“It’s a form of piracy, if you will, but not in the classic sense as we think of it,” said Martin Machowsky, a musicFirst spokesman. “Today we gifted them a can of herring, about their argument that they provide promotional value. We think that’s a red herring. Nobody listens to the radio for the commercials.”
I am shocked. Actually, stunned. The RIAA is asking for royalties for radio broadcasts of music, arguing that radio is making billions off the backs of recording artists. The National Association of Broadcasters argues back that without radio, most of these artists would be like any other mediocre garage band, unheard and pretty much only playing your college campuses and local bars. (I tend to agree with the NAB.)
The RIAA have their bought-and-paid-for Senators and Representatives (and from the looks of it, it’s really “bipartisan” legislation) pushing proposals through their respective bodies of Congress.
WTF is wrong with the RIAA? I used to believe I knew that answer, but with every lawsuit they file, with every bill asking to hack listeners’ PCs, with every bill asking to destroy radio, I am left stunned and shocked. They keep biting the hands that feed them — first us, then the medium by which we [are supposed to] discover music.
I cannot fathom any artist wanting to be a part of this organization anymore.
