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See Full StoryThe Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is planning to offer file swappers a reprieve from prosecution, provided they adhere to certain conditions, according to published reports. People who have illegally downloaded copyrighted music files allegedly would be required to destroy all of those files on their PCs, destroy any known CDs or other media generated from the files, and fill out and send a notarized form to the RIAA pledging not to engage in illegal file sharing again.
Re: RIAA To Offer Reprieve for Music Swappers
Posted by: agerrish1 2003-09-07 09:20:14 In reply to: Robyn Weisman
THE BOYCOTT AGAINST THE RIAA IS ON
Little Johnny quit buying CDs by what used to be his favorite group. Is he broke? Nope. Little Johnny HAS the money, but he has joined people of all ages and backgrounds across the United States, and even in other countries, to send out a strong message to attempts to criminalize millions of people, and to intimidate, sue, and harass consumers. Recently, Cary Sherman, of the RIAA, had to announce that CD sales continued to drop after the beginning of their announcement that they intended to sue hundreds or thousands of music lovers. Sherman continued to blame filesharing, but didn't give any good reason why CD sales are dropping at an accelerated rate after what has been called the "Sue the World" action.
This is a grassroots movement that is gaining strength daily. One of the main coordinating and meeting sites for the movement is http://www.boycott-riaa.com. The site explains the reasons for the boycott, allows members to sound off on many legal and social aspects of the recent RIAA-led litigation, and related matters.
Boycotts have traditionally been extremely valuable tools for all sorts of groups who become angered by the actions of some other group. Countries has boycotted other countries, and these boycotts can have devastating effects on the economy of the country. In fact, certain studies have shown that economic boycotts achieve results quicker than lawsuits, letter writing campaigns, and petitions. The reasons for this are obvious. A boycott hits a company, group, or country where it hurts them the most, in the pocketbook.
And, those joining in this boycott are not just those who are doing filesharing. The lawsuits and actions of the RIAA have turned off loyal customers who regularly purchase music CDs, but who are now showing their ire by ceasing to purchase any music CDs associated with the RIAA and their member labels.
This is not something that music consumers wanted to do. They love their music, they like their favorite artists and want them to be able to make a living from their craft. Many artists are locked into contracts whereby they cannot speak out. The RIAA has claimed to represent 90 per cent of music labels. It is the so-called "Big 5" (i.e. Sony, EMI, UMG, Time Warner, & BMG). The FCC has stated that the big 5 account for 85 per cent of the music released.
The folks engaging in the boycott against the RIAA are not just refusing to buy music from RIAA represented labels, but are actually increasing their purchase of what has become known as "indie music" or music from independent musicians. These independent musicians represent the vanguard of the music industry. Many of these, instead of fearing and fighting online music distribution, have embraced it with a passion. Many are using websites such as http://www.dmusic.com to allow distribution of their original works. This benefits both the independents and the public. The independents, without the giant hype machine of the major labels, need to get their name and music out there before the public. The internet has proven to be one of the major vehicles for releasing information. Web surfers now rely on the internet for much of their news, much of their health care information, and the purchase of items through online stores continues to rise steadily. The public wants to be able to sample music and hear what they will be getting on an album, and thus, the internet affords a solution to both independent musicians and potential customers.
Boycotting is a "no cost" means of addressing the unacceptable actions of companies and people. Ironically, a national/international boycott against 90 per cent of the music producing companies would be big news. There has been an odd silence in all the major news outlets. No one has reported on the boycott, even though major news media has received letter after letter about this phenomenon.
The boycott continues to have major impact on music CD sales, and thus accounts for the accelerating drop in music sales that Mr. Sherman seemed at a loss to adequately explain. As the boycott increases and the music sales decrease, it shows that even today, consumers and citizens do have the power of the pocketbook, and because of that, the antagonism toward customers and filesharers will ultimately be the economic undoing of the RIAA, and all those who would attack their own customers.
Little Johnny quit buying CDs by what used to be his favorite group. Is he broke? Nope. Little Johnny HAS the money, but he has joined people of all ages and backgrounds across the United States, and even in other countries, to send out a strong message to attempts to criminalize millions of people, and to intimidate, sue, and harass consumers. Recently, Cary Sherman, of the RIAA, had to announce that CD sales continued to drop after the beginning of their announcement that they intended to sue hundreds or thousands of music lovers. Sherman continued to blame filesharing, but didn't give any good reason why CD sales are dropping at an accelerated rate after what has been called the "Sue the World" action.
This is a grassroots movement that is gaining strength daily. One of the main coordinating and meeting sites for the movement is http://www.boycott-riaa.com. The site explains the reasons for the boycott, allows members to sound off on many legal and social aspects of the recent RIAA-led litigation, and related matters.
Boycotts have traditionally been extremely valuable tools for all sorts of groups who become angered by the actions of some other group. Countries has boycotted other countries, and these boycotts can have devastating effects on the economy of the country. In fact, certain studies have shown that economic boycotts achieve results quicker than lawsuits, letter writing campaigns, and petitions. The reasons for this are obvious. A boycott hits a company, group, or country where it hurts them the most, in the pocketbook.
And, those joining in this boycott are not just those who are doing filesharing. The lawsuits and actions of the RIAA have turned off loyal customers who regularly purchase music CDs, but who are now showing their ire by ceasing to purchase any music CDs associated with the RIAA and their member labels.
This is not something that music consumers wanted to do. They love their music, they like their favorite artists and want them to be able to make a living from their craft. Many artists are locked into contracts whereby they cannot speak out. The RIAA has claimed to represent 90 per cent of music labels. It is the so-called "Big 5" (i.e. Sony, EMI, UMG, Time Warner, & BMG). The FCC has stated that the big 5 account for 85 per cent of the music released.
The folks engaging in the boycott against the RIAA are not just refusing to buy music from RIAA represented labels, but are actually increasing their purchase of what has become known as "indie music" or music from independent musicians. These independent musicians represent the vanguard of the music industry. Many of these, instead of fearing and fighting online music distribution, have embraced it with a passion. Many are using websites such as http://www.dmusic.com to allow distribution of their original works. This benefits both the independents and the public. The independents, without the giant hype machine of the major labels, need to get their name and music out there before the public. The internet has proven to be one of the major vehicles for releasing information. Web surfers now rely on the internet for much of their news, much of their health care information, and the purchase of items through online stores continues to rise steadily. The public wants to be able to sample music and hear what they will be getting on an album, and thus, the internet affords a solution to both independent musicians and potential customers.
Boycotting is a "no cost" means of addressing the unacceptable actions of companies and people. Ironically, a national/international boycott against 90 per cent of the music producing companies would be big news. There has been an odd silence in all the major news outlets. No one has reported on the boycott, even though major news media has received letter after letter about this phenomenon.
The boycott continues to have major impact on music CD sales, and thus accounts for the accelerating drop in music sales that Mr. Sherman seemed at a loss to adequately explain. As the boycott increases and the music sales decrease, it shows that even today, consumers and citizens do have the power of the pocketbook, and because of that, the antagonism toward customers and filesharers will ultimately be the economic undoing of the RIAA, and all those who would attack their own customers.
