DefectiveByDesign Supporters to Call on RIAA Execs 444
johnsu01 writes "DefectiveByDesign.org is organizing a call-in campaign for today. People around the country will be calling high-ranking RIAA officials to deliver the message that DRM is an unacceptable restriction on the freedom of consumers and citizens. DefectiveByDesign will provide the numbers to call when you sign up. This action should attract the people who thought that Apple was not a good target because it is the RIAA that requires DRM and those who think that wearing HazMat suits is obnoxious. Everyone can vote with their dollars, but that doesn't tell the RIAA why they aren't getting the dollars. With a few thousand people signed up already, they will undoubtedly know after today."
Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers .. (Score:5, Insightful)
Why should I have to sign up? Just post the damn numbers and then request I sign up, and explain why it's important. I mean, I know that requiring registration is by no means the equal of DRM, but on some philosophical levels it does present it's ironies
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Funny)
It's "Kaitiff".
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:3, Insightful)
Those goals are reasonable - but can be attained without forcing a signup to get the numbers.
You can ASK people "if you participate, please let us know".
And you can ask them to choose a number by rolling a die.
I'm not saying that the registration is evil, it's just counter intuitive in this context, not to mention annoying.
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
Why should I have to sign up? Just post the damn numbers and then request I sign up,
simple.
Trolls. They are trying to limit the number of trolls. for every one moron spewing profanity and "1 0wn J00!" at them that destroys the credibility of 20 honest and professional calls.
So limiting the idiots and morons that screw things up helps make the ration of intilligent to idiot much higher.
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Interesting)
BugMeNot has basically destroyed that mold. I wonder if the "sign-up" thing is like, a DefectiveByDesign is actually an RIAA shill that's trying to collect the names of people who call in who are likely pirates...
Sorry, what with the NSA and State Secrets and such, these days, anything that requires me to give personal information has me second-guessing motives (as implausable as this one probably is.)
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:3, Interesting)
Really? Because my land-line is unlisted, and my cell phone doesn't appear in there either. So, how exactly does this "magical book" include me?
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, but the phone book doesn't contain a correlation with "likely to be a pirate".
According to the RIAA numbers on the losses due to pirating, I would have to disagree with your assumption. Based on their numbers, if you're listed in the phone book, you're likely a pirate.Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:4, Insightful)
My guess is they want people to register for the same reason that internet petitions aren't worth crap -- anonymity is ultimately a form of obfuscation, and when you're trying to tell someone something they don't want to hear, they'll jump on any excuse to devalue the legitimacy of your position.
But yes, it's a perfectly valid point, there is certainly some irony there.
Re:Ugh. Why can't they just post the damn numbers (Score:5, Interesting)
I just don't understand whatsoever how "registration" is supposed to make anything more credible by making people use "real" information.
Name: Joe Blow
Email Address: joeblow123456@yahoo.com
Postal Code: 12345
It's a ilttle silly to assume or even expect people to give real information on "registration" forms these days.
BTW, my real name isn't Asphalt.
Here are the phone numbers for RIAA execs (Score:5, Informative)
We need to take actions like this as a community, because it's our best (and possibly only) tool. We don't have lobbyists cozying up to government officials, and we don't have the money to pay to Learjet the politicians to a nice dinner on a private island. But we do have strength in numbers, and if only we have the backbone to stand up and make our views known, we can make a difference. Because I'm not sure the MAFIAA has backbone; their backs are stiff just because they're so stuffed with money.
By the way, the DefectiveByDesign.org web site only shows ten call reports from people having made phone calls. When I tried to submit my report, I got an error message. So maybe the site isn't working properly. I hope in the end we do get a tally of how many people responded.
Brad Buckles RIAA USA (202) 857-9607
Mitch Bainwol RIAA USA (202) 857-9651
Cary Sherman RIAA USA (202) 857-9632
Mitch Glazier USA RIAA (202) 857-9673
Neil Turkowitz RIAA USA (202) 857-9647
Steve Redmond BPI UK +44 (0)20 7803 1324
Peter Jamieson BPI UK +44 (0) 20 7803 1311
Matt Phillips BPI UK 44 (0) 77 3951 4963
Michael Haentjes IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-0
Peter Zombik IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-0
Jean never Foitzik IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-23
Herve Rony SNEP France +33 (1) 44 13 66 66
Graham Henderson CRIA Canada 1 (416) 967-7272 ext. 102
Re:Here are the phone numbers for RIAA execs (Score:3, Informative)
Since it is now after 5 on a Friday, you may want to try reaching them at home.
