'I'll spend music money on anti- RIAA t-shirts'

The mother of three teenaged sons who spends around $5000 a year on music products says following Phase II of the RIAA's sue 'em all campaign, she'll now spend the money on anti-RIAA bumper stickers and T-shirts, "to give away to others".

Why can't the RIAA, "find a creative solution that will allow themselves, the p2p networks and file sharers to mutually co-exist?" - she wants to know.

"The RIAA has a million possibilities for using p2p networks as a creative marketing tool," she told us. "They should come to the table and work this out in a civilized manner that would be far more beneficial for all parties concerned - the RIAA, the artists, the labels, the retailers, etc, the p2p networks, and the sharers themselves.

"As it is, the repercussions of a legal war will hurt everyone."

Aged 41 and an ex-radio advertising account executive, she's keeping her identity quiet, for the moment, to avoid attention from the media - and others.

In a phone interview, her son, 19, said he's an avid file sharer and has no intention of stopping, whatever the RIAA says or does.

"Let them shoot themselves in the foot," he said. "This isn't going to go away. All they'll end up doing is screwing the music companies, screwing the artists and screwing themselves."

In an earlier email to Boycott-RIAA.com founder Bill Evans, "The RIAA could have handled this ANY OTHER way besides lawsuits against offenders," said his mother.

"1) They could have spent the money they used in legal fees to sponsor Public Service Announcements produced by the artists themselves explaining what the impact is to the artist and the labels who make the CDs. File sharers could care less about the labels, but they do love their favorite artists.

"2) They could have found a way to work with Kazaa and IMesh, finding ways that the two could work hand in hand. After all, Kazaa is in business. Perhaps Kazaa would allow the RIAA to place the PSAs on their sites. The possibilities could be endless if the RIAA would get off the offensive and learn some diplomacy."

"I can't see how grown men can behave like such children," she says. "I cannot understand how an organization or a company that enjoyed its profitable existence could have the audacity to sue the very people who purchase their product.

"As for this household, we will uphold the consumer's right to privacy and protection under the law and hereby cease to purchase any CD of any artist or label who is allied with the RIAA and against the consumer."

Madonna is already on the family blacklist, and has been since the latter's notorious WTF protest in which she larded the Net with fake mp3s supposedly ripped from her then new "American Life" album. Instead of a vocal track, downloaders got Madonna asking - "What the f**k do you think you're doing".

Since then, all Madonna's CDs have been burned, "and my daughter, 13, no longer listens to Madonna either on the radio or at home," says the woman. "She turns it off."

"I want the RIAA to understand that this is not just the fight of a few offending teenagers any longer. They have escalated it a right to privacy issue now, and I believe that the RIAA will now begin to see more opposition than they bargained for.

"You see we are Americans as well, and we happen to value our privacy. The RIAA has virtually brought cameras into our bathrooms to spy on our activities. That won't be tolerated. We won't be treated as criminals."