Quite awhile ago (shortly after I've gotten involved with this site) I was perplexed when I found out the RIAA is a non profit orginazation yet is concerned about profits. Not knowing weather it is legal or not for them to fall under the tax protection that status gives them, I wrote a letter to my Senator, Gordon Smith of Oregon, expressing my concerns. This is his response after about four months or so.....

Dear Mr. *********

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office regarding your concerns with the RIAA's non profit organization status. your comments are important to me, and I apologize for the delay in responding.
Hearing the views of all Oregonians gives me the opportunity to better understand how important issues could impact the people of Oregon and the future interest of the nation. As your representative in the Senate, please be assured that I will carefully consider the issues you have raised.
Again, I appreciate your comments. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I may be of further assistance to you on this, or any other matter.

Warm regards,
Gordon H. Smith
United States Senate

---------snip-----------

I understand the form letter with the volume of mail they receive. however because of the excessive time it took to respond and the fact that this form letter isn't even a form letter dealing with the RIAA or recording industry I seriously doubt the sincerity of the response. It's just one of hundreds. FYI

well how many people write him on the non profit status of the RIAA? Too bad you didn't get the real thing still.

So, among the recording companies, the lawyers, the judges, the politicians, where do the artists fit in?

Why aren't we seeing more angst from the artists? The recording industry RECORDS, COPIES, STEALS, trades with other companies to sell the artist's music.

Then when they catch others doing exactly what they did a second time by copying the music from victimized downloaders, they hire lawyers to beat down and monopolize an action they did twice as much as their accused victims.

Politicians just want your vote, if you have any questions ask them. How do you ask them if they are not in office, this is an indirect way of saying "keep me in office, and I promise..."

awww... but he said "Warm regards"

He probably wanted a check made out to his reelection campaign. That would get better attention.

Which begs this question: If, by dint of their being "non-profit," the RIAA is tax-exempt, isn't it time for their tax-exempt status to be revoked, being as they've been systematically sucking poor and working families dry and using the money to predatorily "go after" other poor and working families; in other words, such money is NOT being used to better society or improve quality of life, on the contrary . . .

After all, there's a call to revoke the tax-exempt status of another certain organization, as per http://www.consumerfreedom.com/petaPetition.cfm - whether anyone agrees with this or not is open to debate, but shouldn't there at least be a discussion about this viz the RIAA?

lol...politicians must take a course on putting together several words that avoid answerinq questions or taking a stand...

thanks Comp...at least you did the right thing and showed your concern as a good American!

Maybe a reply to this "FORM LETTER" stating that since you didn't take my views seriously, it's time to elect someone that will, would get him to actually pay some attention. Maybe if he got a few thousand of these letters, he'd give a real reply!

Politics and Politicians SUCK!

compmore as a fellow oregonian you know how corrupt our polititions are here and so does everyone else as can be seen by the vote on them trying to raise our taxes getting voted down. hopefully next time around the ones elected into office will listen to us ( dont hold your breath)

Suggestion: Please post the email you sent to him here and I ask any and all people (After making the email your own by re-wording it) on this board living in the US to send the same email to that same email address. Maybe when they get a bunch of people emailing the same questions they will come up with a proper answer.

good idea deadman. unfortunatly it was so long ago I no longer have the origional email. Burner you are right. I'm not happy with any of them. now that the tax measure was voted down the other day maybe they'll actually go in and fix the problem.

tell him:
That I appreciate the form letter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I may be of further assistance to you on this, or any other matter. include your original letter with it.

don't feel bad, at least you got a form letter back. I'm still waiting... (and I've writtten a whole bunch of letters)