RIAA continues their generous compliance with the law - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

SecretMethod70 · 07-25-2004, 03:38 PM

If you didn't sense the scathing sarcasm in the thread title, it was there

I'm not going to quote the entire articles, but I will be quoting sections from the following articles:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...dupdate24.html
-
http://www.wisinfo.com/journal/spjlo...33486275.shtml

Quote:

Wisconsin libraries have received more than 105,000 CDs as part of a national settlement with the recording industry to settle a price-fixing lawsuit, but few are choices most listeners would opt for.

The selections are raising a few eyebrows and unlikely to get a lot of use. Among the several hundred CDs given to the Charles M. White Public Library were many duplicates, including 29 copies of Handel's Italian Cantatas and 21 copies of Mozart's Le Nozze Di Figaro.

Quote:

Among the 592 CDs shipped to the Marshfield Public Library, there are 22 copies of Ricky Martin's "Sound Loaded," 20 copies of Samantha Mumba's "Gotta Tell You," 16 copies of "The Three Tenors in Concert," 12 copies of Georg Philipp Telemann's "String Concertos/Musica Antiqua Kšln-Goebel," and 12 copies of Mandy Moore's self-titled album.

Quote:

"We definitely have duplicates and we have a lot of plain - is there a nicer word than junk?" [librarian Jane] Medenwaldt said.
Milwaukee Public Library received 1,235 copies of Whitney Houston's 1991 recording of "The Star-Spangled Banner," 188 copies of Michael Bolton's "Timeless," 375 of "Entertainment Weekly: The Greatest Hits 1971," and 104 copies of Will Smith's "Willennium," and nearly everything in between.

The booty also included 77 copies of a CD by chanting Spanish monks, all part of a $142 million national class-action lawsuit against five major music distributors and three large music retailers.

And over in the state of Washington...

Quote:

Listening to oldies such as "Mr. Bojangles" and "What's Going On?" might be a fun music history lesson for schoolkids in King and Pierce counties.

But 413 free copies of "Greatest Hits 1971" might prove to be too much of a good thing.

And 387 CDs containing explicit lyrics by the late Puerto Rican rapper Big Punisher, along with 356 copies of "Staying Power" by the late Barry White, weren't high on the public schools' wish list.

Raunchy music wasn't what anyone in education or the Attorney General's Office had in mind when they announced that a windfall of music was coming to public schools and libraries from last year's $143 million anti-trust settlement with the recording industry. The industry was accused of setting artificially high prices.

Washington got 115,241 music CDs -- which would retail at $1.5 million -- out of the deal. Boxes of free music began hitting schools and libraries last week.

But some teachers are not sure what they will do with, for example, 114 copies of Meredith Brooks' "Blurring the Edges," which includes the Grammy-nominated song, "Bitch."

Quote:

Farley's regional district, which covers 35 school districts, received 1,355 copies of Whitney Houston singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The hit single, which Houston sang before the 1991 Super Bowl at the height of the Gulf War, was 5 percent of the district's cache.

Quote:

Too busy organizing their new digs, officials at Seattle Public Library didn't open theirs until yesterday, said library spokeswoman Andra Addison.

Included in the shipment: 84 copies of an album by rhythm-and-blues artist Samantha Mumba, 69 by Lenny Kravitz and 48 copies of "Scary Sounds for Halloween" from Martha Stewart.

With 23 branches, the Seattle Public Library received many more copies of albums it can use, but officials don't know what they will do with the extras.

The King County Regional Library System already has decided to try to hock its gifts, all 7,700 of them.

"We didn't feel they were up to snuff to be added to our collection," said library spokeswoman Julie Wallace.

Let's all give a nice hand to the altruistic RIAA. It looks like, realizing the error of their ways after being sued, they decided that they should really do the right thing and use the settlement to work for some good. They're fighting for the little artists everywhere

No, they're not giving CDs that people would actually WANT to get from the library to the libraries. Instead, they're giving the libraries HUNDRES of CDs no one cares about, so as to force these albums down their throats and make them appreciate music that's not necessarily on Top 40 radio

Clearly, I'm being sarcastic here. What they're really doing is abusing the loppholes of the settlement to get rid of extra inventory they have because no one wants to buy the albums anyway. Just another example of the typical crap they pull.

H12 · 07-25-2004, 05:30 PM

Bullshit, RIAA. Bullshit with a capital-frickin'-B.

Ace_O_Spades · 07-25-2004, 05:46 PM

bruuuutal

^that's really all i have to say about that

sailor · 07-25-2004, 06:11 PM

Is anyone really surprised by this shit?

I havent bought an RIAA member-label CD in three years, and dont plan on breaking that streak for quite a while.

Glava · 07-25-2004, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sailor
Is anyone really surprised by this shit?

I havent bought an RIAA member-label CD in three years, and dont plan on breaking that streak for quite a while.

The only CDs I buy come in 50-packs

.

SecretMethod70 · 07-25-2004, 07:10 PM

Surprised? No. But I can still be appalled.

Screwing customers over is one thing. Using loopholes in a settlement is still another. But using loopholes in a settlement to screw over public schools and libraries? That's just LOW.

yatzr · 07-25-2004, 07:41 PM

this is kind of old. I think I read it almost a month ago. According to the RIAA, something got screwed up with their computers

and they said they would fix it. I doubt they have or will though.

Esco · 07-25-2004, 08:29 PM

Not surprising at all. These bastards are in desperate need of some good PR help ... but I'm not sure it'd help when they act like this.

Thank goodness I do not support them financially.

H12 · 07-25-2004, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SecretMethod70
Screwing customers over is one thing. Using loopholes in a settlement is still another. But using loopholes in a settlement to screw over public schools and libraries? That's just LOW.

