Recently, Limp Bizkit alumnus Wes Borland raised a few eyebrows (and hackles) when he toed the RIAA party line down to the very last letter in blaming the music fans (horrors!), Internet downloading (drat!) and peer-to-peer file sharing (double drat!) for the fact that the major labels are littered with pre-manufactured, pre-packaged pseudo-“music” acts that one would normally associate with the likes of American Idol and a certain mouse outfit – and, conversely, largely bereft of true music acts that actually might generate genuine excitement among fans.

Forget for a second that P2P and music downloading are not (or not necessarily) the reasons for the mess the industry is in now, just a combination excuse/copout; also disregard for a moment that the prefabricated, “made” acts predominate label rosters almost exclusively because of the bottom-line priorities of the multinational corporate bean-counters which own each of the Big Five – and if there’s anything that’s written on the foreheads of the leaders of the multinational corporations, it’s “sure thing.”

Because there appears to be quite a bit of precedent(s) for Mr. Borland’s little exercise in scapegoating the average consumer for the record business’s woes, and using such an attitude as justification for such manifestations of outright contempt. Besides the fact that other so-called “artists” have issued similar Big Lie propaganda over the last few years. Almost word-for-word.

Namely, something that threads through from the earliest moments of recorded history . . . but I will give a pertinent example in another field in another century.

Let’s go back to 1898 for a minute, and examine the world of baseball. The Cleveland Spiders of the National League were beginning to suffer at the box office – as, in fact, were other baseball teams then – due to the effects of an economic recession, the Spanish-American War, and increasing rowdyism among players and fans. Frank Robison, owner of the Spiders, took the drop in attendance personally – very personally. He decided, after the season was over, that since less people were attending Spiders games, therefore the Cleveland fans didn’t deserve a winning team, and thus decided to “punish” them twofold: a) by playing more games on the road, and b) replacing his team’s talented players with stumblebums, has-beens and never-would-be’s.

This latter strategy manifested itself after Mr. Robison bought a second team, the St. Louis Browns, which he promptly renamed the Perfectos (it would later become the Cardinals), and shipped such Spider stars as legendary pitcher Cy Young to the St. Louis club. One of the few Spiders still on the old team was third baseman/manager Lave Cross – but 38 games into the 1899 season, Mr. Cross was likewise moved to St. Louis. The 1899 Spiders wound up with the absolute worst record in baseball history with a mere 20 wins and a staggering 134 losses – all because the owner blamed the fans for not supporting his team. After the season was over, Cleveland ended up being one of four clubs that were eliminated by the National League; it would be an eight-team league for the next sixty-two years.

If applied in essence to today’s situation, it could be read thus: The record business deliberately signs (and stocks their labels with) pre-manufactured, pre-packaged, prefabricated pseudo-“artists” in part as retaliation for their potential customers’ not blindly lining their pockets, and with a contempt so open that it veers towards the thoroughly disgusting.

In sum, the above example is only meant to underscore the truth of the old adage from George Santayana: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In all situations.

Yes, and what I cannot stand is when I get labelled as a criminal because Britney spears sex sounds album didnt sell that good.

That thing has a new album out soon, and when it doesnt sell, look whos gonna get the blame!

Any truth to the Rumors Wes Borland & Lars Ulrich are getting together to put out a generic sounding loud noise album to help defray the RIAA's legal costs?

Wake up guys Bad Music + Bad Econmy = Bad Sales. End of story. A little competiton with a low cost distribution method that cuts out the middlemen, that's what the RIAA is scared of.

ok ok this is what i got to say TO HELL WITH THE RIAA

Very interesting report, I wish i had more to say but i guess all i can do is totally agree with the article IM ALL FOR THE CAUSE THOUGH!!!!!!!

PS..... Dear RIAA, Me and my friends are downloading songs like crazy as I speak.. ..... Have a NICE DAY!

Does Wes Borland actually believe that crap that he spews? While I do believe that downloading is hurting the industry, it is only a small part of the problem. One reason the major labels sign crap is because they don't have the ears to know what's good. They are a bunch of idiots with no taste. They are also afraid to take risks because they have to report quarterly profits and everyone is afraid of losing their jobs. A bunch of wimps with no balls and no ears. I'm surprised that they don't sign Wes Borland's crappy band, he sucks hard enough to get a major label record deal.

There's an old saying. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" for some reason these musicians towing the RIAA line thinks they owe allegence to the record labels instead of their fans

I don't think that's the reason. I think Wes is just bitter and wants to blame anything for his failure other than his crappy music.

Yeah, file sharing is the reason that the recording companies resort to boy bands and pop tarts. Especially acts like New Kids on the Block and Tiffany. It's all file sharing consumers faults.

you guys rock, and keep the faith.

