RIAA Scares Music Fans Into "Going Legit"

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 06:45:47 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.music.artists.kiss
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The recent lawsuit threats against file-swappers by the RIAA seem like
nothing more than a way to bolster the success of these online music
download services by scaring you into joining the "legit" online download
services.
It's no surprise that all of this has made front page "news". On CNN.com for
instance, there's a front page story about the dramatic decrease in online
downloads since the threats of lawsuits began. Then there's a convenient
link to a Time.com story about the kid from Princeton University who was
sued by the RIAA for running his own file-swapping service on campus and
settled out of court for $15,000. Then there's a link to yet another
Time.com story about how you can "go legit" by joining one of several
subscription-based online music services.
Of course CNN and Time are both owned by AOL Time/Warner. Yes, that's
Warner, as in Warner Bros. Records, one of the largest major labels. Hmmmm.
Surely the labels have seen the huge potential of the Internet as a cheap
music distribution channel but have been plagued by the competition of free
file-swapping services such as Napster and Kazaa. The cost savings that
could be reaped using an Internet-based business model for distribution are
enormous. CD duplication, printing and distribution are several examples of
costs that can be virtually eliminated by selling music online.
The sad thing for music fans is that these savings won't be passed down to
the consumer. In fact, if you look at the pricing models of these services
and do the math, you'll actually be paying more money to download and burn
the same amount of music than you would by purchasing a CD!
Music fans need to demand a cut of the savings. You can do your part by
boycotting these online music subscription services.