Is EMI dropping the RIAA?
p2pnet news | Music:- The inevitable self-generated collapse of the corporate music industry as it exists today has been presaged by startling news from a member of the Big 4 organized music cartel.
EMI, these days under the control of private equity group Terra Firma, was the first to abandon DRM.
It now looks as if it may also be the first to opt out of subsidising Big 4 organised music hit squads such as the RIAA and IFPI.
EMI, “wants to cut its funding to the industry’s trade bodies, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Wednesday, which could deal a blow to the fight against music piracy,” says Reuters.
“The source said EMI … was looking at ways to ’substantially’ reduce the amount it pays trade groups,” says the story, going on:
The groups, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and other national associations, represent music companies and the fight against illegal piracy.
They receive funding from the four major music groups – EMI, Warner, Sony BMG and Universal – and hundreds of small independent labels.
The story fails to mention many of the ’small independent labels’ are either directly or indirectly owned by one or other of the Big 4, or directly or indirectly associated with, and/or controlled by, them.
To all intents and purposes, the Big 4 together and singly comprise the corporate music industry and own and operate the IFPI and all the other so-called ‘trade’ organisations which are decimating the corporate music consumer bases with spurious lawsuits and accusations that the men, women and children which keep them fat are nothing more than thieves and criminals.
Troubles the big four labels are experiencing are entirely of their own making.
Shackled by fear and ignorance, they’ve steadfastly refused to have anything to do with P2P technology, file sharing or any of the other distribution techniques which are emerging in the digital 21st century, and which would have put them in effective control of the corporate online music scene.
Instead, the vast bulk of online music lovers get their fixes from the free P2P networks and the growing numbers of sites being put up by musicians themselves and independent entrepreneurs.
Doug Morris, one of the people who calls the shots in Universal, the biggest of the Big 4, admitted in an interview:
There’s no one in the record industry that’s a technologist. That’s a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didn’t. They just didn’t know what to do. It’s like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?
Meanwhile, “The IFPI said it believed the four majors give approximately 64 million pounds ($132.1 million) each year to itself, the RIAA and many other national associations,” says the story.
(Thanks, Morg)
Also See:
Reuters – EMI wants to cut funding to trade groups -source, November 28, 2007
an interview – Big 4 music execs, ’so out of touch’, November 27, 2007
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November 28th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
“Thereâs no one in the record industry thatâs a technologist. Thatâs a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didnât. They just didnât know what to do. Itâs like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?”
I would have the GOOD SENSE to go to a vet and have THEM work on my dog! That is what I would do.
Not try to “fix” the problem myself as the music industry has tried by suing it’s customers! There was simply NO EXCUSE for that and it is apparent in spades now.
They made their own problems….Napster could have been a great way of the music industry and customers coming together….but greed got in the way and now they are paying a price for it.
I am glad that at least one major label is seeing the light. Now if the others would follow suit……
November 28th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
A video that explains what is going on, watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqVVtHzE8nc
November 29th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Good! May be their only way to survive this.
This is the scoop concerning the idea of suing the customer:
Vivendi/Universal a French company is the instigator. They got the idea and they pushed hard for it. Sony/BMG went along hapylly to the dam of the electronic division. As you know Sony electronic division is going down with the music. Who will buy stuff specially computer from a company beeing caught trying to spread a rootkit? Not me!
EMI was lucke-warm to the idea but stay in the boat. Time Warner was reluctant but did not desist itself from it.
If EMI dessist from the RIAA Time Warner is likely to follow.
Now They will both have hard time to redeem themselves with their customers who are walking away from them in drove.
May be with a big PR campaign with apologies and so forth?
It might be too late though. The music business was about to be cool. They are not cool.
November 29th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Frankly paying the RIAA. CRIA, BPI and so forth is a wast of money.