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RIAA Wins Worst Company In America 2007 306

An anonymous reader writes "After 15 punishing rounds of combat involving 32 of America's most hated companies, 100,000 voters have spoken: More hated than Halliburton, more despised than Walmart, the RIAA has defeated all comers to become the Worst Company in America 2007."
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RIAA Wins Worst Company In America 2007

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  • I Demand a Recount (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:10PM (#18453995)
    Ok, just in case RIAA demands a recount, I've selected the final 8, and added 2 from the final 16 that were "close calls."

    This is a poll:
    Worst Company In America - 2007

    Verizon [impoll.net]
    U-Haul [impoll.net]
    Sony [impoll.net]
    Exxon [impoll.net]
    Clear Channel [impoll.net]
    Halliburton [impoll.net]
    RIAA [impoll.net]
    Walmart [impoll.net]
    Comcast [impoll.net]
    Best Buy [impoll.net]
    • by CokeBear ( 16811 )
      Exxon or Haliburton, tough call...
    • by Ethelred Unraed ( 32954 ) * on Friday March 23, 2007 @05:46AM (#18455967) Journal

      The truly funny bit was that this article came up with an ad for Sony's Blu-ray Disc Player.

      Cheers,

      Ethelred

    • by Alioth ( 221270 ) <no@spam> on Friday March 23, 2007 @06:53AM (#18456323) Journal
      The RIAA doesn't care if they are voted the 'worst company' - they have succeeded. Since they don't sell anything to the public, the fact that all the hatred has stuck to the RIAA _instead_ of the companies they represent, they have succeeded entirely in this goal - and I predict most people are too blind to this fact to see that this is anything other than an extremely hollow victory. The RIAA doesn't care if they are unpopular with the general public - because the general public is not their customer. So long as the hate and bile sticks to them, instead of the record companies they represent - they are winning.
      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
        Sony is a major member of the RIAA (Sony BMG), and they were hated on pretty badly. The other main publishers, EMI, Universal, and Warner, are also pretty hated in their own respects as well. Perhaps not EMI as much since they don't also publish movies and aren't associated with Hollywood, but the others are hated in their own respects.

        Also, the fact that a generally well-liked (at least in the past) electronics company like Sony can be hated and boycotted so much due to a sibling company like Sony BMG ju
    • Monsanto (Score:3, Insightful)

      by pauljlucas ( 529435 )
      I find it disturbing that Monsanto didn't make the list. There's companies that screw their employees (e.g., Walmart), companies that screw their customers (e.g., Best Buy), companies that screw all Americans (e.g., Haliburton), and then there's companies that screw all people on the entire planet. Monsanto falls into the last category.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:13PM (#18454013)
    Cowboy Neal Corp? That's always an option...
  • by phlegmofdiscontent ( 459470 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:14PM (#18454029)
    I thought they were an anarcho-fascist commune....
  • comcast (Score:2, Interesting)

    by deopmix ( 965178 )
    Why wasn't Comcast in the poll. I would have voted them all the way.
    • Re:comcast (Score:5, Informative)

      by rayde ( 738949 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:20PM (#18454095) Homepage
      um, sony beat them in the first round [consumerist.com]
    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Kristoph ( 242780 )
      If it makes you feel better, Comcast was the second most hated company in round 1.

      ]{
  • by niktemadur ( 793971 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:19PM (#18454071)
    As much as the RIAA has stirred up resentment for attempting to keep the status quo at all costs, including alienating the record buyer, I pretty sure that this poll was done before Halliburton announced that they're moving their headquarters to Dubai.
    • by grommit ( 97148 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:35PM (#18454235)
      It wasn't. If you bothered to click on the link in the summary and scanned down the page a bit, you would have seen the message about Halliburton moving it's HQ to Dubai just before Round 13.

      Unrelated to your post but I'm too lazy to create another post of my own: It's funny how 100,000+ voteS in the actual article turns into 100,000+ voteRS in the Slashdot summary. It seems that the highest number of individual voters in any single round was around 23,000. That's a pretty small sample size but considering that the people who frequent The Consumerist seem to be at least a bit more educated about consumer issues than your regular joe perhaps these votes count for a bit more than a poll that reached more people and got more numbers.
    • by Khaed ( 544779 )
      I don't know that the average American gives two shits about where Halliburton is HQed.
      • by mh101 ( 620659 )
        I don't... For that matter, I don't even know what Halliburton is.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
        The "Average American" (or as we call them, Joe Sixpack and Grandma, although Grandma is politically active and horrible with computers, while Joe Sixpack owns far too much technology he doesn't know how to use) also doesn't give a shit about "consumer issues", and thus they won't be going to The Consumerist's website. The people who would care, however, were already there, so that news did affect the results.
    • by dbIII ( 701233 )

      before Halliburton announced that they're moving their headquarters to Dubai.

