that copyright law extends to the copying of a compact disc into mp3 format on your personal computer, for personal use.
Think about it . . .
Think about it . . .
They're saying that every time you click that little "import" button on iTunes, YOU ARE COMMITTING A CRIME. YOU ARE A THIEF. Even if you don't share it with anyone.
Now think about it some more . . .
The RIAA are trying to prevent you from copying music onto your computer, when Apple sold it's hundred millionth iPod last April, so that you have to purchase the mp3 separately. Why are they doing this? To discourage illegal filesharing so that everyone will have to buy more CD's. That's right. They're trying to stop you from using your CD's for one of their most common functions in order to get you to buy more of them.
Now imagine you go out to Borders (rather than going to an independent record store, which is just dumb) and drop $18.99 on the hot new release from . . . I don't know, Josh Groban or something. Someone who makes awful music that Borders charges nineteen bucks for when they release a new album. You have to go out tonight, but you've got a bit of a trip ahead of you, but you make a special trip home to rip this onto your iTunes so you can drop it on your iPod for the ride to wherever it is you're going. But because of a RIAA lawsuit, iTunes and every other media player will no longer rip that CD. So you have to go onto iTunes and buy the album AGAIN. After spending $18.99 on it at Borders already. Now tell me: how many more CD's are you going to buy?
Meanwhile, all of the indie labels who aren't represented by the RIAA want nothing more than for their bands to be heard. Most of the major indies will actually provide a free download of an album in mp3 format when you buy the vinyl copy of an album, just so you can get the most mileage out of their product. Shellac's most recent album on Touch & Go records, Excellent Italian Greyhound, even included the CD free with purchase inside the LP sleeve. You know how much it retails for? About thirteen dollars.
The RIAA is going to keep inflating CD prices to compensate for diminished sales as well as the massive costs of the lawsuits they keep filing and the preposterous amount they spend on promotion for awful music. As a result, they're going to go broke, and when it comes down to recognizing that they're a completely marginal entity, they will have done it to themselves. Pathetic.
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