Mitch Bainwol, RIAA USA, lives close by in Fairfax Station, VA at:
8400 Crosslake Dr, Fairfax Station, VA 22039.
Phone is (703) 690-1678 [google.com].
Thank him and his wife Susan for their campaign donations to George W Bush [googlerace.com]. Or ask him about his other $29,800 [opensecrets.org] worth of campaign donations.
Maybe you want to talk to him about his three kids: Emily Rose, Brent and Garrett [findarticles.com]. I hear Emily [google.com] has a very
Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
I couldn't agree more. Nobody is being forced to buy their stuff. Even if the big labels were the only outlet of music (and they're most certainly not) you _still_ wouldn't have to buy anything from them. You don't see me protesting McDonalds because the Big Mac is a piece of crap - I take my business elsewhere.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Interesting)
The RIAA might be very surprised to hear that they're actually losing money to DRM, and how DRM actually PROMOTES piracy.
If I have the choice between for-pay content, and pirated content, I'll take for pay, because it's neutral re functionality, and thus I make the moral choice. If I have the option between pirated and DRMed, I will select pirated, because pirated is superior (no restrictions).
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
Bob
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm no longer buying CD's, for two reasons:
1. I don't like having to check each CD I buy to see if they're DRM'ed
2. CD's are old-fashioned anyway.
I like buying music online, but I don't use stores that enforce DRM, simply because I want to be in control of my music collection. So, where does this leave me? I can buy from AllOfMP3, and hope that some money goes to the artist(s), or I can download for free using various filesharing apps. If I didn't have a credit card, I would have no option but to pirate.
The record companies/riaa need to know that their distribution methods are getting too old, and that DRM doesn't work the way they want it to. What they need to do is to make their music easier to access/buy (And screw prices that makes an album online cost the same as a jewel-case in a store!). And they should be told so. By enough people to be heard!
Re:Good luck with that (Score:4, Insightful)
Or, simply not derive pleasure from someone's work without due compensation. Unless you think it's your 'right' to listen to good music. Something tells me those with the money, but not the card, to purchase the music aren't sending checks to the artist after they pirate their music.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, you just roughly described the business model of a record label.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
That is what live shows are for. CDs should not be the big moneymaker. Charge for them what it costs to make them, maybe a little more. Sell them for $5 a piece at a cd release party show. Etc.
I don't see any local bands freaking out because people enjoy their music and share it. They love it, b/c it gets people to their shows, and lets those people enjoy their art.
If you suck, you have no right for huge profit simply bec
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Interesting)
Sounds like a good idea to me. Download an artist's music off of limewire or whatever for free, and send a check directly to the artists saying "hey, I downloaded 10 tracks, here's a check for $10.00. F*** the RIAA." That would get the RIAA's attention real quick, and show that people aren't against paying for stuff, they are against being treated like criminals.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Interesting)
--I don't want to be anonymous to the artists, but I don't want to be identifiable to the RIAA, having just confessed about piracy (Legally, it still is piracy, since the RIAA owns those recordings)...
--Some artists would probably share a percentage with the RIAA...
--Having thought of that, it occurs to me that the RIAA still deserves a cut for the marketing that they did which resulted in me discovering the mus
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
"The above situations would remove a tangible product from circulation thus preventing someone who wanted to pay for it from doing so and removing real property from a place of business. Downloading a file that you could not purchase even if you wanted to does no such thing."
Good point, but the fallacy of "I don't have the money to buy it" becomes really easy to rationalize. I'd wager that 9 times out of 10, the person given the "download the track for a buck or get it on P2P for free" does have the m
Re:Good luck with that (Score:4, Insightful)
If the only supplier of housing was a monopoly who imposed DRM and high prices on all housing, would you suggest they not buy housing too? granted we can survive without shelter too.. exposure to the elements does not necessarily equal death after all.
of course.. you could live like an animal.. do nothing but eat, sleep, work, and crap.. without culture we are not human. I'm sorry but culture and cultural participation are essential to humanity, nearly as essential as food, we've had this argument before but since you've decided to post redundantly so have I, and damn the karma, i wont have this "just dont buy it" fallacy bandied about without rebuttal.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:4, Insightful)
Industrial components are standardised. If I buy an M6 nut from one supplier, I can be sure that it will screw onto an M6 bolt from any other supplier. If I buy a length of 15mm. copper piping, I can similarly be sure it will fit any 15mm. compression or soldered elbow, tee, reducer or valve. If I need a 10K ohm resistor, or a diode which will handle 6 amperes with a maximum reverse voltage of 400V, I can buy ones which perform identically from any of several suppliers.
