In case you missed it, a few years ago the recording industry (known as the RIAA, and more specifically comprised of Warner, EMI and Universal) sued the shit out of file-sharing companies like Napster, Kazaa, etc. Last year, they settled for Hundreds of Millions of dollars of royalties they swore up and down were owed to their artists.

But the artists are still wondering where their money is.

Of course, the RIAA swears they are 'working on it' and that much of the money was used up in legal fees.

So, when the landlord asks for the rent, artists can simply say they're 'working on it'?

It's the hypocritical system I've made fun of for years. Anyone who has half a brain can follow this anti-logic:

-Fans (via retailers, natch) pay money to the Recording Industry
-The Recording Industry keeps the money
-Artists get squat, with the few exceptions of those who are uber-famous, or smart enough to hire their own attorney.

So tell me again how the music industry is faltering, and then cry me a fucking river. They are a parasite that people had to tolerate before, but we don't need them anymore. If I want the new Jagged Spiral album, I'll buy it from them directly, and the money goes to the artist where it belongs.

In the American Music Business, those who make the product (artists) need to recognize the RIAA for what they are: the middleman, someone who gets inbetween the artist and the consumer, takes all the profit, and provides little by way of value.

Time to downsize, and let them go. Make sure to sue them first.

Once those corporate execs at the RIAA are penniless and living under a bridge, and they come up to you asking for change, just tell them you're 'working on it'...

The moral of the story is that the only winners in this system are the lawyers.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry