If you enjoy listening to music on the way to and from the fishing hole or at other times...

SIGN THE PETITION!

Take a Stand Against the Madness; Stop the RIAA!

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is on a rampage, launching legal attacks against average Americans from coast to coast. Rather than working to create a rational, legal means by which its customers can take advantage of file-sharing technology and pay a fair price for the music they love.

more...

maybe you've already heard this before.

Unauthorized "file sharing" of licensed or copyrighted material is STEALING.

Nuff said.

No - Not hardly Enough...

Here is some more about the Petition:

The entertainment industry would like us to beleive that it is immoral and illegal to make a tape from a cd to play in our cars or convert a cd to mp3 for computer storage to replay in our own homes.

Oh Lordy! Lordy! Better not let any friends listen to one of your music files. They gotta buy their own.

This crusade is generating thousands of subpoenas and hundreds of lawsuits, but not a single penny for the artists that the RIAA claims to protect.

Copyright law shouldn't make criminals out of 60 million Americans, and it's time for a change. Congress is going to hold hearings; we need your help to make sure that the public's voice is heard.

Tell Congress that it\'s time to stop the madness!

hey mooch would you support the riaa even though they just sued a 12 year old girl cuz she wanted to hear her boyband music on the p.c. ( she can't work to buy her own music and i doubt she was selling it to her friends)

believe it or not, it's NOT stealing. it's considered copyright infringement. an analogy would be, you have 1 fishing pole. you make an exact copy and give it to a friend. that's not stealing now is it?

Thanks Chum Man! - Read on!

What many people don't realize is that it is not theft by law. For every burner/recorder sold in the USA, as well as every piece of blank media, a royalty goes to the music industry. That royalty is compensation for copies. Now they want to change the game and are on a campaign to make people think their legal fair use is a crime, unethical or immoral. Don't believe it!
(Note - Thanks Roboto)

In 1992, Congress passed the Audio Home Recording Act ("AHRA"), an amendment to the federal copyright law. The AHRA provides for a royalty tax of up to $8.00 per new digital recording machine and 3 percent of the price of all digital audiotapes or discs. This tax is paid by the manufacturers of digital media devices and distributed to the copyright owners whose music is presumably being copied.

In consideration of this tax, copyright owners agree to forever waive the right to claim copyright infringement against consumers using audio recording devices in their homes. This is commensurate with the fair use exception to copyright law, which allows consumers to make copies of copyrighted music for non-commercial purposes.

It is clear from the language of the AHRA, and subsequent judicial interpretations of the statute, that Congress did not anticipate ten years ago the impending home digital recording explosion that was galvanized by the Internet. However, the CBDTPA bill and the new anti-piracy technologies appear to be the music industry's effort at making an end run around the AHRA.

Instead of passing this new legislation, it would be more appropriate for Congress to amend the AHRA, which strikes an appropriate, albeit outdated, balance between music distributors, electronics manufacturers and consumers.

See: "THE MUSIC PIRACY AND THE AUDIO HOME RECORDING ACT"

Thanks Plunker and Chum Man. I think the industry's behavior simply further alienates the public - who are the consumer/purchasers of music. The best analogy I've heard compares recordings to the public library. The library buys the book, and I check it out and read it. The publisher and author receive their compensation from the sale of the book. The recording industry would by extension close public libraries and have us all buy a new copy of the book.

The most absurd example I heard was where the industry wanted a royalty payment from a barber who played a radio in his barber shop, where customers were hearing songs without payment of royalties! Nevermind that the radio station pays a royalty every time it plays every record on the air for public consumption.

I used to tape my vinyl records for convenience and to have a copy to play in my car. Now I copy CDs and keep the extra copy in my car - lots cheaper in case they are stolen in a car break in.

I'm happy to see musicians compensated for their work; that's fair - altho I've decided not to attend any concerts that charge $80 and more for tickets. Nobody's that good in my opinion. However, the recording industry seems to be making its last stand to protect itself. I've read that with modern electronics and so forth, the industry is becoming obsolete as artists use small and private studios to produce CDs. The only significant service the industry provides nowadays is marketing on a scale larger than any individual or band can. And the internet might even change that.

If the recording industry does become obsolete, the current behavior will have most consumers happy to see its demise.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I friend of mine used to own a restaurant and they had to pay fees in order to have a radio on with a local station on it.
There's no reason for this other than $$$$$. I can sit at home and listen to the radio without paying because I get to hear the ads. Those people sitting there eating get to hear the ads too. Whats the difference?? $$$$

For those of you looking for an alternative to file sharing programs, check out


EMusic.com

This web site provides unlimited downloads of albums and songs for $10-15 per month (depending on which plan you chose). The artists are paid and it is totally legal. You'll find mostly obscure or new bands and NOT the top 40 type stuff. You'll also find lots of classic bands and some popular albums. There is a TON of great music for an incredible price. I highly recommend checking it out. You can also do a free trial, but trust me, once you trial it you'll buy it! Enjoy.

PS, as for the other topic, I found my 12 year old had downloaded and installed kaaza the other day. You can bet we had a little talk and removed that sucker fast. He honestly didn't understand what it was all about. My big concern was having his computer open to file sharing and the potential of viruses being downloaded. And we had a talk about copyright issues. The thing is, this issue is so much like the drug issue in that there is no way you can stop it. The RIAA is playing the role of the DEA, fighting a battle they can't possibly win. And they use the same tactics - fear and intimidation. Not a good way to make your point or change behavior. Funny how monolithic organizatons can never get it right...

and another interesting fact is that artists make hardly anything off cds, something around a few pennies on each cd. most of an artist's revenue comes from concerts and merchandising, so file sharing mainly hurts the higher ups

Thanks Folks for three more good reasons why we should all consider signing the petition.

The record industry is failing due in part to their own greed but instead of making adjustments to their business model the have instead chosen to vent their anger at their own failings by attacking the only people who might turn them around financially... THEIR CUSTOMERS!

I feel for their pain in failure but it is their own doing. Signing the petition might just help them wake up and get their $hit straight.

A lawsuit was just filed against health clubs in Illinois for playing cd's during aerobics workouts.

The club legally bought the cd's and are not selling them, only playing them during workouts.

They also filed against restaurants for playing a radio. The advertisers pay for the airtime. If you hear a song on the radio and like it, you go buy it. I will not pay to play my radio.

It has all gone too far. Yes, file sharing is the same as stealing if you didn't pay for the cd yet you have it, you stole it. Now, if you borrow it, or copy it for your own use this is not stealing. It is like software- If I buy it, I should be able to use it on all my computers.

Where do I sign.....
HAving purchased thousands of albums, 8-tracks, cassetes, and CD's, I feel it is my right to try and recoup some of MY costs from the forced manipulation of this medium.
The copies are altered, not original and do not constitute theft in any stretch of the imagination particularly since I dont distribute original mfg materials. Copyright infringent? That is arguable due to statutes implemented by AHRA. RIAA reminds me of a 6th grade bully pickin on a first grader...get real

Funny... Are they going to sue the creators of Adaptec CreateCD for having "Audio CD" as an option?

Curtis

CD Drives don't steal music, People steal music!