If, however, I want to listen to the song "Whenever, Wherever", I can only find this song sung by Shakira, and only on Epic Records -- a label owned by Sony Music. Everytime someone spends several pounds on a copy of the CD, Shakira herself -- the one truly indispensable person in the equation -- receives a few pence out of this money. Logically, anyone should be allowed to make their own copy and send Shakira the same sum of money as she would have received had they bought one from Sony. Yet, for some reason, this is not allowed. If this were allowed, then there would not be a monopoly situation, since various entities would be competing to supply the same music as though it were a standard industrial part, and the market would decide matters for itself.
{Note 1: anyone is free to make recordings of classical music which has entered the public domain.}
{Note 2: in some European countries, you used to be able to buy cheap and cheerful LPs and cassettes -- CDs weren't invented then -- containing poor-to-terrible cover versions of popular British and American chart hits. I suspect this is no longer the case. Any Continentals care to comment?}
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
"Logically, anyone should be allowed to make their own copy and send Shakira the same sum of money as she would have received had they bought one from Sony. Yet, for some reason, this is not allowed."
The reason is, of course, that it's Sony who funded the production, marketing, and distribution of the CD. In turn for investing a significant amount of money, their contract with Shakira states that they are the exclusive distributors of the recording. If Sony doesn't turn a profit, they're out of busine
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Informative)
By this argume
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
Fallacious comparison:
If McDo had a DRM, your only choice would be either junk food or starve.
Re: What if the Big Mac had DRM (Score:4, Interesting)
If McDonalds fell under the DMCA, you can choose to buy a Big Mac or not (see exceptions below). Regardless, you still have the option of finding food elsewhere. However, if you purchase the Big Mac, you will be bound by a very specific set of rules found on the inside of the wrapper: You are the only person authorized to consume the Big Mac, you may not sell it or offer it to others. You may not examine, disassemble or modify the Big Mac (e.g. you cannot take the pickles off, or add more mustard, cut the burger in half). You may not tell others how to perform these actions, or possess or traffic in tools to assist with these actions (e.g. a knife). You must consume the Big Mac from the original wrapper; it may not be placed on a plate, in a lunchbox, or in a fridge. The Big Mac must be purchased and consumed within the US, and the right to consume may be revoked at any time without warning. Violation of any of these conditions will make you subject to civil fines (upwards of $150,000US per instance) and possibly criminal penalties.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
I can not-buy-music, too. In fact, I generally do - I buy very little music, largely because of this set of issues. There's also a pragmatic/economic issue lumped in with it. If CD prices were halved, I'd likely buy more than twice as many. If they were cut in thirds, I'd likely buy more than 3 times as many. But as the price declined further, taste and storage would become the limiting factors, so from their perspective, it wouldn't make sense to lower my
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Interesting)
That would be a better analogy if McDonald's was trying to require that every plate and fork in the world refuse to work if the plates and forks thought you were eating McDonald's food in your car when the food was only licensed for home. McDonald's doesn't try to interfere with the plate and fork market. The RIAA and the Movie And Film Industry Association are, right this minute, trying to get an
Re:Good luck with that (Score:2)
....which is just another way of saying that the product is crap. In fact, "DeffectiveByDesign" says it all - the product _is_ sub-standard if it has DRM. However, I am no more forced to eat a Big Mac because it tastes bad than if it tastest good but has some sort of DRM in it.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:4, Insightful)
True. However, usually they'd like to know why you're not buying a product. If you dislike McDonalds because they only serve fatty food, then they might consider some healthier options. But that will only happen if they know about it.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
be blamed on piracy, and used as lobbying ammo for keeping and
extending draconian DRM/copyright laws.
