The Wisdom of Gregory A. Roach
p2pnet news view P2P | RIAA:- Sam I Am (right) hotly denies he’s an RIAA shill.
But he spends an awful lot of time spreading Big Music bullshit around.
His ‘comments’ on sites such as TechDirt, Ars Technica and elsewhere, usually in fulsome support of the Vivendi Universal (France), Sony (Japan), EMI (Britain), and Warner Music (US, but controlled by a Canadian) extortion unit, are legion.
He also used to turn up out on p2pnet. Until I banned him.
Sam I Am’s real name is Gregory A. Roach and he’s at pains to present himself as a reasonable person — a nice guy, firm but fair — slyly pretending he doesn’t really have a problem with me, Dredd, Henry E, or others like us.
Like Gosh, fellas, he, Roach, is just a kewl dude out there telling like it is!
It’s just that, well, we’ve got it wrong about the RIAA. It, and the crew of liars and sophists behind it, are working in everyone’s best interests.
Outed and ousted
Sam I Am was outed and ousted on p2pnet, but he’s still hard at it on other sites such as thenewmusicindustry.com (Alexa traffic rank 20,891,406) where editor Paul-Anthony Surdi bills him as “absolutely” one of the most “insightful and interesting people” he (Surdi) has “met in a long time”.
Roach was “first impacted by our shift into a digital world in 1998, a year before Napster, and I doubt many people could have handled it as well, and as calm, as he did”, says Surdi, adding:
“As someone who’s been dealing with ‘digital wanting to be free,’ for twelve years now, he offers perspectives that I find extremely valuable. Reach out to him if you want to know more about his life story (it’s fasinating! [sic]) or a as valuable resource who can offer insight into our future as an industry and the country at large: gregoryaroach@gmail.com.”
The country at large, eh?
By an amazing coincidence, on the same day Roach had an OpEd on the thenewmusicindustry.com, he’d also posted a ‘comment’ addressed to me on p2pnet.
Busy day.
His ‘Op-Ed’ kicked off, “There’s a story making the rounds in the blogosphere attempting to paint the RIAA lawsuit campaign as a ‘miserable failure.’ Masnick at TechDirt is typical.”
The RIAA sue ‘em all campaign was a miserable failure, underscored by the fact not-shill shills like Roach are out there frantically trying to paint it as golden.
His piece includes biting commentary such as “The smarmy entitlement embodied by Jammie Thomas and Joel Tenenbaum was a real gift to the RIAA”.
Kicking and screaming
So what got Sam I Am (Not) all hot and bothered?
Here’s what Mike Masnick posted >>>
Over a five year period, the RIAA really seemed to believe that its strategy of suing music fans directly made sense. Of course, it did nothing of the sort. The strategy was a miserable failure. More people than ever are sharing unauthorized files online, and the major record labels the RIAA represents have continued to see their revenue drop.
The few success stories for those labels have come through innovations from elsewhere, with the labels kicking and screaming (and quite frequently suing) in protest.
Of course, at the end of 2008, the RIAA admitted that they were mostly giving up on the strategy (while they implied — and many claimed — they had stopped the lawsuits entirely, the truth is they kept filing lawsuits, just slowing down the pace) in favor of supposedly impending agreements to implement three strikes plans with ISPs. Of course, those agreements never showed up, and the more likely story (which we’ve heard over and over again from folks involved) is that the RIAA was realizing just how much money the legal strategy was costing, and finally recognized that it wasn’t really helping.
At the same time, with the record labels themselves losing so much money, they were less and less interested in giving so much money to the RIAA. The end result was that soon after all this happened, the RIAA laid off a bunch of folks — basically admitting defeat.
Wired has now put together a wonderful chart and article demonstrating just how much the RIAA clogged the courts with its mass lawsuit strategy:
You would think that someone in the government might notice this, and question if this is really a proper use of the courts.
Of course, the numbers may jump up again due to the emergence of a series of new operations that seek to file tens of thousands of copyright lawsuits in an attempt (probably not legal) to squeeze money out of thousands of people via “pre-settlement” demands (i.e., “pay up or we take you to court”).
‘Online accountability was the key’
Here’s Roach’s sharply honed rebuttal on thenewmusicindustry.com. (And to think he may actually have been paid for this) >>>
The conventional wisdom is that piracy hasn’t been curtailed and so the campaign obviously failed. I wonder. By that metric, perhaps. But that’s also a very narrow view on a very complicated process.
For one thing, rights holders were confronted with 21st century tech and the unprecedented presumption that if something can be done, however unlawful or unfair, it might as well be done. There is very little precedent for that kind of thinking in American culture. With most previous social experience face to face, this mindset never got real traction until the Internet.
But even more complicated, the laws were 15 years behind the tech. Cautious courts have been as apt to excuse as convict if the files aren’t actually held on the server facilitating the infringement. What to do? Public education and awareness would be important, but online accountability was the key and that would take legislation from a reluctant American Congress. Enter the lawsuit campaign.
