Digital asse(t)s

November 10, 2003 1:05 PM

Think the RIAA is doing something new by threatening and suing? Think again... it's all part of a 4-step process.
posted by clevershark (13 comments total)

Yes, but instead of Stage 4 being "Quiet Acceptance," the RIAA will be pursuing an alternate Stage 4: "Getting Favorite Horse Declared a Senator Before Terrorizing Senate into Declaring Self a God."

Or in the RIAA's case, an entire pantheon.
posted by scody at 1:28 PM on November 10, 2003

I'm gaving a problem with Stage Four, "After a while, the industry then realizes that piracy is par for the course and that there is no way it can completely be defeated."

I have yet to see an industry accept, even tacitly, that piracy is inevitable. I see just the opposite, with product activation becoming even more invasive and groups like the BSA gaining widespread support. Providers of digital content -- be it audio, video or compiled code -- are becoming more sophisticated and crackers are having a difficult time keeping up (despite felt tip pens and the control key).

It's also worth noting that the RIAA tactics are proving somewhat effective. Millions of files are being deleted from home computers and since the recent flurry of litigation Kazaa usage (measured in Gigs available) is down by at least a third.

I view the new Napster and Apple Music Store less optimistically than Mr. Louis and see it more as a way for copyright holders to co-opt P2P as yet another way to make a buck rather than any true evolution towards a more open model of digital rights management. Not to mention the vast amount of demographic data being collected from anyone who signs up for such a service, in the long run that information may prove to be more valuable than all the bootleg .mp3's in the world.
posted by cedar at 2:06 PM on November 10, 2003

I believe it's actually a three-step process, one of those involving underpants. I could be wrong, however.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:37 PM on November 10, 2003

Odd how it all seems to continue repeating itself.

No, it's not.
posted by WolfDaddy at 2:47 PM on November 10, 2003

Sony's now moving into copy protection on their CDs.
Another label to avoid in addition to EMI.
The bit I liked was "All copy-protections can be hacked, but if we give people what they are asking for in terms of value, they won't go out and steal it. It's called trusting the consumer."... says the company implementing DRM to stop it's customers "stealing" it's music!

I guess they're so bamboozled by their own deluded doublespeak, their sense of the absurd has entirely disappeared.
posted by Blue Stone at 3:47 PM on November 10, 2003

I've always felt the music industry needs less of a four-step process and more of a 12-step program.
rim shot!
posted by wendell at 4:22 PM on November 10, 2003

i simply refuse to sympathise with all the bitching until y'all reveal how many CD's you bought this week. because if y'all bought even one, you are hypocritical supporters of this corrupt 'industry', rather than the outraged consumers you portray yourselves as.
posted by quonsar at 5:16 PM on November 10, 2003

Lucky I bought one last week.

My integrity is preserved!
posted by Blue Stone at 6:54 PM on November 10, 2003

I just bought twenty-five CD's, they're filling up quickly so I may need to buy more soon.
posted by cedar at 7:08 PM on November 10, 2003

ROFL cedar!
posted by quonsar at 8:02 PM on November 10, 2003

Quonsar: "how many CD's you bought this week because if y'all bought even one, you are hypocritical supporters..." blah blah blah

I haven't bought any CDs this week. Money's been tight. Wish I could buy more CDs. I try to support my favorite local musicians whenever I can, however I'm able.

I recently bought Amy Jo's latest EP which was phenomenal, and I bought a couple of Tiffany Shea's pre-release discs for her upcoming CD when I caught her show on lower Greenville here in the Big D a couple weeks ago, and Kristy Kruger's gonna be in town soon so I hope to buy from her the latest full release CD she's been working on, called "an unauthorized guide to human anatomy." Been looking forward to her getting a full band backing her up again... [/namedropper shame=off]

I'm sorry. What's a RIAA? Didn't they sell something called "eight tracks" a long time ago?

You should be careful in your allegation slinging, Quonsar. Just because someone buys CDs doesn't mean they support big bad business. And sometimes business isn't bad in the music industry, if the company in question sincerely wants to support the artist. I generally prefer to buy my CDs directly from the artists who make the music. I like giving the money to them face to face. It's a very small thing but it helps them and it lets them know someone appreciates their work. I only wish I could do more.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:35 PM on November 10, 2003

You should be careful in your allegation slinging, Quonsar.

shame on you for even thinking such a thing!
posted by quonsar at 11:30 PM on November 10, 2003

cedar: I'm not being optimistic about step four (Disclosure: I authored the entry linked to). I'm just saying in the article that they finally see some value in that step and start adapting to the new model without fighting head on. How they adapt is a different ball of wax. In the case of the Itunes music store, they mollify people into a position that makes them accept control from Apple (see this entry I did on the recent Itunes for Windows. What I see happening in the not so distant future is that for every new step, the majority is just using sharing tools (piracy, P2P, etc...) because a need is not fullfilled. In step 4, business start fullfilling the need, albeit in their own way.
posted by TNLNYC at 10:47 AM on November 11, 2003