UK Recording Industry Wants Allofmp3 An Issue at G8 248
alveraan writes "According to a the BBC, 'the UK recording industry is urging the foreign secretary to raise the issue of Russian bargain music download website allofmp3.com at the G8 summit'. British Phonographic Industry (BPI) chairman Peter Jamieson wants Margaret Beckett to 'urge the Russian government to take action against the operators of the site by insisting that it is removed from the internet'. Allofmp3 has insisted in the past that it is operating in compliance with Russian copyright laws."
Be Ashamed (Score:4, Insightful)
They have no shame. (Score:5, Insightful)
As far as they're concerned this is one of the most important things in the world...someone is impinging on their leeching! Their blind, rapacious greed is the overriding impulse in their miserable lives.
Nothing would suprise me, coming from them. I literally can't imagine a depth that they wouldn't sink to, given the opportunity.
Re:They have no shame. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:They have no shame. (Score:4, Insightful)
The RIAA & its ilk have to use the power of the government to _force_ people to pay them.
Any true capitalist would know that this is not a viable free-market business model.
Re:They have no shame. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:They have no shame. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:They have no shame. (Score:3, Interesting)
No they would have a service. Exactly the same as it is now. Somebody has to run a storage and download service for recordings, and they are doing it well (no matter public domain or not; in fact some older Russian recordings allofmp3 offers are in public domain).
Re:They have no shame. (Score:3, Insightful)
Providing a service that people are willing to pay for doesn't make it any more legal or moral. Hired killers also provide a service that people are willing to pay for, is their business any more legitimate because of that?
I know the analogy is terrible, and that "copyright infringment isn't theft and it isn't a crime", but nonetheless, it is still breaking the law. You have the right to not agree with the law, but you must
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what makes an issue seem important? Voices. Voices create the feeling of presence. And surely, if there is presence on behalf of a particular issue, then that issue seems important. Unfortunately for the masses, a small number of rich people can buy voices and create presence, thus promoting their own ideologies as important.
I kind of feel that this post should be moderated as "Well duh," but perhaps a reminder never hurts.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what makes an issue seem important? Voices.
Close, but not quite. Most politicians have learned to ignore voices pretty damn well. What makes an issue seem important is how much money, power, and/or fame they can use the issue to obtain, or how much money, power, and/or fame they stand to lose if they ignore the issue. For most politicians, unless you can promise them that listening to you will bring them one of those three things, they couldn't care less what you have to say.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:5, Insightful)
I definitely agree with you, 110%. I think an addendum to that would be that there are in fact times when politicians don't have an opportunity to pursue their self-serving interests, when the opposing pressure is too great and the spotlight is too bright; basically, a politician is only as honest as the people keep him.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:3, Insightful)
It isn't like most of the G8 countries aren't dealing with those issues.
P.S. The international community can deal with more than one thing at a time. Economic issues represent 50% of the G8's mission statement.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:5, Insightful)
People wonder why none of the dictatorships are being intimidated by the supposed power of the UN. The answer is simple. If the wester countries ignore the UN, so can they. *cough*War in Iraq*cough*.
If the US can just trample UN resolutions without any sanctions, do you think the dictators have any reason to belive the UN can have any power over THEM?
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2, Insightful)
It's really a shame for them because the UN actually
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2)
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2)
You can thank all the nations that have permanent Vetos for that one.
There is no doubt that a body overseeing decisions made by the UN is hugely important, but to give any country a permanent veto is just a recipe for dysfunction - China and the US are both guilty of that.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2)
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2)
What's funny is (Score:2)
i.e. "The day that
Gotta love it.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2)
Of course, you could argue that whole premise, but then you'd be getting into "why are you posting on Slashdot when you could be feeding a hungry child" territory.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:3, Insightful)
Just because someone robbed a bank doesn't mean the police should stop arresting kids for stealing candy.
Re:Be Ashamed (Score:2)
Re:Bush has a plan! (Score:3, Informative)
You know...I keep hearing people say that, but, I make WAY less than that...and I did see my fed. taxes drop.
Now..if they could just get me out of that damned ponzi scheme they call social security, I'd be all over that. I'd sign over my rights to everything I've contributed so far, just to get out of the program, and take what I'd normally contribute to my own retirmement investment plan...