      Annoying - I use their software which has already slipped to a yearly patch cycle and support has recently been moved offshore to people who do not understand the software - two or three days of email ping pong before my question gets to Texas. Another disruption will make things worse.

  • by biocute ( 936687 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:21PM (#18454107)
    For a moment I thought RIAA actually won a lawsuit against Microsoft.
  • by KKlaus ( 1012919 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:21PM (#18454109)
    It's not Sony BMG, Warner, etc at the top of the list, it's their front group the RIAA. People hate the RIAA? Guess what, that's exactly what it was created with in mind. Recording companies get to engage in strong-armed consumer-alienating behavior, but dodge the consequences because the "RIAA" is there to take the flak.

    So don't call this a victory for us! This is a victory for the record companies, because it shows that they have successfully redirected your wrath to a "company" (I don't know why the summary uses that word) that doesn't have a product, and could care less that you don't like them.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by yotto ( 590067 )
      I don't agree that the RIAA makes for a great front for Warner, Sony BMG, et al to use as a shield. I personally (and many friends of mine) won't buy from *any* label under the RIAA umbrella, and we use the RIAA-Radar [riaaradar.com] to help our purchasing decisions.

      Being in the RIAA can't help more than it hurts.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Voltageaav ( 798022 )
        My problem is, every band I like is released by members of the RIAA. I searched for quite a while and none of my favorite bands released albums that don't light up on RIAA-RADAR. Is Sirius considered RIAA associated? DoI have to cancel that? Should I just give up on music?
        • Should I just give up on music?

          How about finding new artists that aren't associated with the RIAA? There are a LOT of them out there, some of them are quite good, and a good number of them are just giving their music away.

          I don't know what kind of music you like, but I'll give you a few links to get you started:
          Archive.org's Music Section [archive.org] - There's a lot of good stuff under NetLabels
          Archive.org's Live Music Archive [archive.org] - Concert recordings from bands that allow it, including a good number of artists under RI

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by John Hasler ( 414242 )
      > People hate the RIAA? Guess what, that's exactly what it was created with in mind.

      Nonsense. The RIAA was formed in 1952 to do things like establishing standards for phonographs. Until recently the general public had never heard of it.
    • Recording companies get to engage in strong-armed consumer-alienating behavior, but dodge the consequences because the "RIAA" is there to take the flak.

      Wanna bet? Seems there was this thing on Slashdot not too long ago about CD sales numbers..
  • No Brainer. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Whiney Mac Fanboy ( 963289 ) * <whineymacfanboy@gmail.com> on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:23PM (#18454119) Homepage Journal
    RIAA produce nothing & sue consumers. Of course people hate them.

    From TFA:

    The message is clear. The internet cares deeply about being able to download music illegally.
    WTF? I think many, many people who respect others' copyright have problems with RIAA's tactics of suing random (often innocent) people, attempts to scare govt & the public by linking terrorism & piracy, and basically ignoring the fact that they have to change (or at least adjust) business models.

    Painting all enemies of RIAA as illegal downloaders is just stupid (or perhaps a troll?)

    Bootnote: This is mildly amusing for me, 'cause last thread I commented in I was accused of being a RIAA Shill [slashdot.org] (presumably that poster believes anyone who criticises Apple is a RIAA shill).
    • This is mildly amusing for me, 'cause last thread I commented in I was accused of being a RIAA Shill (presumably that poster believes anyone who criticises Apple is a RIAA shill).

      [offtopic rant] I sympathize . I have noticed a growing trend to amongst the more excitable element on slashdot to scream "shill" at anyone with whom they disagree. I was accused of being on the Microsoft payroll twice last week. Presumably I must have taken up a position with them after leaving Nintendo, because I was apparentl
  • by aldheorte ( 162967 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:23PM (#18454121)
    The RIAA is a trade group, not a company, although I have long wondered why they do not run afoul of anti-trust laws since they essentially serve as a vehicle for price fixing, joint litigation, and other forms of collusion between the member companies, which, taken together, represent a de facto monopoly in the music industry.
  • by lavid ( 1020121 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:24PM (#18454127) Homepage
    The RIAA will get a gift certificate for 100 song downloads at the iTunes store!
  • How Sad (Score:4, Insightful)

    by djlurch ( 781932 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:26PM (#18454147)
    How sad it is that the fight over music usage rights eclipses war profiteering by Haliburton.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by deblau ( 68023 )
      Halliburton affects millions of Iraqis. RIAA affects millions of Americans. You are an American. Do the math.
    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by downhole ( 831621 )
      How sad indeed... Is there anybody on this board that has any idea what Halliburton actually does? Or can at least spell their name right?
  • by descil ( 119554 ) <{moc.liamtoh} {ta} {netaret}> on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:27PM (#18454155)
    Take a look at the votes on their "Big Board" and you'll quickly find that their methodology is a complete crock.

