MP3s suck: Hilary Rosen
p2pnet.net News:- It looks as if ex-RIAA prima dona Hilary Rosen plans to re-surface.
Yesterday, the brand-new Huffington Post carried an item in which she lit into Apple. And Steve Jobs. And iTunes.
What sparked her anger?
DRM
So today we had an email from someone who, for the best of reasons, asked to remain anonymous.
But our source thought we’d be interested to see a response from Rosen to an item in a newsletter put out by industry pundit Bob Lefsetz.
After references to the piece’s general content, “I have been thinking a lot about what will ever change the dynamic in the licensing nightmare that currently exists,” she writes, continuing:
“The volume is huge and a Grokster win for the industry (if there is one) won’t change a thing in the marketplace on that front. So unless people deal with it, the future stays limited.
“But when are you going to admit that mp3 quality sucks? And since we can get better compression with either aac or wma or anything else why settle for mp3 quality?”
Remember, folks, the RIAA is currently trying to sue not only 10,037 men and women, but children as well because, claim its owners, the Big Four record labels, the ten thousand uploaded, downloaded and shared mp3s online. Which suck, according to Rosen.
And the Big Music cartel, which is absolutely rolling in cash, insists its workers are suffering terribly and that it’s losing incredible amounts of money to people who share mp3s with each other online.
But, says Rosen, who led the way for the lawsuits, mp3 quality sucks.
And, getting back to the attack she launched on Apple yesterday:
“What do you have against making the iPod better?” – she asks Lefsetz. “Apple fanatics are so thin skinned that any criticism of the product automatically engenders a ‘BUT IT IS THE BEST THING OUT THERE YOU SUCK’ response. Guess what, the best still isn’t good enough.
“Who cares about the DRM’s? yeah they aren’t very efficient and I don’t know that they guard against anything, but the DRM isn’t why Apple keep its system proprietary.
“I am not the record industry – anymore. Just a pundit like you. Wondering whether I even have the energy to be back in this conversation because every f_____g issue associated with it is still so polarized it almost makes the Senate look tame.
“La plus ca change, la plus c’est la meme choses.
“And by the way, Democrats are losing because we are too often a party of smug ranters, not thoughtful doers.
“For future bits of my take on the world, stay tuned to the Huffington Post cuz Arianna is an amazing woman and I’ll be a loyal follower.
“Best regards,
“Hilary.”
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See:-
lit into Apple – Hilary Rosen to Steve Jobs, p2pnet, May 9, 2005
May 11th, 2005 at 12:35 am
It’s fear plain and simple. They are afraid that Apple will become the Wal-mart of the music world able to dictate the prices and terms. They want people to be able to use their ipods on other services because then if the RIAA puts the screws to Apple forcing them out of business. The ipod users can simply move on to a smaller service that the RIAA is able to influence easier.
May 11th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
The iPod’s proprietary tech is wrong, but DRM itself is the other half of the problem.
May 11th, 2005 at 1:23 pm
talk about talking out of your ass! shows how far she has her head stuck up her backside