But, that's another debate entirely.
International Influence (Score:5, Insightful)
With the UKRI pushing their agenda in allofmp3.com's backyard [g8russia.ru], at a conference of international powers, this becomes an international issue.
Whatever happens there is likely to serve as some sort of moral precedence and influence legislators in the US as well.
except that (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm still hoping that two things will happen: 1)Bands will distribute their own music digitally (creating the need for more small recording studios), bypassing the need for a contract with a label, and 2)radio stations get their balls back and start actually doing their jobs. And by their jobs, I mean sampling as much music that is out there that they can and playing what they think is best, not just what they get handed by the corpor
Re:except that (Score:2)
Re:except that (Score:2)
Trouble is...most radio stations in the US are OWNED by two major corporations. Those stations don't have a choice in what they play...that is dictated from way above.
I think that is actually a large problem for music today. I remember listening to o
Re:except that (Score:2)
I can remember listening to some "underground stations" (yes, on AM) back in the mid and later '60's out of Detroit and various cities in Ohio that would play all kinds of stuff you couldn't even find in the "record stores".
It wasn't until the early '70's that I caught on to the fact that the Beatles were popular- I had been listeniong to the likes of "Fat Mattress"(their bass player later joined Jimi Hendrix as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience), Whitew Rhino, MC5, and Ted Nug
Re:except that (Score:2)
I guess that is my problem...I guess a combination of lazy and busy...I miss the days when I could find the latest music and it was also pretty diverse just by listening to the radio. I just don't find the time to go out and actively search through tons of websites to download and listen through tons of crap to find the 'gems' that I'm sure are out there.
Would be much better to be able to listen in the car on the way to work, and catch new and decent st
Re:International Influence (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:International Influence (Score:5, Informative)
"And the more they push it, the more people will hear about allofmp3.com. Some of them may visit the site, and see how cheap it is to distribute music online. They may start to realise that it's possible to distribute that 99 iTunes track for 10, cover all distribution costs, and still make a profit."
I was at Best Buy the other day, looking at large flat panel monitors. They were nice, but I just couldn't justify buying one for $1,000. Then when I was in the parking lot, a scruffy looking kid called me over to his car. His trunk was open, and he had some monitors that had "fallen off the truck". And they were only $100! This guy has really shown Best Buy that it's possible to sell a $1,000 monitor for $100, cover all distribution costs, and still make a profit.
"They may start wondering if the recording industry really deserves to be getting 90/track for music that was recorded decades ago by people who are now dead, of if they deserve a 900% profit margin."
It is not mathematically possible to have a profit margin of more than 100%. ITYM "900% markup." But is your issue that record companies charge the same price for music by dead people as they do by people who have not yet shed this mortal coil? If so, do you only pirate music by dead people? A related question: Magnatune [magnatune.com] allows you to download a CD's worth of music for as low as $5. That's still several X the price of music on the Russian sites. Do you think that this makes Magnatune greedy? At least the traditional record companies will front the artists the production money; Magnatune does no such thing. Do you think they deserve to charge so much?
Smart people -- on both sides of the piracy debate -- know that the record industry is hugely competitive and highly speculative, and that the reality is that net profit margins are actually quite low. With the exception of the big media conglomerates that happen to have recording company arms (and you shouldn't be buying music from them anyway), it's exceedlingly rare to find a record company in the Fortune 500, and the reality is that most record companies are like Magnatune -- they have very small staffs and everybody is generally over-worked and under-paid. This is why there's an inherent issue with flying the "the record companies are greedy" flag when making the choice to pirate or use the Russian sites. At the least, there's the karma issue: it's easy for us to declare that somebody is greedy or makes too much money by some arbitrarily standard when considering whether we're going to violate their rights. But no matter how much money we make, somebody with less money than us just might make that same arbitrary decision about us.
Re:International Influence (Score:2)
I largely agree with your argument apart from this bit. Firstly Magnatune doesn't have a crapload of money to do this like the big companies do and secondly the big record companies don't hand the artists free money, they have to pay that loan back out of their royalties, which, given how much a CD sells for is a relative pittance.
