Hypebot reports that the RIAA is in the midst of laying off a significant portion of their staff. They quote one anonymous source as saying, "It is about 90-100+ people across the US and global offices--anti-piracy, coordinated IFPI/BPI etc--trust me it's a bloodbath."The same source claims the RIAA will make an official announcement next week and goes on to state that the RIAA will be uniting with the BPI (the British Phonographic Industry--the British version of the RIAA) and the IFPI (the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry--the body involved in the current Pirate Bay trial now taking place in Sweden and being followed, among other places, here at Neowin).
Digital Music News claims the number of RIAA staff being let go is more in the range of 30. Even though the RIAA has not released the exact number, RIAA representative Cara Duckworth said, "I can confirm there were layoffs. As you can imagine, the music community is not immune from the impact of these tough economic times."
Techdirt speculates that it will not be long before we hear that the staff cuts were due to file-sharing. But, they write, "The real issue is that the RIAA has basically managed to run one of the dumbest, most self-defeating strategies over the last decade. Rather than helping major record labels adjust to the changing market, it continually, repeatedly and publicly destroyed its own reputation and the reputation of the labels--each time shrinking their potential market by blaming the very people they should have been working to turn into customers."
no definately not human. like the bad company in Max Payne.
So they have been doing business as usual all this time? weren't they struggling already due to piracy? freeking amazing.
For e.g., these mass mailings of threatened law suits to individuals are really no different than the extortion of money for "protection" done by mafia-like organisations.
As such I can only say, "Good riddance!"
The less of them there are, the better.
And for some reason, I always seem to read phonographic as pornographic...maybe that's just me
Not just you.
Oh goodie, just what Britain needs ...
The Anti-Anti-Copywrite factions are joining togeather.
They've been a blight against humanity.
Anyways, don't feel a pitty sorry about them losing those imaginary jobs
Interesting, I was thinking the same thing
Way to not answer against his argument! Don't you love ad hominem attacks because they lack a good argument?
No what you're saying, and what non.sequitur I think was implying, is that you are pretentious prick. You somehow think you are above the majority, because you make the "right" decision. You know it's the right decision because you know your 10 dollars will succeed in changing the life of some musician you will never meet in your life, right? Of course to say this means that you are assuming that my 10 dollars is worth less to me than it is to the person who I should be giving it to. Right? I mean you have to be if you believe someone else deserves it.
I've seen a few people use this car metaphor to represent what piracy is like. Something along the lines of "you wouldn't steal a car, why steal things online". Let's actually devote this metaphor to the cause and spruce it up to what piracy is.
Here is this beautiful car that you have seen on TV ads for months now. It's sitting right in front of you and the keys are in the ignition. You know, with 99% certainty, that stealing this car will not result in you getting caught. You know this. Like I said before most people in the entire world would take this opportunity to steal, because it is just such a better option for them that it outweighs the potential bad that they will probably never even see. I have no incentive not to steal this car.
Musicians who were willing to adapt to the new market and new age were able to work around piracy and still make money. All of the success stories normally even end up right here on Neowin, in case you haven't seen them. I am going to continue to support those who evolve, and continue to destroy those who make it so easy to destroy. It's called evolution and Darwinism.
Though I hope you enjoy sitting on your high horse, as I know lots of people on this website probably get a kick out of you.
The irony in your claim is palpable and quite amusing since you fail to recognise it.
Last edited by ElementZero on 28 Feb 2009 - 22:50
Ummmm, since when does that constitute a "bloodbath"?
Bloodbath relative to the size of the organization.
take a chill pill.
if I wanted your crap, I'd buy it.
In fact, if they hadn't have squeezed the market into 5 colluding/racketeering studios who don't actually compete with one another in any real sense, just so they can milk every dime they can from consumers while returning less and less and less to the artists, the studios wouldn't find themselves in the situation they are.
This is completely true. Anyone who thinks this started with MP3s is dead wrong. The record companies originally took issue with people who made tapes - either copying tapes or copying something from the radio (even though radio quality was horrible and not even the full version of the song, in most cases).
It also extends well beyond unlicensed downloading of MP3s. The RIAA doesn't want you to be able to "format shift." In other words, if you buy a CD and then you want a copy of the song in MP3 format for your computer or your MP3 player, they want you to purchase the song again in MP3 format. (And if they really get their way, you'd have to buy the MP3 twice - once for your computer, if you wanted to listen to it there, and again for your iPod).
Whether or not you agree with the RIAA's concept is not the issue. The issue is that it is clear that the RIAA's decisions are incredibly consumer-unfriendly and maximize sales for the RIAA. Just be glad that people download MP3s illegally so that the organizations are occupied with that, and don't have the time or resources to try and erode the abilities of all of you currently law-abiding people.
Who's stealing? It's called copyright infringement, or more honestly, sharing. Learn the differences.
j/k
This. In a nutshell.
They've had 10+ years to come up with a strategy. They didn't.
All dinosaurs must die.
Music, art, film, will never die. The industry as we know it today (or more like yesterday) will. But the arts will prevail. This war is not mainly fought by the artists, but by their "pimps"...
For a time, we might have to suffer a loss in quality in the fields that are hit by piracy. But the marked for these products is still there, and where there is a market, there is profit to be made. Its just the structure that has to change
they day they all lose they jobs i trow a party
I quite agree... The RIAA and it's partners are sucessful failures, like getting blood from a stone.
They get what they deserve, I can only hope their lives become a living hell, just like the innocent people they prosicuted.
"As you can imagine, the music community is not immune from the impact of these tough economic times."
Pffft! More like "As you can imagine, the music community is not immune to the BUMBLING INCOMPETENCE AND TOTAL INEFFECTIVENESS THAT WE AT THE RIAA HAVE BEEN DISPLAYING FOR YEARS NOW".
How about that?
FCC is a part of the US Government, I don't see that one happening anytime soon
Similar situation:
Nintendo is making a killing right now off of releasing emulated old ROMS. This is something that has been on the net for years FOR FREE.
They don't call it "poor management" for nothing you know.
I can see it now, all those articles about how much shame they feel and for a fee they will snitch on whoever.
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