I am gonna get flamed for this again, but,

It doesn’t make a rabbit turds difference how many regular people hate the RIAA members,
It doesn’t matter how many boycott ( they just blame downloaders ),
It doesn’t matter how far the word spreads through the masses.

The ONLY ears they care about are the ones in the various world ( yes , world, the evil USA is not alone in this ),
governments that they have paid cold hard cash for laws that help keep their monopoly sound.

I found the Gentleman stated how radio was being hounded on all sides by competitors interesting, because
the RIAA members have already got the law the wanted, and our well on their way to turning internet radio
into the ‘Net version of clear channel.

They don’t give a fuck what we think.
They already have control of the only people who’s opinions count.

I really wish I had a solution, but I don’t.

Thank you for the reminders, I did see those videos. I still think the masses is what’s missing. When the “average joe” knows what Napster is/was and what iTunes is and can at least say “bitTorrent allows me to obtain music and movies” then they are at least aware.

I would agree with you that it has been done well, but the masses do not know what’s been going on. They have no clue about DVD encryption. If it were not for Jammie Thomas’ case, how many would actually know the RIAA is suing customers? The two juries we saw is a good example of the masses. They either believe the RIAA’s BS or they don’t know a damn thing so they can easily be BS’d.

By scared I do not mean “fear the RIAA”, I think that was misinterpreted. By scared I mean fear the DMCA’s IMPACT on our freespeech and ability to hear music. Fear the lobbying to the point where you know if you take that money or follow their “pamphlets” or believe their BS, you’re contributing to the downfall of art and ultimately humanity.

That’s what I mean by fear. Not fear them, fear the consequences of their foolish actions and what wonderful things you enjoy now (free speech, new and creative music, new and creative products, software etc..) will be gone because no one can afford the licenses so no one makes money so no one creates.

That’s the fear I am talking about. The fear of lacking competition and the fear of staleness in art of any form, and an almost stall in innovation.

If the **AA groups can BS people with fear of being sued for “due rights” (aka ripping you off), then we should be able to spread the fear in the opposite direction!

I hope it was a misinterpretation of what I meant by fear. Again, do not fear **AA, fear the result of letting them have what they want, so we PREVENT it and CHANGE what they currently have, reversing what’s currently underway (ACTA).

1. Creative Commons and the Free-software scene have been doing info videos for a hell of a long time now, and a lot of people DO get it (people with an attention-span longer than your averate house-fly, that is.) The problem is, what you’re advocating strikes me as trying to be “clever”, and cram a whole bunch of very deep issues into a soundbyte.

That’s exactly what’s wrong with “mainstream” media, folks — the rapid-fire jabbering and spin that substitutes for real debate.

The issues involved with p2p technology, copy”right”, creativity, corporate malfeasance — they are all linked, and all fairly deep, whether you happen to know the “bells and whistles” of the bittorent protocol or not, so it’s not really an issue of being “tech-savvy” either. (Hell, I’m not particularly “hi-tech”, but I, for one, have most definitely changed my views on these topics, as Jon and others here can attest.)

2. Let’s also not forget that there already HAVE been “clever” parodies and send-ups of these issues, that still DID get the point across:

Anybody remember those flash animations that were going around during the “Metallica Vs. Napster” thing? “Napster bad! Beer good” — big ogre-lookin’ version of Lars with a gold-capped tooth. Funny, funny stuff, put together by people who really did “get it”, even back then.

Somebody put out a parody of “Enter Sandman” around the same time…..”sue our fans, we’re off to Napster-Napster land!”
Also very funny, but also informative.

But by far the absolute best, and most thorough send-up of the RIAA bullshit, was the South Park episode “Christian Rock hard”. I can’t even describe how well they did at encapsulating the whole thing, you just gotta watch it.

So it’s not like nobody ever tried the “clever” approach before.

3. “They have to be too scared not to notice”:
I’m sorry, but I just have to call “bullshit” on this aspect of it, because the RIAA’s whole strategy is BASED on being feared.
What needs to happen is for the RIAA vermin and their nuisance lawsuits and shit, to become a complete laughingstock. I mean, come on now — even by their OWN stats, the number of “settlements” is vanishingly small, and they’ve managed to “win” exactly ONCE (Jammie Thomas — which will probably be appealed anyway.)

They need to be seen as the modern equivalent of the Tobacco industry — dishonest corporate scumbags whose “business-model” is so profoundly shitty that it can only survive by means of Government cronyism.

Those people being interviewed who’ve “changed their views” in response to harassment? It’s understandable, because the RIAA assholes — with the full complicity of the “mainstream media” owned by the SAME corporations — spins things so as to make them look formidable. They’re really not: they’re scared shitless, and are grasping at every desperate, half-witted move they can think up, because nobody — NOBODY — really respects them anymore.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is: the “clever” thing has already been done, and done well.
And, above all — if WE show fear of the RIAA, they’ll have won.

OUR fear is really the only weapon they have left.

Sorry for the sermon.

Good start but I wanted something where the music is much lower in volume, the forfront is the voice, with someone standing in front of you with charisma. I wanted to see people demonstrating how copyright actually hurts, not lectures. No one wants to be lectured, they want to be entertained. The messages have to come across like an actual movie in order for it to be absorbed, especially in the subconscious where we hope it remains and thus influences the non-tech savvy’s decisions on voting, on purchases, and inspires them to write to their MP or Senator.

The target audience is a group that does not know shit about the internet other than how to email. The target audience has the attention span of a fly, is self absorbed and self focused but not self motivated. The target audience has no clue what goes on behind the curtain and telling them will only leave them with a dumb look on their face.

O.K., Now go explain it a 16-17 year old. Or mom & pop who aren’t teksavvy but have a computer for their kids.

Let us know. Or better yet, get that 16-17 year old (or that mom & pop) to write something on it as they understand it.

Or, better yet, you write what you think a 16-17 year old (or mom & pop) will understand.

No it’s not a good thing.

We can add some T&A/Violence/Explosions/Coarse Language so people will watch it, maybe that would help?

So you can ridicule all you want and laugh in the corner with those that agree, the rest out on the dance floor won’t notice or care and will continue to be lead around.

That’s why I suggested newer material, stuff for people, regular people, and politicians who know NOTHING about filesharing’s interworkings or maybe even don’t fileshare themselves. Those are the people you need to target, the videos I have seen are either targeting rebellious teens or those who understand what the mess is about and are on the opposite side of the **AA groups.

Again, several videos that show up and coming bands (fictional or real) trying to make it but being sued because they used D-C-G in their chorus and G-Am-C-D in their verses, which match how many different songs???? The key thing is the target audience.

We need to target the masses with both humour, sympathy, and fear. Throwing facts at them won’t work. They don’t care or understand or care to understand. Politicians fall into that category too.

“They have to be so scared to miss it.” That’s the approach we have not tried.

Lando (thanks for the Star Wars ref, brings back memories), if the videos we have out now are so powerful, why has nothing changed? Why do politicians still go along with **AA BS? Why are students not revolting beyond filesharing? I mean massive protests. That gets attention. The only way to get more people to write in is to show “real” stories of how copyright has hurt rather than helped.

It isn’t plain and simple, because if that’s all we needed, things would be different than they are.

I do not agree with everything in it, but the article is good nevertheless.

But then gangs of lawyers and accountants came, bought out the small record labels and imposed the “corporate culture”. But when you buy a company, you are not buying the charisma of the team. And it’s either you have charisma or you don’t have it – you can’t fake it. And if you don’t, your “product” won’t have it either. This is why the “product” of different companies is indistinquishable and sucks equally.