Hilary Rosen resigns from RIAA

January 22, 2003 3:16 PM

Bye Bye Ms. Rosen. Hilary Rosen announces a decision to depart the RIAA. Is it REALLY about her children or does the RIAA want to soften it's image. Rosen's tendency to polarize the situation with hard-hitting threats like this may have finally broken the camels back. As a friend said - "Things for RIAAare just going to get worse as music sales decrease, piracy increases, and responses to it alienate listeners of all stripes, who just want to hear some tunes, man."
posted by bkdelong (26 comments total)

ding dong the witch is dead...
posted by quonsar at 3:18 PM on January 22, 2003

quonsar, I done tole you she didn't like the donkeysex spams.
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:20 PM on January 22, 2003

Great! Best news all day!

(ya know that Hey, Hey, Goodbye song the crowd sings at the end of a blowout football game? It's goin' through my mind right now, Oh yeah.)
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:24 PM on January 22, 2003

I know this guy, he renamed "Hilary" his WinMX desktop icon, and the Kazaalite is "Rosen"
posted by matteo at 3:26 PM on January 22, 2003

OMG quonsar, you took the words right out of my mouth...

Too bad there's all those pesky RIAA flying monkeys about.
posted by password at 3:26 PM on January 22, 2003

There's an old saying about when your worst enemies are finally gone, someone worse always seems to take their place. I'm hoping that's not something that'll come true, but I fear it probably will.
posted by mathowie at 3:29 PM on January 22, 2003

Hey, Hilary?

Na na na na, hey hey-hey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye

On preview: ^5 Wulfgar!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:31 PM on January 22, 2003

mathowie, as long as Jack Valenti doesn't step in ...
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:32 PM on January 22, 2003

Deeyyam, number 1, must you be such a voice of gloom? This is a good day; a fine day.
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:33 PM on January 22, 2003

Na na na na, hey hey-hey, goodbye
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye

Now come on, Crash...couldn't you have posted a link to the mp3 instead?
posted by mathis23 at 3:40 PM on January 22, 2003

There's an article in Wired this month about her... she says "Record execs think I'm soft. Everyone else says I'm a hard-ass monster." SO I doubt the RIAA is getting soft, they are probably looking for someone stronger.
posted by banished at 3:42 PM on January 22, 2003

Hilary Rosen isn't the enemy you probably think she is. Do take a look at the Wired story when it goes live here tomorrow.
posted by anildash at 3:55 PM on January 22, 2003

"Now come on, Crash...couldn't you have posted a link to the mp3 instead?"

I'll give you the answer to that question after this all shakes out.

Until then, I'm afraid I have no knowledge of this "mp3" of which you speak.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:56 PM on January 22, 2003

Having read the Wired story I'd say she left because she thinks the record companies are full on morons. She believes in the cause, but thinks the record companies refuse to accept reality and are set on a path to failure.

Why get beat up over a sure defeat?

I despise the woman. But I think the labels are worse. Much worse.
posted by y6y6y6 at 4:06 PM on January 22, 2003

The aforementioned article in Wired is a gooder, and points out that Mr. Rosen is sort of like Darth Vader to the 5 major music industry CEO's Emperor Palpitine.
She's the public blame hound bombast-machine that allows them to operate at something of a distance.
She, ultimately, is as meaningful as any other figurehead.
posted by dong_resin at 4:19 PM on January 22, 2003

No no no, y6y6y6 and dong_resin ... Rosen helped gather young voters and music lovers together with the Rock the Vote campaign and then ferociously bit them on the ass when with the RIAA. She's a hypocrite of the highest order and any scorn laid on her personally is very well-deserved.
posted by WolfDaddy at 4:30 PM on January 22, 2003

Oh, well, sure, I agree totally wolfdaddy.
I mean in the grand scheme of the RIAA's plans she's just a figurehead.
$20 says she was asked to leave so the industry would look a little less draconian while they ramp up their attacks on individual music swappers, such as they are now in position to do, with the verizon ruling.
posted by dong_resin at 4:36 PM on January 22, 2003

mathowie, as long as Jack Valenti doesn't step in ...

Valenti? Piece of cake, just pester him a little for those cute White House stories about LBJ having meetings while he was on the john, and old Jack will be eating out of your hand in un momento.
instead, looks like this guy is going to lose his job very soon. he's got the right attitude and m.o. and tactics, maybe he's going to get a call from RIIA very soon...
posted by matteo at 4:45 PM on January 22, 2003

RIAA obviously
posted by matteo at 4:46 PM on January 22, 2003

Checking in on the above mentioned article in Wired this month.....very humanizing profile which helps point to the true myopics at the head of the music industry. Altough Hilary surely doing some PR spin of her own.

But perhaps best of all is the large photo of Hilary jamming to some tunes on an iPod.
posted by tdstone at 4:46 PM on January 22, 2003

Although Hilary's surely doing some.....damn.
posted by tdstone at 4:49 PM on January 22, 2003

Dunno what scares me more: the image (albeit unfair) of Hilary the RIAA Witchbitch I've been carrying around in my head or the reality of the quiet army of faceless gray-clad lawyers they'll undoubtedly bring to bear.
posted by alumshubby at 5:18 PM on January 22, 2003

Ah, matteo, so if someone is eating out of my hand, they won't feel me cramming my DivX rips of my DVDs up their ass?
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:22 PM on January 22, 2003

well, it all depends on what brand of cd's you're using, I guess
posted by matteo at 5:43 PM on January 22, 2003

Brace yourself for somebody worse. It can always get worse.
posted by kevspace at 7:27 PM on January 22, 2003

Hillary Rosen, the last dotcom flameout.

Buh-bye.
posted by NortonDC at 7:55 PM on January 22, 2003