Re:International Influence (Score:3, Insightful)
You seem to be saying AllofMP3 are thieves. They pay licence fees under Russian law, basically operating under the compulsory licensing model as used for radio broadcasters in many countries. The various foreign music companies could get their cut, admittedly not as much as they'd like, if the
Doubtful (Score:5, Insightful)
But I'm sure it makes great press for the British recording association to push at their membership to show why they're paying them dues...
Re:Doubtful (Score:2)
Re:Doubtful (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Doubtful (Score:2, Insightful)
But what can they use to put pressure on the Russians? Mr Putin has threatened to turn off the gas before, and he might do it again if he don't like being pushed around by the MAFIAA [mafiaa.org].
Re:Doubtful (Score:3, Insightful)
More interesting question is what if they allowed AllofSoftware.com.
I do not think they do, but the question is worth asking.
Copyright Holders (Score:5, Insightful)
Victory lap for Putin (Score:3, Insightful)
The purpose of this meeting seems to be to give the gangster Putin a victory lap. He liked Yukos so much he made it a country and got it into the G8. To think Putin and his cronies will be making champaign toasts while Khordok
Re:Victory lap for Putin (Score:2)
Re:Copyright Holders (Score:2)
Ahh, your true colors are shining through. There is nothing inherently wrong with being rich. If you were rich, I seriously doubt you would mind. The problem is the individual, not the money.
Re:Copyright Holders (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, distribution of wealth is a major problem. An even bigger problem is the fact that money apparently buys the rich the ability to push a political agenda that will make them more money and worsen the already problematic distribution of wealth.
Re:Copyright Holders (Score:5, Informative)
2. Most "big" bands also don't bitch about people sharing their music.
3. I don't bitch about wanting those peoples efforts for less money, most recorded music is shit, and I either buy or download the rest depending on various factors.
4. I don't bitch about outsourcing either.
The Music industry needs to get some perspective (Score:5, Informative)
The G8 summit is gathering of the worlds most powerful leaders to discuss important topics.
From the agenda page [g8russia.ru]:
This year, we plan to urge our partners to redouble efforts to ensure global energy security. We believe that today, it is crucial to find a solution to a problem which directly influences the social and economic development of all countries, without exception.
I am convinced that our efforts towards attaining this goal should be comprehensive and must stimulate stabilization of the global energy markets, development of innovation technologies, use of renewable energy sources and protection of the environment. We believe that today, we must think very seriously about ways to bridge the gap between energy-sufficient and energy-lacking countries.
The spread of all kinds of epidemics in the world emphasizes the need to step up the fight against infectious diseases. We are convinced that the creation of a global system to monitor dangerous diseases, the development of regular interaction between experts from different states, and broader exchange of research information about dangerous viruses will have a major positive influence on the solution of these serious problems.
In addition to the current agenda, we also plan to raise the issue of education in the G8. In our opinion, the time has come to focus on ways to improve the quality and effectiveness of national education systems and professional training. We must find tools for encouraging the international business community to increase investment into this sector.
Other major international issues we will concentrate on during Russia's Presidency are counterterrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the settlement of regional conflicts, the development of the global economy, finance and trade, as well as protection of the environment.
This is about saving lives and fixing major things wrong with the world and should not be bothering about some fucking music website.
G8? Saving lives? (Score:2)
Offtopic, I know, but since you brought it up...
These are the guys who've been having third world countries to open their markets using loans as bait, whilst protecting ( and hence dumping ) agricultural exports from theirs.
From Agricultural Policy [wikipedia.org]...
Re:G8? Saving lives? (Score:5, Insightful)
You have a whole spectrum of opinions on this. You start with France which is furthermost on the "pro subsidy" and "screw the africans, oh god they will flood us". On the other side you have UK and Germany which would like to see the subsidies abolished because they do not produce a lot, but provide Uncle Jacque with financial means for screwing the aftricans via their contributions to EU Common Agricultural Policy. Then you have the Russians, Canadians and the Americans which would like to see these abolished for a completely different reason. They think that they can outcompete everybody else on sheer scale and industrial methods in the absence of subsidies.
So on, so fourth. G8 is definitely not uniform on this. If it was it would have reached to an agreement on agricultural issues very long ago. That is not the case. They are on the agenda every time. Both in G8 and in the EU budget hearings.
