PIRATES PILLAGE WITH CABLE MODEMS

For the Recording Industry Association of America, online file-swapping through peer-to-peer programs such as Kazaa and LimeWire is an offense tantamount to treachery on the high seas. The RIAA announced July 19 that it will prosecute individual file-sharers at the rate of at least 75 per day, according to British news site The Register. Music lovers have bristled at this aggressive sue-the-consumer mentality, and have organized boycotts of the RIAA in response to the recent lawsuits.

This blog has used file sharing software in the past, but does not believe that downloading songs will significantly hurt musicians in the long run. If this blog downloads, say, alt-rock newcomer Revis' "Caught in The Rain," after hearing favorable reports, it will seek other songs from the band. If this blog finds several songs from an album that are decent, chances are it will buy the album. For the most part, file-swappers aren't ripping off whole CDs because the industry has mass-produced cardboard acts incapable of producing a 10-hit record. We take the singles and create music mixes, no more a crime than recording a hit single from the radio.

The problem is not that customers are unwilling to support the bands they admire. Most true fans will buy their groups' CDs eventually, whether or not they preview the album online first. Musicians themselves only make pennies for each CD sold; the bulk of their revenue comes from live shows and sale of merchandise. In an era that has spawned multi-platinum one-hit wonders (this blog is thinking of a bevy of new hip-hop/R&B acts here,) consumers should not be treated as criminals for demanding a quality product.

On the Web: RIAA Boycott
RIAA Official Web site
Billboard Magazine