So what did it actually achieve? A lot.
Foremost, this “stick” established in the public eye the unlawfulness of this new behavior and also the consequences where the previous education campaign “carrot” had failed. It also submitted evidence to legislators that without some degree of online accountability, digital IP might still have value but very little price, an economic Armageddon if there ever was one.
It also yielded two very unsympathetic defendants, allowing the recording industry to put faces to infringement. The smarmy entitlement embodied by Jammie Thomas and Joel Tenenbaum was a real gift to the RIAA. As the defendants demanded their “right to a cultural phenomenon” the more shrill and selfish they sounded. Far from being the public relations disaster it’s been painted, this campaign angered only the already resentful hardcore pirates while bringing the first real breakthrough of comprehension to the masses. On that count, the campaign was a remarkable success.
But most importantly, legislators finally got the message that they could either step in and help industry take back the distribution of their digital products or stand by and watch their own constituents be drawn into the grey area of litigation. In effect, it finally compelled Washington to act with the blame deservedly placed at the feet of the pirates themselves.
A miserable failure? To the contrary. Within the context of an outdated playing field the RIAA has managed several birds with one stone, creating the first real path to online accountability. Good for them.
And “Good for the Internet”, says Roach, adding, “Good for us all, no?”
No.
With the likes of Roach speaking for it, no wonder the RIAA and its sue ‘em all campaign are epic fails.
Jon Newton – p2pnet
(Cheers, Henry)
addressed to me – Sam I Am on Awesome Sauce, May 26, 2010
thenewmusicindustry.com – There’s a story making the rounds…, May 26, 2010
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May 29th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Sounds like this guy has made a career of believing nonsense and preaching it to the masses. It’s a bit odd to make a religious quest out of copyright issues but I suppose its no sillier than the creationists or folks trying to ban dirty pictures or gambling. And of course fellow travelers will band together and form mutual admiration societies using websites, facebook, forums, whatever. But its still rubbish and they are preaching to their own, very small, choir.
May 29th, 2010 at 11:58 am
They forget, the masses will simply forget about the lawsuits, in favour of attention being directed at some other source of bullshit, like Michael Jackson or Columbine, the usual “overblown failure of a celebrity” alternating with ” FEAR THIS/THAT (and give us your total control)”.
May 29th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Looking at that site thenewmusicindustry.com there seems to be a hidden RIAA shilling operation lurking behind the curtain. Through the page are several butt-kissing articles about how wonderful SoundExchange really is and how grateful artists should be for the privilege of being represented by these benevolent highwaymen.
For such an outspoken person who apparently reads P2Pnet regularly, it seems odd that SamIam/Roach would have absolutely nothing to say regarding the points made in Fred Wilhelms’s scathing exposé on SoundExchange. Guess it’s hard to maintain the facade if the bitter truth is ever confronted. But then that’s consistent with the standard m.o. of shills: ignore the facts, divert the topic, and spew reckless accusations amid repetitive idiocy.
May 29th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
@astroboi
“It’s a bit odd to make a religious quest out of copyright issues”
It would be odd, if Sam “The Cockroach” I Am was just some copyright Nazi posting his personal opinion on blogs everywhere. I think it’s pretty obvious, as Jon has stated, that despite denials this insect is a paid shill for the RIAA. I remember unsuccessfully trying to get him to admit he was a shill in a response to one of his posts before he got banned by Jon. I don’t think he ever convinced anyone here of anything, outside of the fact that he was a shill. My guess would be the same for Techdirt and wherever else he posts. He can try to pretend he’s a wise old Owl, but everyone knows he’s a nasty Cockroach, chewing up the wires, gobbling up the crumbs, and shitting all over everything wherever he goes, all at the RIAA’s behest.
May 29th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
“Looking at that site thenewmusicindustry.com there seems to be a hidden RIAA shilling operation lurking behind the curtain. Through the page are several butt-kissing articles about how wonderful SoundExchange really is and how grateful artists should be for the privilege of being represented by these benevolent highwaymen.”
Yup, saw that myself.
@monkey:
“It would be odd, if Sam “The Cockroach” I Am was just some copyright Nazi posting his personal opinion on blogs everywhere. I think it’s pretty obvious, as Jon has stated, that despite denials this insect is a paid shill for the RIAA. I remember unsuccessfully trying to get him to admit he was a shill in a response to one of his posts before he got banned by Jon. I don’t think he ever convinced anyone here of anything, outside of the fact that he was a shill. My guess would be the same for Techdirt and wherever else he posts. He can try to pretend he’s a wise old Owl, but everyone knows he’s a nasty Cockroach, chewing up the wires, gobbling up the crumbs, and shitting all over everything wherever he goes, all at the RIAA’s behest.”
Heh. Whatever their paying him for, it’s obviously not coherent argument.
(I also love how he — and other RIAA apologists — are still trying to paint the p2p thing as an issue of “online pirates” being “selfish”.