Anyway, if you have objections to this, France is the right country to bitch about. They are clearly the worst as far as subsidies are concerned.
Re:G8? Saving lives? (Score:2)
What happens fifth?
Who cares about poverty in Africa? (Score:5, Funny)
Global economy/government? (Score:2)
I know that a "global economy/gov't. is coming, but who is to say we (western/NATO) is right?
This is interfering in RUSSIAN gov't., WTF?!?!
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:5, Insightful)
As I recall there was a Russian programmer arrested in the united states from violating the DMCA when he was in RUSSIA under the direction of his employer for the actual purpose of COMPLYING with RUSSIAN law.
( although I suppose arguably he was arrested for telling people about it on U.S. soil)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Sklyarov [wikipedia.org]
If I'm not mistaken we also went into a small country called Panama and arrested it's dictator( read the guy who made the laws in that country and couldn't be accused of breaking his own laws) for trafficking Drugs in the country HE ran. We then took said president, ran him through a trial for crimes he DID NOT COMMIT ON US SOIL OR US JERISTICTION and he is now permanently in Jail for drug trafficking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Noriega [wikipedia.org]
Ever heard of the Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe doctrine.
The U.S. has been disrespecting autonomy of other nations for years.
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm just getting fed-up with our (USA) gov't. upholding big business at the detriment of individuals, and wondering where to apply the oath I took (and seriously took to heart-I cnsider myself a patriot) to defend the USA Constition against enemies foriegn and DOMESTIC.
It has become really stressful for me at a personal level. I can't decide where to draw the line, but am afraid that my indecision is already PAST the line. I just don't know anymore, and this dismays me.
To me, it seems a fine line between protecting your country's existance and keeping same nose out of other country's existance, I am afraid we are rushing across that fine line with a veangeance at the behest of some of our powerful corp.'s/lobbyists...and that disgusts and angers me.
I dunno, something has to give, I'm just afraid of just what gives anymore.
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:2)
Note: above comment is not sarcastic or disgenuine in any way.
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:5, Interesting)
I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested.
He spoke to the U.S. Congress in 1934 to reveal and thwart a fascist takeover of the government that had been plotted by wealthy industrialists. I wish a heroes from the military would have the courage today to stop the neo-conservative fascist (backed by wealthy industrialists) takeover of the US government.
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:2)
Re:Global economy/government? (Score:2)
I used dictator in one place and president in the other.
the point is still stands regardless. sorry for the confusion.
bigger issues (Score:5, Funny)
Asian Software Piracy (Score:4, Interesting)
If AllOfMp3.com IS following Russian copyright law, not a thing they can do. The RIAA has been making knee jerk reactions over the last few years and you would think there would be some backlash...maybe that backlash is responsible for their reported sales figure decline? I'd have hoped for a much stronger showing in opposition of them though when they started filing law suits against grandmothers.
Granted, there are more important things in the world than the RIAA ledger. This is not a world problem issue, this is something minor in the face of whats going on right now.
All the things she said, erm, USED to say (Score:3, Insightful)
Other than not ship to Russia? What about dropping all Russian artists (such as tATu)? What about threatening to restructure the record companies to pay less tax to the United States (and more to foreign countries) if the US Department of State (and foreign counterparts) do not act to persuade Russian governments to recognize MAFIAA copyrights more thoroughly? Do you intend to underestimate record industry think tanks?
Re:Asian Software Piracy (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Asian Software Piracy (Score:2)
Re:Asian Software Piracy (Score:2)
Better question: how many "pressing overrun" CDs were made and surreptitiously shipped by record labels off the books that never showed up on artists' royalty statements? This is one of classic ways in which labels have ripped off artists over the years, and one of the reasons why so many have so little love lost for the major labels and their cartels.
Many have suspected this one reason the lab
All this Hypocrisy (Score:4, Insightful)
But when the same countries come up with innovative ideas and start beating the same business giants at their own game, they suddenly scream bloody murder and plea to their governments for protection from "unfair" competition.
Sweet! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Sweet! (Score:2)
This is nothing more than a flareup of the same conflict that has been going on for the last 60 years.
