According to CNET News, the RIAA has settled their suit against a 12-year-old honor student. The suit was one of over 260 brought against users of peer-to-peer file sharing networks that downloaded music illegally. Apparently, the child's parents must pay $2,000 in return for the RIAA dropping it's case.
Well, if that doesn't make you all warm and fuzzy inside, I don't know what will! Gee willickers! I had the RIAA all wrong. Up until now, I thought of them as some faceless, robotic entity driven to punish the general public for their own shortsightedness regarding music in the digital era! I guess it's true--even the largest corporate entities can show a little softness now and then.
Honestly, has the RIAA really sunk low enough to charging a 12-year-old girl in a housing project $2,000 to "set an example?" Look, we all know that distributing copyrighted material is wrong, but is THIS the way to address the problem? The RIAA and all the major record labels out there are trying a last-ditch effort to save themselves from plummeting sales. They know they missed the boat on internet music delivery, and now they're making us pay for it.
The funny thing is that, none of this would have happened had the recording industry lowered prices of CD's many, many years ago. Considering they cost less than a dollar each to manufacture and master, there really was no reason for them have a disgustingly high retail price of $18.99 for so long.
Let's also consider the fact that today's music is, sadly, single-oriented and extremely watered down. In the 70's and 80's, most music was more album-oriented. A group/artist was given a recording contract, and they worked hard in the studio to produce a solid 10 songs every year or two. Nowadays, the industry is only concerned with the next big thing, and they'll throw a massive multi-record deal to just about anyone--whether they deserve it or not. As a result, every album that's released has one good song on it... maybe. The general public has finally caught on to this, and has realized there's no reason to buy 20 bucks worth of drivel for one song they think is "catchy."
Unfortunately, the record industry gave up on marketing and selling affordable singles years ago. They no doubt realized that no one would buy the crap they were peddling if they could avoid it. Honestly, who would have bought CrazyTown's entire debut album if they could get their hands on a cheap CD single of the song "Butterfly?" No one!
So, because of all these mistakes on the recording industry's part, we have to suffer. CD prices were always too high, the music being marketed was crap, and our economy sucks... why not fine the public that keeps you in business?
This just in: The RIAA has just raided a retirement community and dragged a 90-year-old away in handcuffs for downloading "Achy Breaky Heart." Too bad he didn't buy the whole album on his fixed income.
