I grew up with the image of the newspaper reporter in the fedora, constantly asking questions until he got the STORY! THE TRUTH!
That person is seemingly absent in the United States today. Not even employed by the "New York Times". Yes, the "Times" had to apologize for printing the Administration's drivel on weapons of mass destruction. They said they didn't ask the hard questions, didn't investigate enough, didn't ANALYZE!
Now I'll admit that the war in Iraq is of far greater consequence than the war on file-traders, but if the mass media, the PARAGON known as the "New York Times", can't get it right with regard to Iraq, how the HELL can we expect it to get it right in the downloading world?
Today's "New York Times" contains a Reuters story about certification of downloads as gold or platinum. Gold is 100,000 and platinum is 200,00. If we listen to the CRAP expounded by the RIAA and its member companies, they'll tell us these low thresholds are representative of an EMERGING MARKET! That all technologies start slowly. BUT, they expect digital downloading to grow into a healthy business that will be a profitable revenue stream existing next to CD sales.
WHAT A BUNCH OF SHIT!!!
Digital downloading is not a nascent business. The sale of copy protected singles for an exorbitant price is. But, file-trading has been going on for FIVE YEARS, and is MORE POPULAR THAN EVER! MILLIONS of people are doing it right this very second. Somewhere north of FIVE MILLION! But to the degree this market is referenced, it's only with the goal of STAMPING IT OUT! HOW CAN THIS BE???
I'm not saying that the public should be able to file-trade for free. Just that there's a vibrant marketplace that the RIAA member companies REFUSE to authorize/monetize.
What's it going to take to make the public aware of the hypocrisy? To learn that the RIAA isn't interested in upholding the law, rather conforming the distribution of music to a model THEY accede to and/or control? Do we have to make a MOVIE?? Showing the amount of money STILL PAID to the fat cats while the underlings are laid off? Showing all the OVERHEAD saved by these corporate mergers whilst fewer records are going to be released? Showing the waste on videos? Meetings where execs are only interested in getting their projects on MTV? Indies like Tony Brummel testifying how THEY seem to find new, vibrant acts and sell hundreds of thousands of copies of their acts' albums and MAKE MONEY??
Untruths abound. If file-trading is the scourge it's supposed to be, how is it that CD sales ARE UP when trading is at an all time high?
And to the degree that sales are down from their absolute peak, one can attribute that to cynical moguls interested in rigging the game to sell their lightweight pabulum rather than distribute the TRUTH! Upon which this business was founded. People listened to the Beatles, followed their instructions. Who are we supposed to follow today? Britney Spears? J. Lo?
Subscribe to Feed