Clinton spent a lot of time & effort cooling off tensions in the Middle East & I'm not sure what G.W. Bush could have done to avoid the current situation.
A lot of people (the Vatican, various U.S. allies) are saying that Israel is overreacting & making the situation worse than it started out.
Re:Sweet! (Score:2)
I'm seriously thinking about figureing out where the nearest bombshelter is even though I'm some 3000km from the nearest war.
Re:Sweet! (Score:2)
This is nothing more than a flareup of the same conflict that has been going on for the last 60 years.
Try the last 2000 years, give or take. But the relationship between the arab/muslim world and the western/christian world hasn't been all that great since 2001, I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. Israel and Hizbollah start a little pissing contest, the arab nations get involved (hint: they've been at war with Israel several times since WW2), US troops in Iraq gets pulled into this shit, Ir
Am I the only one... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Am I the only one... (Score:5, Funny)
Who the hell says "phonograph" any more? :-)
Apparently the same people who are scared to death of the internet.
Re:Am I the only one... (Score:2)
Re:Am I the only one... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Am I the only one... (Score:3, Insightful)
"...who reads that as "British Pornographic Institute" every time I see an article about them? Say what you will about the RIAA, at least their name is clearer."
Not hardly; each time the BPI is mentioned, somebody does the "phonographic / pornographic" joke.
"Damn anachronistic Brits. Who the hell says "phonograph" any more? :-)"
If you want to be modded up again, the next time somebody mentions AT&T, you can point out that nobody says "telegraph" any more. And if the NAACP should happen to com
Having solved other problems... (Score:4, Insightful)
Because, you know, there aren't third world countries with rampant militants who will shoot anything, and children going hungry, and human rights violations, and the middle east isn't breaking out in all hell.
I mean, since we have all those big problems taken care of, now we can get down to the little petty issues. Right?
Right?
Hey, I want something too (Score:4, Insightful)
This isn't news. This is a PR stunt. If they actually do discuss this at the G8 summit (they wont), I would call this news worthy. At best, the US might make a quick speech about curbing piracy in the context of improving global trade and then sit down.
The music industry can want and wish all it wants. As the old saying goes though, wish in one hand and shit in the other. See which hand fills up first.
Pay no attention to world hunger (Score:5, Insightful)
Greedy shitheads.
Re:Pay no attention to world hunger (Score:2)
The UK recording industry doesn't record music - they're just an organization to protect the existing channels of distribution, and exist exclusively for the benefit of those channels of distribution, not music creators or consumers.
Besides, this should be the last thing for world leaders to be bothered with - ever.
But is AllOfMP3.com really legit? (Score:3, Interesting)
Is AllOfMP3.com legit (in the USA, or for sake of the article, the UK) or not?
Do artists get paid or not?
Are customers liable if they purchase and download?
Re:But is AllOfMP3.com really legit? (Score:4, Informative)
You can find info about it, and links to the acts, on wikipedia.
Re:But is AllOfMP3.com really legit? (Score:2)
Whether they win or lose, I am glad they are increasing awareness of allofmp3.com. Legality aside, allofmp3.com shows one thing very clearly; the operating costs of a music store. It is possible for t
Re:But is AllOfMP3.com really legit? (Score:2)
"Legality aside, allofmp3.com shows one thing very clearly; the operating costs of a music store. It is possible for them to sell tracks at 10 each and still make enough to cover their operating costs and make a profit on top. This shows the average consumer exactly how much profit the labels are making on a 99 iTunes track (or a $1.45 iTunes track if you buy it from the UK music store)."
Are you of the understanding that once the payment to the record company is subtracted, Apple's operating costs are s
I don't get it (Score:3, Interesting)
It's working here in the home of the (decreasingly) free, land of the (usually) brave.
Reminds me of that frat girl complaint you hear (Score:2)
"I demand my nude picture be removed from the internet immediately!"
Well. Good luck with that.
Someone to speak for me (Score:3)
Russian September (Score:3, Interesting)
They'll never get to it at G8 (Score:2)
Allofmp3 must honor the Berne Convention (Score:3, Informative)
- All copyrights created in the Soviet Union are owned by the government.
- All other copyrights are owned by the government in the Soviet Union.
