The Inquirer has a great article talking about the dispute that the RIAA has brought to the table time and time again over the past year (or more, I don't remember when the whole discussion really got off the ground). I will preface my short comments with the following: I believe that downloading copyrighted materials - whether you agree with the copyright grounds or not - is wrong. This means that I do not support the P2P downloading of music unless you are planning on purchasing the album/songs or are getting MP3 versions of what you already have. Regardless of how ridiculous I find CD prices (considering that they have stayed at the $17 mark for over 15 years***), I still do not agree that taking music you do not own is okay.
Instead of getting with the times, however, the RIAA has sought to do what any self-serving, ignorant organization does - legislate, lobby, legislate and lobby again. And, of course, our legislators, seeking the best interest of their constituents (which changes as often as the tides of the oceans), is interested in helping them (read: sarcasm). As a member of a relatively small organization, I have quickly come to realize that big business is as bad as big government because they so often work in tandem with one another. In order to convince everyone that music piracy is destroying their business and something must be done about it (and of course, this something has to do with limiting our freedoms and choices, not expanding them), the RIAA has gone on a propaganda blitz that includes using numbers that carry no scientific (statistical or otherwise) value. Instead of rehashing the fantastic job The Inquirer has done, the following is a link to the article prompting this excursion:
RIAA piracy arguments, figures just don't add up
Take a deep breath, get yourself something to munch on or drink and read the article. This is one of the few cases where I have seen someone actually attack the validity of the numbers the RIAA is constantly bombarding us and our legislators with. I simply do not see how an organization that is built around the idea of getting us to buy more music thinks that forcing consumers to change their habits is going to help their cause. I already have quit buying CD's because I have had so many problems with the new copy-protected junk CD's. I subscribe to Listen.com because I still need my music fill, but I find the service cumbersome - i.e. I need a broadband connection and Windows based machine to enjoy it - and a short-term solution to my dilemma. So, already, through people like me, the music industry has lost an average of $25/mo. in sales... and I am but one person irritated enough to quit buying music. If the RIAA wants to get people buying music legally again, they ought focus their energies on providing us with real solutions.
Along these lines, we have seen further transgressions made on the state level with so-called super-DMCA laws being passed. Aaron Schwartz has posted an excellent article, Illinois' state "super-DMCA" that is filled with links to other important articles outlining why the DMCA and such laws are simply a bad think.
I think between the two links, enough has been said for today.
***Yes, if you were to account for inflation, the cost of a CD has actually gone down. This, however, is not nearly the same as price drops found in other tech industries - i.e. the price drop has not compared to what one would find elsewhere. The CD's offer little more than they used to (quality or otherwise) and they still cost the same relative amount.
