Shame on the Recording Industry

Biting the Hand that Feeds Revisited

RIAA Settles First Lawsuit Against 12-Year

It seems that my first post (Biting the Hand that Feeds) has been misunderstood so it was necessary to review this matter once again. Certain struggling artists took issue with my comments and are of the mistaken notion that I am advocating the theft of music. That is most certainly NOT the case and I recommend they read the article that I linked to in order to understand the perspective from where I am coming. My rant is against the greed and hypocrisy of the recording industry, and that children (or their parents whose computer they happen to be using) are being sued, which I’m certain most reasonable people will agree is outrageous and completely unacceptable.

I have also been accused of not understanding the business and that I should confine my opinions to matters that are more befitting of my expertise. Well, all I can say to that is obviously they did not read my bio in the “About Me” page because I have indeed been there and done that. When I was in the biz back in the dark ages of the 80’s we didn’t have desktop studios or a medium such as the internet to promote our wares like the kids have today. We had to spend $200/hr or more on recording studios to make our demos which we then forwarded to company A&R reps in the hope they would eventually get around to listening to it amongst the thousands of other tapes sitting on their desk. Unless we had pull our chances of being heard were next to nil, and without a recording contract we didn’t get air play - period! We would have given just about anything for the privilege of somebody listening to hear our music (yes, even for FREE) to get the publicity.

Today kids can install software on the family computer and create digital recordings that rival multi-million dollar studios. I have even heard of instances where struggling artists used internet file-sharing software to promote their music. Or all they have to do is set up a simple website to let the world hear their stuff. Who knows, that person who downloaded it just might work for the record company or, you may build up a substantial following and get noticed by the bigwigs. But then again who needs the record company anyway. Heck, if your music becomes popular why not just set up a PayPal button and count the money rolling in. The point is kids today have tremendous advantages and this is but one more example of how the industry benefits from technology.

There is always going to be piracy to a certain extent no matter what the technology or precautions taken. Jay walking is also a crime, but let’s face it - we would all end up incarcerated sooner or later if overzealous police officers didn’t use common sense enforcing the law. There is a famous Charles Dickens quote - “the law is an ass”. And why is it an ass? Because it doesn’t have the luxury of common sense in it’s application. That is why it is up to us to you use discretion before wielding the big stick. The bottom line is the advantages of technology far outweigh any loss the industry could ever claim - and suing children is not the answer!

P.S.: If you know of other ways that technology has benefitted the entertainment industry then I would like to hear from you.