RIAA sues another 477
p2pnet.net News:- The RIAA is suing another 477 US citizens whom it suspects have been sharing music files online.
Owned by the Big Five record labels, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has already sued 1,977 people, including children,
“As with March’s wave of suits, the organization highlighted its litigation against university students, this time at 14 separate schools,” says a CNET story here, going on:
“Record labels have been particularly concerned about high levels of music trading on campuses, where students often have access to fast Internet connections and little money for music purchases.”
It quotes a statement from RIAA President Cary Sherman as saying, “Along with offering students legitimate music services, campuswide educational and technological initiatives are playing a critical role … But there is also a complementary need for enforcement by copyright owners against the serious offenders – to remind people that this activity is illegal.”
Sherman’s remarks are in line with coordinated entertainment industry media policy to link ordinary people who share files through p2p networks with hard-core criminals who counterfeit and/or copy music, movie and software product expressly to re-sell it on- or offline for a profit.
There is, of course, no such relationship.
The Big Five labels are focusing on US educational units as part of their overall marketing strategy to compel the younger generations – the potential new client bases – to buy ‘product’ from online sites supported and supplied by the music industry.
The MPAA (Motion Picture Association) is doing the same, although it hasn’t as yet gone to quite the same lengths as its cousin, the RIAA.
Enter Apple
Coincidentally, we’re sure, Apple, which has just announced that its year-end iTunes sales target fell short by 30%, is now marketing direct to university students via Apple its ‘iTunes on Campus’ institutional site license program.
“Provide your students with the best legal solution to manage, acquire, and listen to music by participating in the iTunes on Campus program,” it says here.
“This program provides an institutional site license for iTunes and materials you can use for student communications. The program is easy-to-administer and is free.
A new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project says the RIAA’s efforts notwithstanding, the number of people who share music through the p2pnetworks has increased from an estimated 18 million to 23 million since Pew’s November-December 2003 survey.
April 28th, 2004 at 9:47 pm
Oh Gee Whiz , the Riaa sues another 477 users , well that makes about another 49,999,523 more users to go , their fighting the internet – good for them
April 29th, 2004 at 5:27 am
That’s another 477 former customers. Do you think that these 477 people will buy another music CD after this?
April 29th, 2004 at 11:15 am
PLUS, these 477 will tell their friends and families…
The recording industry really hasn’t got the hang of this marketing thing yet.
Welcome into the real world! In the future it looks like you’re gonna have to operate in a competitve environment, and give customers good product and at a fair market price.
And you won’t be able to screw the artists as easily either.
It is great to see more control back in the hands of the artist and the customer.