April 12, 2002

The RIAA Should Get REAL

Well, what do you know? The RIAA is lecturing us once again about the truth behind webcasting rates. Check out this sad sack of propaganda titled "The REAL Facts Behind the CARP." If I didn't know any better, it appears the RIAA is advertising for a certain streaming media provider who utilizes a bulky and ugly gray player.

Let's dig in and get right to it. The Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) was appointed by the US Copyright Office, the same DC buddies of the RIAA who passed the asinine law known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Part of the the DMCA law was specifically designed to screw over webcasters by requiring them to pay licensing fees to labels. The idea was for the labels to charge ridiculously high webcasting fees for the alleged eventual purpose of monopolizing internet broadcasting.

Four years after the passage of the DMCA, the internet remains a musical wasteland with horribly designed music web sites, owned in part or in full by the labels. As for the music on these sites, don't go there. Aside from the grade school web design and pimp music, the labels have also failed miserably in creating an engaging and captivating product for the music consumer.

Getting back to the RIAA's REAL article, they state "contrary to what has been reported in the news media and circulated on the Internet, the RIAA and its member companies want ALL webcasters, large and small, to succeed." They want webcasters to succeed???

Is that why the RIAA lobbied for a one sided law like the DMCA, which has contributed to stifling the internet economy and preventing the free flow of information? Is that why the RIAA is looking for exorbitant licensing payments from small startup webcasters? Is that why the record companies mostly license their material to companies who are directly or indirectly affiliated with the five major labels (are you listening DOJ)? Is that why the labels allegedly did not negotiate in good faith with webcasters for licensing rights? Is that why conventional radio stations (that means you Clear Channel) who are controlled by idiotic music programmers pay next to nothing to broadcast the labels' over produced trash?

Do you know what the RIAA really wants? The RIAA does not want anyone, except their members and close family, webcasting their commercial crap. They want to hold the music under lock and key for the purpose of controlling internet radio.

An advantage of the internet is that it gives one a break from the money grubbing whores of the mainstream media. Why should the internet population be subject to the lousy music which is readily available offline? Keep that rubbish off of the internet and save it for kiss ass corporate TV and Radio - where it belongs.

As an example, several recording artists are appearing on lousy TV talk shows, pathetically attempting to promote their new material. Right on! Like fat polyester clad housewives and pre-schoolers are going to run out to their nearest department store and buy that junk.

In case you did not know, REAL recording artists promote their music on quality radio stations, not on shows reserved for shallow Hollywood actors and feel good miracle workers. Are these artists so desperate for a buck that they no longer concern themselves with their credibility? The way the RIAA is handling matters, these artists are well advised to start looking for other employment.

Getting back to the RIAA's REAL deal, the story goes on to rant and rave about how webcasting fees have been misrepresented by the media. Of course, this is just a distraction tactic aimed to deflect attention from the REAL issue, the RIAA's alleged attempts to monopolize internet radio.

We find it kind of funny that the RIAA story fails to mention one word about their asshole webcaster reporting requirements which violate the privacy of the listener. Why do we refer to them as asshole requirements? Because we are surprised that the RIAA doesn't require webcasters to report how many times a day they wipe their asshole.

What exactly is behind these unacceptible reporting regulations? In addition to invading people's privacy, this is obviously designed to overburden webcasters with paperwork and discourage them from webcasting. Again, the RIAA wants to monpolize internet radio like they have with conventional radio (hey DOJ, are you still listening?).

Here is the RIAA's finale: "Musicians and artists should not be forced to subsidize the profit margin of webcasters like MTV, Microsoft, AOL TimeWarner and others."

Large companies like AOL TimeWarner are one of the few webcasters who will be able to handle these costs, therefore, the aim of the high fees is to protect the large firms by killing off the smaller competition. And since AOL is the parent company of Warner Music, the licensing fees will go from one family member to another. Nice little setup? Hey artists - wake up already!

It is quite unfortunate that the US Government has up until now permitted the labels so much control. Apparently, antitrust laws have been overlooked, resulting in unfair economic conditions and an awful product from the music industry. One listen to the modern day disaster known as corporate radio says it all.

Hopefully, the DOJ will not let the labels off the hook this time around. If something is not done, the way things are going, quality popular music culture, along with quality artists, will vanish from this planet very quickly.

One thing is for sure: music will NEVER be properly promoted on the internet unless the DMCA is struck down and webcasters are permitted to webcast anything they want at no charge with no reporting requirements. Sorry RIAA, but no pay to play is the only way. It should have been done like that from the very beginning.

The RIAA repeatedly states they are trying to protect the artists. Is that why they have purposefully kept the quality artists' music off of the internet? Is that why quality artists rarely get played on mainstream pre-programmed corporate radio? Because they want to help them? Since the two go hand in hand, the RIAA wants to help the artists like they want webcasters to succeed - NOT!

Prediction: the music industry will once again thrive financially when the DMCA fucks off and DIES! And if that does not happen REAL soon, the RIAA, their member labels and artists will end up dying instead. How is that for getting REAL?

Sphinx
"There's Only 1 Station"

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