RIAA, caring and sharing: not
p2pnet news | RIAA News:- “Well, now, isn’t that special!!” – posts Robbins Mitchell on KnoxNews.com today.
He’s referring to a quote from our p2pnet RIAA school report which has Cindy Frank, director of service delivery and project management for information technology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, saying:
“We live in Music City, and musicians … are benefactors, and we often work with them,” she says.
“We have to be mindful of that. RIAA represents the music industry, and the music industry is right across the street. Some universities say they aren’t going to do this, but we want to play nice with everyone.”
She was referring to, “Vanderbilt’s efforts to keep on the good side of the corporate music industry and its adherents, which have so far cost it in the region of half-a-million-dollars,” p2pnet notes.
Mitchell continues:
Play nice with everyone? Recording industry, yes. Artists, no.
See the following article:
Don’t kid yourself — the RIAA doesn’t care about the artists
“In a report filed yesterday, the RIAA and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) squared off in front of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to decide just how much the artists should be getting paid for their hard work.
“According to the report, the RIAA and digital media companies (DiMA) believe the 9 cents they currently pay for each physical copy sold or digital media file that’s downloaded is much too high. And as the music industry loses revenue, the RIAA and DiMA believe the artists should ‘accept less money in order to keep the whole industry alive.’”
The excerpt comes from Don Reisinger’s CNET News column in which he also says while some people’s distaste for organizations isn’t warranted, “the RIAA is not one of them. In fact, I would venture to say that distaste for this organization is not only warranted, it’s probably the most sound response anyone can have.
“Why you ask? It’s simple. Under the veil of ‘holding the artists’ best interests in mind’, the RIAA has single-handedly destroyed the music industry and created an environment where the artists are left out in the cold.”
Reisinger says yesterday, “the RIAA and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) squared off in front of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to decide just how much the artists should be getting paid for their hard work.”
He goes on >>>
According to the report, the RIAA and digital media companies (DiMA) believe the 9 cents they currently pay for each physical copy sold or digital media file that’s downloaded is much too high. And as the music industry loses revenue, the RIAA and DiMA believe the artists should “accept less money in order to keep the whole industry alive.”
On the other side of things, the NMPA’s chief, David Israelite, believes artists should make more per downloaded copy because digital media costs far less than CDs and there’s more profit to be shared.
Israelite went so far as to call the current hearing “the most important rate hearing in the history of the music industry.”
So just how different are these two theories? According to ArsTechnica, the NMPA wants 15 cents per track for the songwriters. On the other hand, the RIAA only wants to pay 5 cents or 6 cents per track, which is substantially lower than the current rate of 13 cents.
“For streaming music, the NMPA suggests that 12.5 percent of total revenue would be a fair payment, while the RIAA thinks that 0.58 percent would be appropriate.”
Why would any artist want to sign up with a major record label knowing they’d make just 0.58 percent on digital media download revenue and 5 cents on downloaded tracks? – Reisinger wonders. “Even if they sell 1 million songs, they should only expect $50,000? Please.
“The RIAA is one of the worst organizations in the world. Whether it tries to force young children into a deposition, says college students have yet to reach ‘full development’ or flat-out takes food out of an artists mouth, what’s to like here?”
The move, “sets a dangerous precedent,” Reisinger states, adding:
“And if the CRB accepts the RIAA’s argument when it makes its decision in October, I will guarantee the immediate downfall of the recording industry.
“Enough is enough. The RIAA is a terrible organization that seemingly wants to make the fat cats fatter and the actual talent starve. What kind of organization does that to its own people?”
Also See:
KnoxNews.com – Vandy wants to “play nice” with the music industry, February 7, 2008
benefactors – p2pnet RIAA school report, February 2, 2008
CNET News – Don’t kid yourself — the RIAA doesn’t care about the artists, February 6, 2008
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February 7th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
And the RIAA claims pirates leave artists out in the cold? They should start using a little trick I learned quite a while ago.
It’s called “math”
February 7th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Piracy will leave the RIAA out in the cold, thereofre it’s very very good!!!
I’m doing my share already: 20+ GB of metallica, megadeth, iron maiden, and others
February 8th, 2008 at 5:38 am
9 cents?
For an average RRP of a CD of $18.98, that’s 0.005% of the price that they want to pay artists. To say that’s pathetically low is a gross understatement.
Reisinger is right – RIAA is one of the most unethical organisations on the planet – they clearly don’t give a sh!t about anyone except themselves.