So true, it ain't even funny.

billege · 07-25-2004, 09:34 PM

Yes, it is very low, and demonstrates beyond doubt the character of the people interested in controlling and profiting off my music choices.

RIAA clearly used this opportunity to clear the storage bins out behind the shed. After reading the descriptions of the music so generously given to the libraries, I don't see how this can be taken any other way.

By behaving like a petulant child RIAA has only added resolve to my decision to continue copying music. I seldom download, because it seems like a pain now, but whenever my buddies and I want new music, we're going in on the CD together, and the rest of us are getting burned copies. A practice, which RIAA doesn't mention as much as downloading, but I imagine limits sales even more.
In copying the music, we will continue to deprive RIAA of funds they need to control our politicians, whom I don't have enough money to buy. Around election time, music downloading is hardly a big issue, even if my rights to my own property are at the heart of it.
Since I can't buy my own politicians, I will deprive others of as much of my money as I can for their purchase.

The artists, I'm sad to say, are in the crossfire, and that's too bad. If they don't like it, find another way. If anyone has control of the music, it's the people that make it. When the music makers decide they've had enough bullshit, they'll realize only they have the power to force a change.

The record companies must realize that thier future lies in the filtering out of all those thousands of crap artists, the ones that will appeal to a wider audience. Their duty after that is to promote and distribute that music. Why in the world would they want the expense of running a CD factory, when we own our own? Why pay to physically move around plastic? It's silly on its face.

Record companies will make money through concerts, radio, and XM-style subscription services. People will pay to avoid commercials, or they will listen to the commercials (which will support the music) and take the music for free.

But, most of that is unrelated to the topic. Sorry.

Some exec read the letter of the court's decision, and saw it as a good chance to clear out whole lots of CDs they were paying to store.

I can only hope that more people will realize what a bunch of jerks these RIAA people are, and do what they can.

KellyC · 07-25-2004, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Glava
The only CDs I buy come in 50-packs .

Same here

Flyguy · 07-25-2004, 11:56 PM

The RIAA can suck my big fat dick.

Jam · 07-26-2004, 01:20 AM

God Bless K-Lite, my hero.

fuck you RIAA. nuh nuh nuh nuh, cant touch this... I feel bad for you americans though...

free music is the best... tho I wouldnt mind willenium.. lol

07-25-2004, 05:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
H12 I'm not about getting creamed, I'm about winning! Location: K-Town, TN	Bullshit, RIAA. Bullshit with a capital-frickin'-B. __________________ "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." --Aristotle

07-25-2004, 05:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ace_O_Spades The Death Card Location: EH!?!?	bruuuutal ^that's really all i have to say about that __________________ Feh.

07-25-2004, 06:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Is anyone really surprised by this shit? I havent bought an RIAA member-label CD in three years, and dont plan on breaking that streak for quite a while. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

07-25-2004, 07:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	Surprised? No. But I can still be appalled. Screwing customers over is one thing. Using loopholes in a settlement is still another. But using loopholes in a settlement to screw over public schools and libraries? That's just LOW. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

07-25-2004, 07:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
yatzr Insane	this is kind of old. I think I read it almost a month ago. According to the RIAA, something got screwed up with their computers and they said they would fix it. I doubt they have or will though. __________________ Mechanical Engineers build weapons. Civil Engineers build targets.

07-25-2004, 08:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
Esco Insane	Not surprising at all. These bastards are in desperate need of some good PR help ... but I'm not sure it'd help when they act like this. Thank goodness I do not support them financially. __________________ The user formerly known as BlingBling

07-25-2004, 09:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
billege Watcher Location: Ohio	Yes, it is very low, and demonstrates beyond doubt the character of the people interested in controlling and profiting off my music choices. RIAA clearly used this opportunity to clear the storage bins out behind the shed. After reading the descriptions of the music so generously given to the libraries, I don't see how this can be taken any other way. By behaving like a petulant child RIAA has only added resolve to my decision to continue copying music. I seldom download, because it seems like a pain now, but whenever my buddies and I want new music, we're going in on the CD together, and the rest of us are getting burned copies. A practice, which RIAA doesn't mention as much as downloading, but I imagine limits sales even more. In copying the music, we will continue to deprive RIAA of funds they need to control our politicians, whom I don't have enough money to buy. Around election time, music downloading is hardly a big issue, even if my rights to my own property are at the heart of it. Since I can't buy my own politicians, I will deprive others of as much of my money as I can for their purchase. The artists, I'm sad to say, are in the crossfire, and that's too bad. If they don't like it, find another way. If anyone has control of the music, it's the people that make it. When the music makers decide they've had enough bullshit, they'll realize only they have the power to force a change. The record companies must realize that thier future lies in the filtering out of all those thousands of crap artists, the ones that will appeal to a wider audience. Their duty after that is to promote and distribute that music. Why in the world would they want the expense of running a CD factory, when we own our own? Why pay to physically move around plastic? It's silly on its face. Record companies will make money through concerts, radio, and XM-style subscription services. People will pay to avoid commercials, or they will listen to the commercials (which will support the music) and take the music for free. But, most of that is unrelated to the topic. Sorry. Some exec read the letter of the court's decision, and saw it as a good chance to clear out whole lots of CDs they were paying to store. I can only hope that more people will realize what a bunch of jerks these RIAA people are, and do what they can. __________________ I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence: "My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend." Last edited by billege; 07-25-2004 at 09:36 PM..

07-25-2004, 11:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
Flyguy Banned Location: Swooping down on you from above....	The RIAA can suck my big fat dick.

07-26-2004, 01:20 AM	#13 (permalink)
Jam Junkie	God Bless K-Lite, my hero. fuck you RIAA. nuh nuh nuh nuh, cant touch this... I feel bad for you americans though... free music is the best... tho I wouldnt mind willenium.. lol