The RIAA is making enemies behaving like this. They're acting like bullies and cutting off their own two feet in the process.
How many of us have bought albums after stumbling on new tunes on YouTube that we never knew existed? I do, all the time! People posting their stuff helps them make sales. For many, file sharing leads to purchases because you can't get the same sound quality online as you do with a CD.
I could go on and on about the RIAA and their partners abusing the DMCA by claiming every mp3 on the planet belongs to them (which is my personal beef as they've made my distribution of free hypnosis sessions a living nightmare).
If the RIAA business model sucks, then they ought to consider changing it in a way that works for everyone.
Recording Industry Succeeds In Ruining a Kid's Life Over 31 Songs: Just or Unjust?
Fergie
2012/08/24 22:29:38
|
|
|||||
|
42 votes
|
|
13% | |||
|
285 votes
|
|
87% | |||
In the early days of Napster, Kazaa and Limewire, I downloaded songs "illegally" (who remembers the Grey album?) almost every day. There was a period of at least a year during which I had no idea it was illegal, in fact the only risk I was concerned about was accidentally downloading a virus. Joel Tenenbaum also used these same programs I did and has now been prosecuted for illegally distributing 31 songs. His punishment: $675,000 and a character assassination.
Supposedly, he could have been hit with a $4.65 million dollar penalty, but the jury was lenient. Was prosecuting Joel for his crime just? Or are they merely making an example out of him? Seems like there were plenty of users with thousands of songs that they could have gone after instead.
GIZMODO.COM reports:
Supposedly, he could have been hit with a $4.65 million dollar penalty, but the jury was lenient. Was prosecuting Joel for his crime just? Or are they merely making an example out of him? Seems like there were plenty of users with thousands of songs that they could have gone after instead.
GIZMODO.COM reports:
Yesterday marked the end of Joel Tenenbaum's court battle with the RIAA over 31 songs he illegally distributed on Kazaa. A federal judge denied his latest appeal, and now he's on the hook for $675,000. That's nearly $22,000 per song, plus some wholesale character assassination that has now been sealed with judge's rubber stamp.
Read More: http://gizmodo.com/5937556/recording-industry-succ...
Top Opinion
-
TisSheilah 2012/08/24 23:20:50
1. If someone is going to sue, it should be the artists who were ultimately robbed of money, not the record label. A record executive stands to lose a lot less because he gets more of the profit from the actual sale of the CD/song than the artists themselves get. So, unless the money they charge this poor kid goes to the artists of the songs he pirated, I don't think it's just. Really, I don't think theres a single argument that will support why a record company worth billions of dollars needs to go after anyone. So you're slightly LESS rich, big deal? You're still ridiculously wealthy, go fly your private jet into an ocean.
2. I've known people to pirate thousands and thousands of songs. Plenty of people pirate movies, software... Is some guy who stole less than a couple CD's worth of music really the right person to make an example of? Wouldn't it drive their point home more if they charged someone who stole a small library of music and is more like the typical pirate? He probably didn't even download one full album, just 31 random songs that he liked. People that do that typically gather the songs they know they want, and leave it alone. HE most likely wouldn't have used Kazaa to fill his entire itunes. If they are trying to make a point, they picked the wrong dude. All they accomplished was making themselves look like bullies .
http://www.sodahead.com/enter...
Mr. Tenenbaum, by uploading digital copies of the songs to a sharing website, immediately made them available to millions of people who each had the ability to make multiple copies in less time than it takes to play even one song.
That and the fact that he tried to negotiate with the industry is what got him into so much trouble. Other people who got caught paid the initial settlement amount offered/demanded by the industry and promised to stop.
Unfortunate, very unfortunate. I, too, downloaded some songs, but never sold them. I used it mostly to determine what CD's I wanted to buy.
I don't use any of those sites because I buy the music, I like having the cd or album in my hands along with the art and the other information that somes along with the music. I love my music library just as much as my book library.
This sort of piracy has really damaged the recording industry. It's far more difficult for artists to get signed to a label because the labels can't afford to take the kinds of risks they used to be able to take. The money that labels spend fighting this sort of piracy gets passed on to every legitimate consumer of music. I resent it. I want it to stop. As far as I'm concerned, every single one of these punk-asses should receive the maximum penalty.
Yes, the punishment is severe but he did commit a crime.
And, Fergie. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. You downloaded pirated music ILLEGALLY - without the quotes.
I believe he got in way over his head, and if he received any legal advice it wasn't very good.
This would have been just, if the artists of the songs got at least 90% of the fine - as they were the ones getting their music stolen.
Dp all you you who said unfair feel that it is OK for me to steal all the value of your work ? Would it be OK for me to steal your pay check ? That is what you kids are saying -