Hint: lobbying/bribing a 7-year monopoly *PRIVILEGE* into one lasting 75 years past the “rights-holder’’s” death, and then calling it the “sacred right of property” would seem infinitely more “selfish” than the mere act of *copying* (making more of) digital data.
IF Roach is actually getting paid by the these people, it’s yet another case where they have no idea how to spend their money correctly.
May 29th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
jon, why the hell are you giving so much airtime to this roach guy? surely shills and trolls are best ignored, no?
If you’re gonna make such a fuss over him, then just unban him and let him make a fool of himself. the community will take care of him, don’t you worry.
May 29th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
He needs to learn to respond to honest inquiries that ask for evidence supporting his position whenever he posts a comment. If he truly believes he is 100% correct and in the right, he should have nothing to fear by responding. Yet he never ever does, and that is what delegates him to the position of an inconsequential troll. Ultimately he ends up damaging the cause he so fervently believes in by coming across as such, whom most readers will simply choose to ignore.
PS: He also posts on TorrentFreak, though not nearly as often as he used to. He is pretty easy to recognize, even when he doesn’t use the “Sam I Am” moniker.
May 29th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
@RW
“jon, why the hell are you giving so much airtime to this roach guy? surely shills and trolls are best ignored, no?”
I disagree on that, it’s better to refute liars and shills, if you have a Roach in the house you step on it, not leave it alone. One thing The Cockroach can never claim is he is right because no one has refuted him.
May 29th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
@monkey ..
I don’t think he gets paid directly to act as a shill, but his income stream depends on them. He provides a service to them for creating visuals for music videos and other productions. The labels pay him, and proceed to charge the client artists more than what they actually pay Roach, and Roach keeps mum. Every one ( except the artist, of course, ) profits. As RIAA and MPAA members continue to lose customers and cash people like Roach are in danger of losing some very lucrative clientele. By continuing to bleat corporate puffery he keeps himself in good standing in their eyes ( or lower ) to keep himself from being shelved as too expensive. It’s self defense. The right or wrong doesn’t matter as long as his clients know he is ‘with’ them.
His attacks become more personal and aggressive because he’s afraid. He’ll never admit it, but it’s still true. He knows there are others that do what he does and without the appearance of aggressive support he just might have some hard times himself. There are many shades of shill. I think this shade is ‘Yellow’ .
May 29th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@ Robert: No worries. Akismet, for reasons known only to itself, had relegated you to the spam pile.
Cehers!
May 29th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
If I could just add my two cents…?
I haven’t been on this site for too long without hearing about Sam “The Cockroach” I Am and I would have to agree that he is not merely disguided, but completely off track. I am glad you got rid of him, Jon. I don’t normally attack a person unless they give me reason and that guy just gave me a reason. If he keeps mailing you with bad(ly) written letters, then it feels like he’s mailing everyone with those horrible letters and that just makes me angry, because you are the kindest, most decent, greedless person I have ever met on the internet. You’re just trying to get the truth out and he’s trying to make it harder, but don’t give up! I wouldn’t buy into his bullcrap if my life depended on it (frankly my life isn’t worth very much, but still!). Keep doing what you’re doing!
May 30th, 2010 at 8:30 am
look like this sam caracter has lit firecracker up jonns ass!
May 30th, 2010 at 11:31 am
” look like this sam caracter has lit firecracker up jonns ass! ”
You again ?
ummm, no.
Fingernail scrapings, nothing more.
May 30th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
This is the same “Sam I Am” who wrote in a p2pnet comment that all forms of encryption would eventually be govt licensed as “encryption facilitates crime” (his words not mine).
Jon, I dont know why you waste the time/energy on this obvious shill. He does deserve to be called out on his BS I can’t disagree with that.
May 30th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Jon,
this numb-nut is not worth the belly full of cock-meat-sandwich – juice, that he so willingly sucks from corporate love-sticks.
He is ignorant, selfish, and mind-worped into believing that he is the true apostle, and preaching words from the bible. this man needs help, and set on the straight, he is ignorant to the masses of the people who have long suffered under these greedy shit-heads, and have hastly and insulted the people who have stood up for their own rights as a individuals, fought these cowboys (successfully or unsuccessfully).
he is nothing but a bit of stool residue on the inside of the corporate toilet, that won’t flush away. he is like any other troll/shill/fuck-face/shit-head out there, he can not find direct evidence to back up claims he makes, cause he knows that there are any, appart from the fabricated…
funny, i have read the one on TFreak (Reasoned Mind/Neo Styles), and the evidence thing, never appears, talks same rubbish over and over, in many different ways , but still means the same anyway.
BUT, their is one thing that they never comment on and that things that make the industry look bad (like for example: the industry stealing songs/copyrights from independent artistes).
June 7th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
[...] for much of the past decade was not, in fact, a dismal failure. They’re posting editorials insisting that the lawsuit campaign was what was necessary to force laws to change in the RIAA’s favor, for one thing. And then, [...]