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Good luck with that (Score:2)
Re:Good luck with that (Score:3, Interesting)
"It sounds more like a bunch of peopl
DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:5, Insightful)
Call me cynical, but does anyone else find it sad that this is promoted as such a "cause" to fight for? Has consumerism come so far that we are now protesting the things we buy? This [defectivebydesign.org] isn't really the context that I think of when I think of a 'freedom fighter' (their label, not mine).
Though, I suppose, it's not like there are any wars or civil liberty issues to protest nowadays.....
All that being said, DRM sucks.
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:5, Insightful)
Despite this the elite long for those days long ago when serfs were forced to work without pay and without the right to property for the enrichment of their masters receiving only "security" in return. (that was the case.. after all the "lords" were there to protect them from raiding hordes after the fall of the roman empire)
As such, they have now found a new way of stripping away our right to own and govern property using technology and the great constitutional end-run known as contract law.
Make no mistake, this is a fight for freedom. It may not be as glorious, as roudy, or as conventional as you remember, but then again the american revolution was unlike any war since as well.. no grand columns of soldiers, but guerrilla attacks which the british considered "cowardly" and "childish". (see the original lyrics to yankee doodle for references)
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'll say it again - DRM sucks. But I really dont see how it is stripping away your right to own and govern property. It may be restricting your ability to use the property they are trying to sell you - but guess what? You don't have to buy it. Nobody is forcing you to buy music from major record labels. Even if they were the only show in town (which they aren't) you still wouldn't have to buy a single CD from them.
That's where your analogy colapses. Whereas the British had soldiers with guns that actually did force you to do something (i.e. pay taxes) the only one you have to blame for buying a Britney Spears (or whatever) CD with DRM is yourself.
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:5, Insightful)
Part of the term "property" involves the owner's right to fully govern it, not some corporation or elitist slobs.
It may be restricting your ability to use the property they are trying to sell you - but guess what? You don't have to buy it. Nobody is forcing you to buy music from major record label
And nobody is forcing you to breathe air.
I think its about time this straw man was debunked. Culture is as essential to humanity as air, food, shelter and water, and like it or not the RIAA and their related organizations have a near monopoly control over the most popular and dominant expressions of our culture. If we do not own our culture and have a right to participate in it I say our "sentience" is highly overrated, and we need to go back to the trees where we belong.
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:3, Interesting)
Holy hyperbole batman. Culture is not as essential as air, food, shelter or water. Try not buying a CD or DVD for a month and t
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not? Because people _are_ free to participate in culture. If what exists sucks (or at least does in your opinion) you can go out and create your own works or, if your talents don't lay in that area, can support someone who does make something to your liking. Modern technology has even made this (arguably) easier to do nowadays then ever before.
look.. participation does not mean simply "consumption".. it means remixing, sharing, communication, etc. DRM prevents that, so no, we _are not_ free to participate in culture.. thanks to DRM we are only free to _consume_ what they dispense.
Further, youre right there is far more to culture than what the music and movie industries offer, just like there is far more to the world than what major industrialized nations have to offer, that doesnt change the fact that what these music and movie industries have to offer makes up the _majority_ of our culture and we deserve the right to participate in it rather than simply _consume_ it.
Finally, we are not human if we do not participate in culture.. we are no better than the animals we claim differ from us..
why not extend that argument from culture to food.. we can go much longer without food than we can air and water.. why not cut out food.
would you tolerate it if the government mandated we eat nothing but kibble for food? dog food is more nutritious than our food but would you tolerate it?
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:3, Insightful)
So you are suggesting that all cultural work should be free to everyone to do with as they wish? I respectfully dis
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:3, Interesting)
The tail is waging the dog here... the entertanment producers have figured out how to tell us what to like, our "culture" does not reflect a greater truth about our humanity other than how it has been diminished.
Having said that, I am a hypocrite, I have a modes music collection, I watch some TV and I enjoy movies. I at least try to form my own opinions about what to like and not lik
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:2)
My REAL problem with the recording industry/RIAA isn't DRM (although it sucks)...it's the PRICING! Let me get this straight. I supply the internet connection, the computer, the portable player, the CD burner, and I still have to pay 0.99 a song? Gimme a break. Normally I wouldn't quible over 0.99 but if songs were cheaper (0.25) I'd
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:4, Informative)
Note: I have no affiliation with eMusic, other then being a satisfied customer.