Code we need you!!!!!
and seripex!!!!!
and gildbn !!!!!
and jefryst!!!!!!
and any one else, who wants to take this fight to the end.
Come on guys, we, no I need you to be here I can not carry this by my self and we can not carry this, by our selfs.
We are a community a family, and all though there are times of trouble, we can and do pull through it. We as a community are under attack, not by just the RIAA, but by coporate America, who want to controll what we see, hear, do, and sites WE visit. are you going to lay down???? I am not.
We came here as one, diffrent, but as one, we all have the desire to protect our community. There was a lot of not getting along yesterday, this is true.
But we all have the passion, the want, to make things right. So we , yes we need to stand to TOGETHER, to make it happen.
I was a little upset last nite, due to the circumsatnces with Code. I love Code as my buddy,and my friend and I email him with questions when I have concerns.And I will always be in his corner, don't forget that. But we are falling apart, and after a lot of thought, I am going to pick up the gauntlet, for code untill he gets back. When I have a question I will email code, for advice. We are a group that has been fighting for the right to be on the net at our terms, and this is why I am here. and only for this reason do I stand up. We are the little guy's, the one's who do make a "DIFFERANCE" so let's get this movement back on the right track, and stop the petty bitterness.
I have come to this conclusion,
I will not post until I see
CODE WARRIOR
SERIPHEIX
GILBD
Post again, I am with you, but you guys need to show ME your leader ship, I followed you and stand behind you, but until YOU do what is right for this movement and come back. and think of me, the little guy, you may not be worth the leadership I gave you, for me. The admin You guys rock as well, but the little guy like me and the new guy, at times needed post from these guys, for it all to make sense. Yea Code and gilbd posted a lot, but for me coming here as a window watcher, they were saying what I wanted to say but was too afraid and gave ME the courage to speak up.
I will let you in an a secret, I registered to vote , only a couple months ago because I belive in this movement, and the stance that WE as a group made. And once again we are a community, is this forum not what you wanted?????
Time to regroup and lets get this thing going.
AMEN

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

If I'm not mistaken, some time ago didn't the RIAA call there customers cheap cause they didn't want to spend $18 for a cd. Is it really cause we are cheap or is it that the music fans are waking up to the fact that they are being lied to and scammed.

Just because I don't buy a cd is not really going to matter to the music companies when they get tax breaks using my money in the first place. If the RIAA goes down the musicians who stick with the RIAA will go down with them. So it's up to the musicians to stop and think really hard about this. Do they want stick by there fans and give the fans what they want or do they want to stay with the sinking ship.

We should all write our favorate artists and urge them to speak up one way or the other and quit riding the fence

Er . . . the point was to show how events in baseball in 1898-99 reminded me of this situation.

To wit: Attendance in Cleveland drops for reasons cited aforehand . . . the Spiders' owner blames the fans for not supporting the team . . . retaliates by sabotaging the club as shown above . . . owner continues to badmouth fans . . . fans show their disgust by refusing to attend further games, pushing attendance figures even lower . . . owners use this as justification (from June 1899 on) to have the team play ALL their remaining games on the road . . . owner ends up literally killing the team.

And we are seeing a scenario now not unlike this play out here. Treat your customer base like dung, and before long they'll have nothing more to do with you and go elsewhere. More people are seeing through the RIAA Big Lies and apparent class warfare (per Code's analysis), yet the media continue to let them lie through their teeth so blatantly that you can see through it without having to use an X-ray.

Jesus, woodhead, this site needs your input, too, don't devalue yourself by putting code on a pedastal, he'll come back when he's cooled down. He had a meltdown, when he's ready, he'll come back.

Everyone here is wonderful, we're all essential parts of the whole, the whole is weakened when all the parts are not there, the solution is not to remove more parts. Get it? Code was great, I loved his posts, but he wasn't more important than the cause, or all of us. We have to continue this fight and recognize everyone's efforts here. Not get hung up on whether one of us is gone.

The tone of most of these "bring code back" posts assumes that code was censored or kicked off. He was rudely asked to post less, code took offense and acted irrationally by spamming 10-16 posts with a loud protest. The admins removed the spam, code cried censorship and slammed the door. He left of his own accord, he'll get over it and come back.

In the meantime, we have work to do, let's give code credit for the great work he's done, but be honest about his departure, it was a sour note to leave on for such a good guy.

When he comes back, we'll welcome him with open arms, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking his departure was anyone else's fault but his own.

I think everyone should stay, continue to support code's ideas and those of everyone else here. We should support each other in the way that code supported us.

We should give everyone else here the respect they deserve by not abandoning them because of one person who you value above all others. That's an insult to all of those who care deeply about the issue and have contributed time and passion to the cause. If you want to do code justice, stay on, continue his positivity and validatation and fight on, with your own voice.

Erm....correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Spit me Beers, the Backdoor Boys, N'Suck and all the rest of the trash heap start coming about right around the time of Napster? If not a little before?

Wake up Was Bornbraindead the indsustry sucked way before you ever got here. The stupidity of that comment goes waaay beyond mere idiocy.

The artists will learn one way or the other. It's not about their music (As bad as it sometimes is) It's about the money baby. Pesos which the Big 5 will NOT give them unless they do it THEIR way.

