RIAA change of tactics

It seems the RIAA is changing their tactics regarding file sharing …rather than going after individual users, it now wants to shift its focus on ISP providers. You can read more about it here.

The EFF (of which I regularly receive their EFFector email newsletter) has offered up the idea of a Voluntary Collective License with which to compensate songwriters and artists. It’s a strong departure from policies the RIAA currently operates on, but when you propose to virtually eliminate the idea of ‘big business’ from music, you’re going to raise the ire of that big business itself. The EFF’s voluntary collective license proposal is not such a ground-breaking course of action though …it’s been done before and has proven successful;

“Songwriters originally viewed radio exactly the way the music industry today views KaZaA users—as pirates. After trying to sue radio out of existence, the songwriters ultimately got together to form ASCAP (and later BMI and SESAC). Radio stations interested in broadcasting music stepped up, paid a fee, and in return got to play whatever music they liked, using whatever equipment worked best. Today, the performing-rights societies ASCAP and BMI collect money and pay out millions annually to their artists.”

One of the great benefits of this system is that the small independent artist would no longer need the assistance of ‘big music’ to make money. Promotion would still be important of course, but it would neatly separate itself from the art. “…independent artists no longer need a record deal with a major label to reach large numbers of potential fans—so long as you have any fans who are sharing your music online, others will be able to access your music on equal footing with major label content. In other words, digital distribution will be equally available to all artists.“

If you’re at all interested, check out the EFF proposal and decide for yourself if this truly isn’t a better way to go. If you have concerns, let them know. Or me too for that matter