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:5, Insightful)
We live in a society that worships at the alter of the free market. The invisible hand can do no wrong and anyone who claims otherwise is a dirty commie. The abundant nature of data on an open network is heresy to this new religion though - the market requires scarcity to function. A scarcity must be introduced so that the glorious march of capitalism can continue.
On the other hand, any IP law is a law that can be used to restrict what information is held on and communicated between computers is a restriction on free speech. Call me crazy, but governments shouldn't be adding more of those.
I'm not sure if harassing certain people will have any effect on this struggle, but it might be worth a shot.
Re:DRM is the new Vietnam? (Score:3, Insightful)
To use a CD precisely the way you want it, you may need to hold down the shift key when you load it into your computer. The person who spoke freely about that received legal threats.
To use a DVD precisely how you want to, for example putting it on a hard disk for easier access or for legally authorized backups, you need a magic 40-bit number. Someone who merely *linked* to a
Mr. Asshole isn't in right now... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Mr. Asshole isn't in right now... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Mr. Asshole isn't in right now... (Score:2)
Drunk Dialing the RIAA (Score:5, Funny)
Something that I do when I'm drinking at 2 or 3 am is drunk dial people. This is pretty much a curse as I proceed to leave indiscernible/garbled phone messages for my victims.
Thanks to this website, I'll now be able to leave those messages on RIAA answering machines. If I get an RIAA representative on the phone, it will be perfect because:
Re:Drunk Dialing the RIAA (Score:5, Funny)
Careful there, if you do that RIAA might actually get back to you...
Real-world DDOS (Score:5, Interesting)
Imagine if every Wal*Mart in a given city had a swarm of "customers" walk in, fill up a cart with goods and then abandon it. You can bet it would make the local news if it were done right. Even the national news. Look how that guy who recorded his "cancel my account" AOL experience. He managed to get digg and slashdot to cover it, and then it spiralled out onto the cable news networks. That one story could have profound effects on the entire AOL customer service staff.
Old School (Score:5, Funny)
Better still (Score:5, Funny)
I know, old hat, but still funny
Re:Better still (Score:5, Funny)
DefectiveByDesign ??? (Score:4, Funny)
Here Are the Numbers! (Score:4, Informative)
John McCain (AZ), (202) 224-2235
Conrad Burns (MT), Main: 202-224-2644
Trent Lott (MS), (202) 224-6253
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), (202) 224-5922
Gordon H. Smith (OR), (202) 224 3753
John Ensign (NV), (202) 224-6244
George Allen (VA), (202) 224-4024
John E. Sununu (NH), (202) 224-2841
Jim DeMint (SC), (202) 224-6121
David Vitter (LA),(202) 224-4623
Co-Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI), (202) 224-3934
John D. Rockefeller (WV), (202) 224-6472
John F. Kerry (MA), (202) 224-2742
Barbara Boxer (CA), (202) 224-3553
Bill Nelson (FL), (202) 224-5274
Maria Cantwell (WA), (202) 224-3441
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ), (202) 224-3224
E. Benjamin Nelson (NE), (202) 224-6551
Mark Pryor (AR), (202) 224-2353
PLEASE MOD PARENT UP (Score:3, Funny)
Congress/Senate? (Score:3, Informative)
Steve
Re:Congress/Senate? (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh... Our bad. We thought you were looking for RIAA Executive lackies? Not the Exceutives themselves.
Not the RIAA... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Here Are the Numbers! (Score:5, Informative)
Brad Buckles RIAA USA (202) 857-9607
Mitch Bainwol RIAA USA (202) 857-9651
Cary Sherman RIAA USA (202) 857-9632
Mitch Glazier (202) 857-9673 USA RIAA
Neil Turkowitz RIAA USA (202) 857-9647
Steve Redmond BPI UK +44 (0)20 7803 1324
Peter Jamieson BPI UK +44 (0) 20 7803 1311
Matt Phillips BPI UK 44 (0) 77 3951 4963
Michael Haentjes IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-0
Peter Zombik IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-0
Jean never Foitzik IFPI Germany +49 (30) 59 00 38-23
Herve Rony SNEP France +33 (1) 44 13 66 66
Graham Henderson CRIA Canada 1 (416) 967-7272 ext. 102
a good email address was sacrificed to spam to get this information... use it wisely.
