Here's Why the RIAA is hopping mad... (Score 1)

Because they know their days are numbered. Artist X signs a deal with a label, and with that comes all the RIAA support, BMI, ASCAP, etc. Label then sells Artist X's work for outrageous amounts, so they can give a cut to RIAA, ASCAP, BMI, themselves, etc. Artist X gets tiny percentage of the revenues. Now comes a new way to promote and distribute that same content. If Artist X has a significant audience, they can now sell that content at a drastically lower price, AND get more of the revenues in the end. As much as 80-90% more! If Artist X is not well-known, he finds other more dynamic organizations willing to promote and sell the work for less than the biga$$ labels. Maybe he sells only 50,000 copies, instead of 500,000. But if he's keeping just 10% more of the revenues, he won't care. Just wait until Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble start publishing works by well-known authors. BN's already done it with Stephan King. They're not looking for volume. They're looking for end profit. The labels will have to change. The RIAA has no future. Their future cannot even be legislated. I had a friend who wrote some music. Another composer wanted to put his music in a book. My friend looked into "protecting" his work. Turns out, he would have made absolutely nothing (and would have forfeited some legal costs) had he aligned with an agency. In the end, he settled for $300 bucks from the author of the book and felt pretty darn lucky to have made anything. I have no problem with an artist securing intellectual property rights, or maximizing profits from their work. I have a problem with spending the amount the labels ask me to. If the artists are smart, they will see this and the life expectancy of the RIAA will be numbered in days, not years.