- These laws do not apply to Tetris.
Copyright law since the collapse:
- All copyrights are owned by whomever can find them in the files of the bureaucracy formerly known as the government of the Soviet Union.
- This law does not apply to Tetris.
===
Beyond the humor, does anybody know anything about Russian copyright laws? Do they have any? If so, how do they handle copyrighted material from other countries? If they have escaped the Berne Convention by dissolving their government, can they stay free? Can we (the U.S.) use the same method to escape? Even if Russia signs/has signed the Berne Convention, can they apply for the "Developing Country" exemption clauses?
[Please wait for research...]
Unfortunately, Russia surrendered to the Berne Convention in March, 1995. The U.S surrendered in 1988 (effective in 1989). Brunei is the latest victim; they are not afflicted with the terms of the Berne Convention until August.
OT: Any country may denounce the Berne Convention 5 years after it is in force, with the expiration of force taking effect 1 year after the official denounciation. Can I send the notification on behalf of the U.S.?
I could not find a list of countries taking advantage of the "Developing Country" clauses, but the clauses seem to have expired on Jan 1, 2006.
Applying this to the discussion, Russian copyright law must include the awful terms of the Berne Convention, so Allofmp3 must respect the copyrights of creators in the United Kingdom (founding member, 1887). From the article, Allofmp3 states it complies by paying royalties to 2 Russian organizations. The issue is those organization do not have the right to license works from other countries, and are not paying any royalties outside Russia.
Re:Allofmp3 must honor the Berne Convention (Score:3, Informative)
Russian original [copyright.ru] | English translation [wikisource.org].
The legal basis for allofmp3.com's operation is mostly buried at the end of the law, in the articles on "collective administration of economic rights".
The USSR signed the Berne convention in 1973, but specifically mentioned the convention was not to be applied retroactively. So all foreign works created before the joining date (some day in 1973, I don't remember) are in the public domain
Good to see priorities are straight (Score:2)
Wrong use of time (Score:2)
There are much bigger issues in the world then this... Or did all our world problems get fixed last weekend and missed the press release?
Take it off the internet? Wrong response. (Score:2)
Duh.
BPI contact details (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I'm a allofmp3/alltunes user (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'm a allofmp3/alltunes user (Score:2)
"As soon as another site allows me to set what encoding I want and what bitrate with no DRM, they will get my business. Unfortunately the music industry doesn't understand any of this."
The worst mistake you can make is to underestimate your enemy.
They likely understand just fine that there's a certain set of people who'll go to the Russian sites or P2P if they want DRM-free versions of major label releases; the fact is that they simply do not want you as a customer. The cost of releasing material in
Re:Oh the Howwuh... (said like Elmer Fudd) (Score:4, Insightful)
"That means they'll only clear a few billion this year instead of the extra hundred million or so that never makes it to the hands of the people who matter most in all this: the artists themselves. The most important people in the music business are the composers and musicians who write and perform the music and the producers and engineers who put it all together."
Allofmp3.com does not help this situation. I find it highly doubtful that allofmp3.com is paying them anything close to what's fair. And they are most certainly not paying the producers or engineers; those people are salaried or contractors and the record company pays them whether the record makes money or not. Buying from allofmp3.com ensures that a couple of Russian guys get money (which I suppose is a good thing), but it leaves the record company to foot the bill for making the music a reality. Or, in other words, "payback."
"For those of you out there who like say... Nelly Furtado, if she put her songs online at her own site for legal download at $.25 a track, she'd be a very rich woman."
This is a very common claim. Slashdotters are often quite full of advice for people in the recording industry. While there are certainly plenty of examples of musicians who've managed to eke out a living selling their music without a recording contract, and instances of bands releasing stuff on their own after their contract is up or they're dropped from their label (TMBG is one example), the fact is that there are still many, many more people who want recording contracts than actually get them. Why haven't Nelly and countless others done the right and proper thing? Broadly speaking, one of three possibilities is correct:
Except it's legal in Russia.. (Score:4, Informative)
They pay their license fees just like radio stations and music retailers do in the states..
just because the price for their compulsory license fees is much lower, and the PBI/RIAA is greedy, doesnt mean it's illegal or wrong.