    Comcast or Verizon or Microsoft could easily have won against the RIAA, given the appropriate competition on the big board. But, hahaha, to figure out who the "worst company" was they pitted the RIAA against United Airlines, U-Haul, Exxon, and Halliburton. Halliburton is the only one that was any challenge at all. Change the board around - make it RIAA against Microsoft, RIAA against Comcast, and you'll see different results.

    Furthermore, the RIAA v. Halliburton... so funny... RIAA takes money away close to home, Halliburton kills everyone in the rest of the world - but who is hated more? America, you fail. Rot in hell. :)
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Volante3192 ( 953645 )
      Comcast or Verizon or Microsoft could easily have won against the RIAA, given the appropriate competition on the big board.

      That's why in any bracket they always put the #1 ranked team against the #16 ranked team. (and #2 against #15...and so on, so the only "real" competition happens in the middle.)

      Check out your nearby Final Four bracket and check how they're grouped. I think you'll be pleasently disappointed. ...Although I'd say Comcast lost fair and square to Sony.
      • by descil ( 119554 )
        Is that actually considered a fair competition? I mean what's the point? There's no relevance that I can see.

        And, "Final Four? What's that?" ;)
  • When asked about his opinion on Halliburton's ranking on the Worst company list, Cheney was quoted as saying: "Number two? This is bullshit!"

    Totally stolen from http://www.theonion.com/content/node/48445 [theonion.com]
  • by Bushcat ( 615449 ) on Thursday March 22, 2007 @11:54PM (#18454377)
    Wondering (as one does) how much of a market there could possibly be for golden poop, I noted the Japanese writing on the screen and followed the trail to http://www.rakuten.co.jp/bif-shop/448445/156668/ [rakuten.co.jp]: so that award cost somewhere between $18 and $35. I see the little one doubles up as a rubber stamp, too.
  • I was originally going to vote MPAA the worst corporation ahead of the RIAA, but then I thought about the charming Jack Valenti and all the pornography he brings us. That couldn't help but make smile.
  • Come on Slashdot, don't you love polls? SCO should have made the prelims.
  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday March 23, 2007 @12:41AM (#18454679)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Their product also, when used as recommended, keeps me from killing people.
    • I must respectfully disagree with you jcr. I think RIAA is worse, because the tobacco companies aren't trying to force me to deal with tobacco. They have had no material effect on the march of anti-secondhand smoke laws, and there have never been requirements to smoke tobacco. I personally feel that people should be free to engage in risky behavior, so long as they are at no point lied to about it, coerced in any way, and so long as it does not risk anyone else. Tobacco failed on the truthfulness point back

    • And used as recommended, McDonalds causes heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

      What's your point? They're all selling assisted suicide.
  • Sad poll (Score:5, Insightful)

    by edwardpickman ( 965122 ) on Friday March 23, 2007 @12:51AM (#18454755)
    It's depressing to see where peoples priorities are. Haliburton steals tens of billions and New Orleans gets thrown to the wolves to make way for rich people's condos. Oil companies control the government and manage to surpress information about global warming that will affect the lives of everyone on the planet. What people are really concerned with is the free exchange of music, movies and software. People really do need to get their priorities screwed on straight. Anna Nichol Smith and Brittany Spears get more press than global warming and Haliburton. If music and movies are more important that corporations stealing billions from every american with the governments help we're in serious trouble. If you want to get upset get upset about something important. Music and movies could disappear overnight and we wouldn't loose a single life. Global warming is threatening millions and our grandkids will be paying for the eight year term of our current administration. Those are important things. Get angry at the companies behind that not the ones that are trying to restrict downloads.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Wylfing ( 144940 )

      Good luck fighting the Halliburtons of the world when you aren't allowed to learn about them anymore because all information is locked down on a "need to know" basis via nth-gen DRM, and even if you do manage to learn something, you aren't allowed to discuss it without facing felony charges because the other party didn't pay for a license. How about getting your priorities straight?