Re:Here Are the Numbers! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Here Are the Numbers! (Score:3, Informative)
Try dialing (202) 857-9600, which is the root of their voicemail system, then use the person's extension to get to their direct voicemail.
(202) 857-9600
Brad Buckles 9607
Mitch Bainwol 9651
Cary Sherman 9632
Mitch Glazier 9673
Neil Turkowitz 9647
Try to be polite and professional.
Will this be effective? (Score:4, Insightful)
If they can be convinced not to make too much fuss about everything on this earth, maybe things will be OK.
my 2 cents
Re:Will this be effective? (Score:2)
The RIAA is like a union. It gets started to increase the strength of its members, but by the time it is no longer needed, certain people have intrests in keeping it around.
How to get people to sign up (Score:3, Insightful)
I think the email would go something like this:
Dear defectivebydesign Team
I called that fantastic number you supplied me with. I was confronted with a recorded message stating "Welcome to RIAA, DRM department, the person you are looking for is not available at the moment. Please leave a message and he'll/she'll get back to you as soon as possible. Your call is important to us. Have nice day"
How to get a lot of people to sing up to your page:
1) Find a lot of people on the internet
2) Find a cause they all hate
3) Give them a little hope by signing up to your page
4) Sell thier details to the highest bidder for spam production
5) Profit profit profit
Voting with Dollars (Score:5, Interesting)
I do love this idea. Has any one else noticed that if we reduce ourselves to voting with our dollars, then ordinary people get about 37,000 votes a year if they are lucky, while Corporations and the super rich get millions or billions of votes?
Boycotts may or may not work, but they should not be the primary means of collective bargaining for the people. The collective bargaining agency supposed to stand up for the rights of the people is called the government. Or at least, that was the impression I got.
It's always great to watch the lightbulb come on.. (Score:3, Insightful)
>voting with our dollars, then ordinary people get about 37,000 votes a year if
>they are lucky, while Corporations and the super rich get millions or billions of votes?
Ah, at last you see the light. This is precisely the way the world works.
Steve
Re:Voting with Dollars (Score:3, Insightful)
Purchasing power is not always proportional to purchasing, especially with respect to entertainment.
Re:Voting with Dollars (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Voting with Dollars (Score:3, Insightful)
The government should be a manifestation of the peoples collective will to protect their rights, and ensure compliance with their responsibilities. The government is responsible for protecting peoples rights. When they fail it is the responsibility of the people to protect their rights by changing the government. Your government does not protect the rights of the pe
Re:Voting with Dollars (Score:3, Insightful)
"Plays for sure" = "Plays for now" (Score:5, Insightful)
Any system that restricts copying the music you paid for will eventually lock out the paying customer. I refuse to spend real money on a disappearing product.
Sadly, it won't help (Score:4, Insightful)
Lose lose situation (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes it does. If you stop buying RIAA music because you are against DRM they will blame it on pirates and make even worse DRM initiatives. Either way - we lose.
IMHO. (Score:5, Insightful)
If you want to hurt them, we need to convince record labels that they don't need to employ what is basically a "task force posse" to protect their interests. Striking at the heart of the beast would be most productive. What we need to do as good, strong minded, mostly intelligent people is start some new record labels that are specifically designed with low profit margins and realistic salaries, and start campaigning to get major artists moved over to our labels that pass on more profit to them. We need to rob the RIAA supporting labels in the good old fasioned american way, which is build a better alternative.
Re:IMHO. (Score:3, Informative)
That said, I'm in: zachary.pruckowski@gmail.com Let me know if I can help. I've done a lot of work at concerts in college (still there).
Re:IMHO. (Score:3, Informative)
This will only validate the RIAA's position (Score:4, Insightful)
Chicken Meet Egg (Score:3, Insightful)
Futhermore no one forced Apple to adopt support for DRM, and so we should be wary of the notion that Economic Rationalism somehow renders them inadvertent victims of these lobbyists and would-be legislators. Apple are actively supporting the reduction of use-rights and will no doubt continue to develop technologies to these ends.
they won't care (Score:3, Insightful)
CDs (Score:3, Funny)
http://foamyhost.com.nyud.net:8080/swf/cds.swf [nyud.net]
Funny, and too true.
