More RIAA News, this time there looking at cutting royalties to artists

[Justin24]

http://gear.ign.com/articles/849/849695p1.html

RIAA Plans to Cut Artist Royalties
On digital tracks. Only persecuting pirates got old.
by Gerry Block

February 5, 2008 - The rather loathed RIAA, most recently infamous for pressuring Congress to pass the PRO-IP Act, has now turned its unwanted attention upon the very people the group ostensibly exists to protect. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The RIAA is now pressing to lower the royalty payments made to musicians and artists for music tracks sold via digital distribution. Though the actual artists who make the music are presently entitled to just 13% of wholesale, the RIAA thinks they should receive only 9%.

After years of PR that tried to convince the populace the RIAA is trying to stamp out piracy to protect musicians, the group has now made it blatantly clear the only individuals it aims to protect are those in charge of the major music labels, a group of aged executives who have massively failed to shepherd their businesses into the digital age. Now that the existence of both the RIAA and the major labels benefits neither musicians nor consumers, we can only hope that their decline has reached the critical mass that will drag them under the wheels of technologic progress and into the graveyard of history.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I'm sure that's going to go over well...

 

[Mofo]

...just when you think they can fuck things any further

 

[u2popmofo]

That last paragraph you posted is great, Justin.

Unfortunately, this news (if true) is not great. Luckily, this will go over horribly and ruin their credibility with the artists, etc. So in some sense, let's hope it is true and fails miserably.

 

[corianderstem]

The RIAA has no freaking clue. None.

Isn't this similar to why the WGA is striking? Maybe the musicians need to form a union and do the same thing.

 

[AtomicBono]

That's some bullshit. I rage against this.

UNNGHH YES I KNOW MY ENEMY

WE GOTTA TAKE THE POWER BACK

The RIAA has no freaking clue. None.

Isn't this similar to why the WGA is striking? Maybe the musicians need to form a union and do the same thing.

good point.