I just got the fat records email news letter and found this paragraph interesting.
(yes it's geared toward 13 year olds )

Yesterday the RIAA (Record Industry [censored] Association) filed suit against 261 internet song swappers. I thought people should know that Fat Wreck Chords has never been a member of the RIAA and more importantly, we think they’re dumb. Actually, they had falsely listed our name as a member on their website and it took nine months of letters and phone calls to get them to remove it. They think that by suing a few hundred kids, piracy is gonna stop. Why can’t they just accept the fact that the music industry as we know it is finished? Keg’s tapped and the cops are outside. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!

I wonder how many other labels are falsely accused of being RIAA members. I looked at the RIAA members list a while ago and was surprised to see fat as well as many smaller labels on there. Could they be inflating the list ?


Also on a related note I wonder when they whine about music sales declining are they just looking at RIAA members or everyone. I have been buying more cd's than ever buy most of them are from small labels that aren't in the RIAA and I buy them over the internet directly from the label.

Ditto, i can't remember the last time i bought a CD in a store and not direct from either the band or the label or at a show... except for one or two odd used country or bluegrass CD's from Amoeba that can't be had elsewhere. I just realized i have no point. Good night!

I wonder when they whine about music sales declining are they just looking at RIAA members or everyone

Hey, they could just be looking at the ones they want to, members or not...

And ditto, I just bought five CDs recently. Two were 20 years old, and three were by obscure Seattle jazz/rock groups on indie labels (or their own labels).

I'm ashamed to say that the last two CDs I bought were from an RIAA member label. Oddly enough, they were of an artist that I discovered by accident, while downloading random songs off a P2P network. The CDs were a Christmas gift for my uncle. Looks like I might have to get him a necktie this year.

There's gotta be a way to leverage the current anti-RIAA sentiment into a mechanism for change in the music industry. Not sure exactly how, but I think the climate is right for it.

Maybe a critical-mass group of indie labels banding together under the banner of "we are not the RIAA" and doing some celebrity-backed TV spots to that effect. There's gotta be enough reasonably famous musicians under non-RIAA labels now for that to be possible?

Independent record stores could have "non-RIAA" racks, with "fight the power" slogans on posters nearby...

under the banner of "we are not the RIAA"

They should just form the IRIA -- the Independent Recording Industry of America, and sue the RIAA for being assholes (or possibly for defamation).

Or join, and fight the fight from the inside.....
.....no I don't even believe myself!

and sue the RIAA for being assholes

Sadly, being an asshole in America isn't an imprisonable offense. If it were, we'd probably have to pick one of our states and turn it into a giant prison. Plus it'd be a real hassle having to throw all of our politicians in jail and replace them with non-assholes.

Anyway, it seems the now-famous 12 year old who got sued by the RIAA has broken open her piggy bank and settled for $2000. I was hoping to see the parents try to fight it, but I guess putting your 12 year old through a giant legal battle isn't very fair to the child. But I do hope someone fights this kind of legal action at some point, or at least countersues.

Speaking of which, has anyone received their settlement check yet from the CD price fixing settlement? I haven't...

has anyone received their settlement check yet from the CD price fixing settlement?

There was a critical mass at which none of the plaintiffs would get the money, but the money would be donated to something. I even remember it as being non-charitable in nature.

Edit: Apparently, though, the response was, to quote the Attorney General in charge of the suit, abysmal. Take a look at the settlement website. Did you sign up online? It was updated in the last month or so.

we'd probably have to pick one of our states and turn it into a giant prison

LOL

Florida? That's the state responsible for Bush Baby's theft of the Presidency, so why not. Ironic, maybe?

Have a read of this for good measure.