  • The RIAA is not a company, their job is to maximize damages on behest of the record labels againts infringers, violators and whomever (the trade labels deem elligible targets. Their goal is not corporate karma, international love or good faith. They maximize damages. This means an all out assault against ALL infrigers.

    Mothers, innocent parties, mentally handicapped, children, nuns, Kim Jong Il, it doesn't MATTER. They want you all to know that there is no international border that they will not cross, n
    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      Kim Jong II, oye mama !
      I wish RIAA would sue, win a default judgement against Kim and then to collect it, they proceed to Pyongyang, where they "suddenly" end up in Kim's version of Gitmo for enemy combatant.
      Man, that is one court battle i wish to see.!
  • by Nemus ( 639101 ) <astarchman@hotmail.com> on Friday March 23, 2007 @01:26AM (#18454949) Journal
    My school (MTSU) has one of the few Recording Industry Majors in the country; it's actually its own department here. It's a completely BS major (as in the cow product, not Bachelor of Science): in fact, they tell everyone who signs up that only 1% of them are likely to get a job in the recording industry. All of the musicians and sound techs who sign up typically drop out or go to a specialized technical school, so essentially the only people who make it all the business types: i.e. people who typically have no interest in music.

    I've met a few of the professors in the dept., all of whom have industry backgrounds, and let me tell you, meeting these guys and the graduates from these departments explains alot. You see, the the RIM college offers three basic majors: one for artists, one for techs, and one for business and pre-law in the recording industry. The most common? You guessed it, business and pre-law. These are the same asshats who, at any other school, would be learning how to ask for TPS reports and iguring out the best way to make partner in the shortest amount of time. Further still, I live in Murfreesboro, 30 min. away from Music Row in Nashville (or as we like to call it, Crackhead Alley), and I used to live in Nashville. When I lived there, I hung out in West End alot, and met alot of people in this business.

    So let me say this: some of these people are cool, and I mean no disparagement towards them. But, in my time dealing with alot of these clowns, I have met a higher concentration of assholes than in any other sector (including advertising sales, the Devil's Piggy Bank). Most of these guys could give a flaming crap less about the actual music they produce: the techs normally do, and the artists, of course, but the lawyers and admin. people are so incredibly full of themselves that it's ridiculous. What was always great was hanging out at Cafe Coco, still kind of a hotspot, but mostly Vandy kids now, and seeing one of these jackasses walk in and expect to be treated like the Lords of All. Please understand though, that when I pick on these guys, I'm doing it because, even in a world full of jerks, these guys oftentimes stick out.

    So, back to here at MTSU and our RIM dept. Quite literally, contempt of artists, techs, and fans is quite literally indoctrinated into these guys. I've sat in on some lectures, and my God. One of the classes was for artists contracts. I've always known how shady these things are, but to see completely unethical and illegal tricks being taught ina college course absolutely dropped my jaw.

    Essentially, what I'm saying is that the reason the RIAA is so friggin bad is because it is expected of them. MTSU got it's RIM dept. up and running before Napster hit, so you have to understand, some of the people involved in the RIAA's modern tactics almost certainly came from this dept., where, as mentioned, these kinds of illegal and unethical behavior are correct answers on practical test questions. Further still, there is a culture on the admin side of the business that expects people, even demands, that they act this way. You want to fix the problem? It's not about fixing the laws, or methods of distribution. These people will just find new ways to screw artists, fans, and techs over. To change the problem, you have to change the education and the culture: nothing else will do. How we do that though, I have no idea.

    • But, in my time dealing with alot of these clowns, I have met a higher concentration of assholes than in any other sector...

      That's a classic comment in LA. Movie executives are smart. Music execs are dumb. Making a movie is complicated; bringing a big production together is a huge management and organization job. It's easy to screw up, and the industry's tolerance for expensive screwups is low. Making a musical recording is a few guys in a room. "Music management" is sales, promotion, and bullying

  • Just hoping (Score:3, Funny)

    by gmuslera ( 3436 ) on Friday March 23, 2007 @01:46AM (#18455035) Homepage Journal
    ... that they get soon the Darwin Award, Company Edition.
  • Article text (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by updog ( 608318 )
    In case the original article is slashdotted, here's the original article:

    What is the Worst Company in America 2007?

    • Halliburton
    • Walmart
    • Microsoft
    • RIAA
    • CowboyNeal Inc
  • by briggsb ( 217215 ) on Friday March 23, 2007 @06:20AM (#18456161)
    The RIAA changed their mission statement [bbspot.com] to reflect their priority to stay the most hated company in America. I think it's a good strategy.

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