Google Could Own the Music Industry

Apparently, quite easily.

I got news for you: they already do. Eventually, they'll get around to putting in the paperwork.

RIAA, Part ?‡

Senator Coleman's issues with the record boys have apparently borne fruit, according to this article. The RIAA execs have assure Coleman that they are not targeting "small" downloaders, just the kingpins. Naturally they won't say what the bar is between being a "small" downloader and one who downloads "as substantial amount."

They're either backpedalling, or they never were planning on going after everybody, or they're testing the waters. Either way, I'm not backing off the boycott.

GOPRIAA?

I've mentioned it before, and I don't get it. Why on earth would GOP lawmakers give the Recording Industry Association of America the time of day? They don't fund Republican electoral campaigns; they don't reflect the kind of values that the GOP says it believes in. On the face of it, sure, it looks like a cut-and-dry property-rights situation. But there's piracy and there's piracy, and I have yet to be convinced that file-swapping violates fair-use. So, it's a bit depressing that a former GOP staffer will be taking over as RIAA's chief executive.

But perhaps all is not lost. Senator Norm Coleman (R-Mn) just sent a critical letter to the punters, suggesting that their scattershot litigation might be off the mark. Interesting...

More On Music, Part II

My complete thoughts on the RIAA situation have been posted on Allzah; you can find them here.

More on Music

My BMG order has arrived, and my letter of account closure will go out with my payment (for shipping and handling). In the meantime, spot reviews will be posted here just as soon as I can collect the focus. I'm digging it all, though.

It's official...

My last order from BMG has been shipped. I mean that. Now I can close my membership and be free of all taints of association with RIAA. This may seem melodramatic, but I think that one should order one's life according to the principles one espouses. Any hipster twerp can whine about the music industry's suckage, but those who would have things change cannot persist in being part of the problem. And I plan to communicate to this company, which has served me well in introducing me to some fine music I would not have otherwise stumbled upon, exactly why I am ending our relationship. Maybe they'll take notice, maybe not. But it's good to make things clear.

Behind the Music

I like to keep an eye on RIAA and their lame attempts to shut down file-swapping, but today I actually got mad. One of the creators of Allzah had the following rant on the subject. Apparently the suits are going after individual file-swappers now, since KaZaa has managed to block their attempts to force it out of business. My own dissertation should be up there soon, but for the time being, I'll provide a few new links:



Boycott RIAA

Contact your Senator

Contact Your Senator


I plan on letting both Senators and my congressman know how I feel about these guys and their perversions of the law. They're a scummy organization that's grown fat and twisted, while providing little value to our culture. Their time has come.