RIAA boss Bainwol paid $2 million in 2008
p2pnet view P2P | RIAA:- No wonder RIAA boss Mitch ‘The Don’ Bainwol is smiling in the pic on the right.
According to IRS figures, in 2007 he was paid $1,485,000 for his services. But by 2008, the amount had rocketed — to $2,032,072, to be exact.
The wages of sin are high indeed.
RIAA is short for Vivendi Universal (France), Sony (Japan), EMI (Britain), and Warner Music’s (US, but controlled by a Canadian) misnamed Recording Industry Association of America.
“The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies”, it says blandly on its web page. “Its members are the music labels that comprise the most vibrant record industry in the world. RIAA® members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate recorded music produced and sold in the United States.”
To all intents and purposes, it’s operated by the four gigantic record companies which through their thousands of directly and indirectly owned subsidiary labels, separately and collectively control the corporate music industry, and everything to do with it.
“In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect the intellectual property and First Amendment rights of artists and music labels; conduct consumer, industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations and policies”, it says.
So innocent. So reasonable.
The RIAA purports to be a simple trade organisation when in fact it’s a vicious extortion unit whose practices are in many ways similar to those of the Mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra, the “criminal society” that’s a “loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct”, as the Wikipedia describes it.
Under the current leadership of Bainwol, like the Mafia, the RIAA has caused misery and serious financial hardship to thousands of American families.
But unlike the Mafia, it targets not only adult victims, but also very young children.
And unlike the Mafia, not only does it operate with the full knowledge and support of the US government, many of its ‘soldiers’ are employed by the Department of Justice, the very organisation which in a fair and just world would be investigating it.
RIAA ‘financials’ – 2007
Like other US organisations, the RIAA must file IRS form 990s, more commonly known as ‘financials’, and if they reveal Bainwol is now a millionaire many times over, they also show RIAA president Cary Sherman, who must by now be one of the longest serving RIAA spinsters, isn’t doing badly either.
In 2007 his salary was $984,615, rising to $1,331,747 in 2008.
In that year, the RIAA spent $3,548,575 on ‘investigative operations’, $1,197,670 on ‘political advocacy’ and $1,046,372 on ‘state legislative support’, among other things.
It lashed out $21,223,792 in legal fees, and under ‘funds held for others’ is the impressive amount of $102,882,308.
RIAA ‘financials’ – 2008
The 990 numbers are even more interesting for 2008 and among other interesting salaries, one stands out.
- Mitch Glazier, $543,045
Before becoming the RIAA’s ‘EVP Govt & Industrial Rel’ he was chief counsel, Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, and former chief of staff to Howard Coble, one-time chairman of said subcommittee.
“Mitch gained a certain notoriety when in 1999 he slipped the now infamous ‘sound recording’ amendment into the unrelated Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act, slated for safe passage through Congress”, said p2pnet many moons ago, continuing >>>
This made music recordings ‘works for hire’ which in turn meant artists weren’t able to get possession of their own masters. Naturally, the artists believed they’d been hung out to dry.
“RIAA had succeeded – in November – in getting legislation through Congress that labeled recorded performances as ‘works for hire’ which artists’ reps said would benefit the recording industry at the expense of musicians,” said a February 17, 2000, Washington Post story by Judy Sarasohn “Special Interests Of Revolving Doors and Turntables.”
“The measure, attached to another bill, came as a surprise to them,” it added.
The amendment not only surprised them – it infuriated them and led to an oversight hearing in May, 2000, chaired by Senator Coble who led off with: “… As many of you know, this amendment has caused some to criticize my colleagues, my staff, and me as having indulged in unfair, deceptive, and sneaky behavior.”
He went on that it was his belief that, “opponents of this language were overreacting”. However, artists and spokesmen for artists, “continued to express anxiety over the issue and I concluded that my calm interpretation did not assuage their comfort ["assuage their comfort"? ; ] nor did it resolve their problem. So I then decided to grant their request for this hearing.”
Jenner & Block
The Big 4 extortion unit routinely hires outside law firms to do its dirty work.
Holme Roberts & Owen long reigned supreme as the RIAA’s principal hired guns. Then Jenner & Block, always present but rarely up front, took over.
Interestingly and, I’m sure, by a remarkable coincidence, Jenner & Block lawyers are now firmly entrenched in Obama’s US Department of Justice.
In 2008 Holme Roberts & Owen were paid $9,364,901, says form 990.
Jenner & Block were paid $7,077,984.
The RIAA’s gross receipts for that year amounted to $81,770,314.
If you’d like to take a closer look at the 990s >>>
- Click here for 990 2007.
- Click here for 990 2008.
I freely admit I have difficulty with numbers and if I’ve made any mistakes, I’m sure they’ll be pointed out and I’ll correct them, with apologies, as soon as I know what they are.
Stay tuned.
Jon Newton – p2pnet
… and identi.ca
principal hired guns – RIAA extortion center: Holme Roberts & Owen?, April 28, 2008
firmly entrenched – Jenner & Block – running the DoJ?, April 26, 2010
July, 2010
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July 12th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I see Mitch Glazier the guy who should have been imprisoned for his work in unlawfully modifying bills of statute is still on the payroll.
July 12th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Parasites! Parasites! Parasites everywhere!
Let’s bring the pest killer!
July 12th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
And the problem here is that this money should be going to people who BENEFIT society and not STEAL from it.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:13 am
@KCB
The problem we face is that so many agree with the RIAA view, both politicians and the mass of sheeple. Until each one is targeted, sheeple won’t see anything but what they are told to see. So they see artist==people who benefit society, downloaders==people who steal from it.
We know that’s not the case, but until the masses wake up, “the $2 million has been well spent” will be the view of the organizations that make up the trade group.
July 14th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
What a bunch of middle men. What are they good for anyways? Lars?
I don’t listen to their overproduced commercial garbage anyways and I hope their business fails horribly. I’ve heard enough of their excuse for a product as it is. If anything they should be happy that people ‘want’ ‘their’ ‘music’ enough to ‘steal’ it. The music that they ‘sell’ is a bad influence on society, as are their ‘business practices.’
All that they are after is an easy buck, and in the process, enslave people who they perceive as less than human. It’s amazing, that anyone believes they deserve such grand amounts of money underscores their detachment from reality.
July 14th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
So can someone explain how “Artists” supposedly benefit from this organization ? …Judging by the salaries stated here, the only people benefitting off this society is the people who run it and the lawyers who feed off of it. Glad to hear their wasting millions more than they’re actually extorting from people. Just goes to show what type of Einsteins run this thing.
its all about “Scare Tactics and intimidation” with them it sounds like. Politicians of course support this organization because I have no doubt they’ve probably been slipping politicians nice fat “Campaign Contributions” on an annual basis to keep the law on their side. (Sort of like the big oil Companies-Can anyone say BP ? )
When this organization finally crumbles one day…Artists will finally breathe a sigh of relief,knowing that this business is no longer at work to attempt to steal/undermine an artist works for the benefit of Major labels/big Corporations who want to steal and distribute their music without compensation to the artist. I find it Ironic that they Pretend to be an organization that somehow benefits artists-they were formed to benefit Labels….Not Artists.
July 14th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Can anyone tell me how to get these IRS Statements? I would be curious to look at the statements for other organizations similar to the RIAA.
July 14th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
@ Oscar:
Mine came from a confidential source.
Cheers!
July 14th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
It will be more useful if they spend that money to orphanage or homeless people. Why to spent too much to get too low money.
July 14th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Great work, Jon.
July 14th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Hi Drake.
Did you see Ray’s contribution? http://www.p2pnet.net/story/41738
Cheers!