More alike than unalike? (Score:3, Insightful)
The RIAA thinks exactly the same thing...
Why not use snail mail? (Score:4, Insightful)
Wouldn't it be much better to write a letter, put it in a manila envelope and send it directly to the RIAA exec. The key is to pay the extra dollar or so and get the Signature Confirmation [usps.com] service that the USPS offers. I think when an executive gets 1000 letters on his/her desk that ALL need signatures you tend to notice.
RIAA: A boycott that works? (Score:3, Informative)
On the RIAA page, there is a list of labels that associate themselves with the RIAA - remember, the RIAA is a group of labels, and other music related 'entities' that like the lobbying power that the RIAA gives them.
Not buying CDs, videos or DRMd files is not going to hurt the RIAA - they make their money from 'dues' from the individual labels. Not buying CDs will only help the RIAA make a case that it's due to piracy, and make that case to those who make the laws.
However, if a boycott was organized that picked, let's say five, (smaller) labels from that list, and let them know that no CDs from them will be purchased that month or year by the organized boycott, calls of piracy hurting sales could be refuted on that smaller scale,(Not that they can't be refuted now...)
Labels who think that calling their customers thieves, handing out lawsuits, restricting fair use, and lobbying for the demise of independent music is ok will get a message that their customers will not stand for it.
Issues with this:
In order to work this boycott has to be big, organized, and educated. Big, so the set of music the particular few labels include intersect with the boycotting group. The boycott doesn't work if no one was going to buy that music anyway. Those sales 'lost' to apathy will be blamed on piracy, and used to lobby for more restrictions and copyrightholder power.
Oraganized, so that the chosen labels (picked by size and choice of music: see above) get an actual message : "You are being boycotted by x number of people who have agreed that they will not buy your labels offerings until: (insert ultimatum here - hell freezes over, a year passes, or my favorite, disassociation with the RIAA) This notice should be sent anywhere that would reproduce it, and those not 'signed up' should be ...
Educated, so that they know what the RIAA is (not a company per se, but a collection of companies), why the boycott is happening, and how they can help.
There are certainly other things to take into account, such as the 'list' is by design, not accurate. There have been cases where the RIAA has claimed membership by some small (and suddenly successful) lables, in order to present a 'united front' and spread the message that RIAA=success/no RIAA=obscurity.
I'm convinced that the only way to kill the RIAA is to go after the legs - small and medium labels that support it. Once these smaller labels have severed their connection with the RIAA, the RIAA will have less money to lobby for DRM and the extention of copyrights, less money to pay lawyers to sue your dead grandma, less money to push their skewed facts, figures and arguments to an uneducated public.
Remember, the RIAA's money comes from labels and manufacturing, whose money comes from you. Small, focused strikes by a large educated group are the only way to win.
Re:Alternatives! (Score:3, Insightful)
Nearly any song you might want is available on the Internet, for free. You might think that everyone would just go and download music for free when they want it (the RIAA seems to hold that opinion) like the amoral consumers they are. Well, obviously not. Many people buy music both from online stores and on CD, even though they don't have t
Re:Alternatives! (Score:3, Interesting)
I pirate music like a maniac, I have 2 300 gig drives full of mp3's from friends, relatives and friends of friends as well as the rarer stuff I need to pirate bay for.
I will happily buy CD's when they are at a value I am willing to buy at and that number is $10.00.
I have been looking for good CD's of TUBES music for nearly a decade, the completetion backward principah has not been released on CD. I found a "best of" that contained almost all
Re:Freedom? (Score:4, Insightful)
You're confusing a private citizen with their position as a leading figure in the RIAA. Yes, phoning them at home would be objectionable, but I don't see how ringing the office is an affront to freedom. They're not compelled to be in that job, and can always hang up.
Well when the industry itself resorts to dirty tricks (e.g., Sony rootkit), what do you expect?
Re:Wrong People To Attack (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Vigilanteism (Score:4, Informative)
Re:The problem looks a lot different in their shoe (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The problem looks a lot different in their shoe (Score:3, Informative)
That doesn't seem to be true. There are businesses selling DRM-free music. They have been mentioned in the "Alternatives" thread, and elsewhere. As an example, eMusic is listed as the #2 retailer [arstechnica.com] of downloadable music. There are many artists giving away their music or selling it directly to fans in order to get people t