They'll learn!

paulruss said---
________________________________________
Everyone here is wonderful, we're all essential parts of the whole, the whole is weakened when all the parts are not there, the solution is not to remove more parts.
__________________________________________

I agree with paul's statement.

I'm not sure how old everyone is on this board, but this spat is unbelievably childish. I'm relatively new on this board. I enjoy both jon's and code's posts, but, I think that it's for community members to make this cause one of personalities when we're at WAR against a common foe.

I don't know anyone well here, but I'm going to keep posting because I believe in the cause. The major labels put their differences aside because they know what their up against.

This reminds me too much of the U.S. Civil War back in the 1800s. People are seceeding from the organization

Yes, I give kudos to Code's intelligent well-written posts, his good humor, and good personal skills. I enjoy reading his posts, too. But we've all got to remember something. The founders of boycott-riaa have been in this fight much longer than any of us have been. They've spent their hard-earned money and time speaking on behalf of artists and for many of us. They've put up this forum so we'd have a free place to discuss our ideas.

Although, I know that the forum is only as strong as its community, how many of us would have been dedicated to putting the time in to starting a site like Boycott-Riaa.com or DMusic.com? How many of us would have taken the time to talk to record execs or talk to congressmen before we learned of this site? Boycott-Riaa.com was here before our awareness was heightened about this cause. I, and everyone else needs to show a little respect to the founders of this site. Without them, we would have no organized place to gather to discuss our cause.

It's so stupid to remain angry over such a little thing like this. This weekend, when I was faced with the sudden illness of my own Dad, who I'd been angry at for years. I quickly had to cast my own differences aside and learn forgiveness. As I said before, we've got a much larger cause to fight...we need everyone. Just forgive one another please. Anyway. Adieu.

stevebugge, allow me to adjust your formula for the RIAA's losses a bit:

bad music + bad economy + competing forms of entertainment deemed of greater value for the dollar + finite disposable (& ever shrinking)income = lower music sales

CD sales might be lower, but the gains of DVD & DVD audio sales (per Satan's own site @ www.riaa.org; check out the 2002 marketplace sales figures). Wish they'd add software sales to those charts, then we'd REALLY see who's getting the record label's sales.

Paulruss and Merylstryfe are right.
This in-fighting will get us no where.

Code is a friendof mine ,as I consider all of you as friends, almost family.

This family also includes, of course, Larry, Bill, and Jon, without whom we would not even be here.

We will overcome this, and need to focus on the reason we're united.

btw Meryl, sorry to hear about your dad. I went through a similar situation with my own father. It took me years to forgive (but I will not forget). Soon aftrwards he suddenly became ill. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

WABBITMAN

the RIAA wont be happy till a cd cost as much as seeing an act live

wabbit, thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

as compmore so elegantly stated:

"We should all write our favorate artists and urge them to speak up one way or the other and quit riding the fence."

That is absoutly right! It seems kind of strange that artists have spent a lot of time lamenting on the ills of society; wars, social injustice, poverty, and a myriad of other causes.

Now maybe I'm wrong, but taking food and rent money from single mothers, taking higher education funds from children and students, and taking retirement funds from the elderly by rich businessmen (and women)to support their extravagant life style sounds like a case of social injustice to me!

Where are all the artists now? Is it because it affects their pockets? After all these years of being mentors to so many of us with your music to fight wars, poverty, and social injustice, why now are you so silent? You continue like there is nothing wrong; but your silence does indeed speak volumes!

I strongly suggest that you artists wake up, there are those of us see your silence as nothing more than maintaining the status quo, and only seeing your fans as nothing more than a meal ticket!!!

Thanks, guys, rant mode is now off!!

Dave

Woodhead - Gezz get a grip! We all do what we do for the cause as we see fit. If you can't stay cuz your friends have left - well then so be it - but it would be a shame. If those guys come back GREAT - I loved them all also - but this is bigger then just a few (albeit important) people. Suck it up and continue to do your part like everybody else and get over it.

Litheon, excellent point there. It seems that file sharing and crappy pre-fabbed artists almost go in union. Oh, and don't forget the labels throwing out backcatalougs of old CDs just because they don't make gazillions in profit.

But oh no, all those people on file sharing are downloading the new singles.....not a single song I've downloaded has been a new single (except Starsailor's "Alcoholic" which I loved so much I went out and bought the album). I've downloaded songs from obscure artists, often on independant labels, and then hunted down their CDs (kudos to Amazon for their outstanding range).

~Mr Borland sir, have you no decency, have you no shame, why have you such a binkered view of the profit-driven world in which you live?

JohnCarlton,

You are in effect correct, I was trying to keep the equation bumpersticker length for mass consumption, not implying that members here need it, but old habits from college die hard. There are probably more variable we haven't identified. But we are probably recreating the exact process by which RIAA members create their bad bands. Imagine the creative songwriting process hatched by a committee of Marketing gurus and CPA's........ I'm not thinking it would be music I'd be in too.

wesley is pissed because he failed his typing class before dropping out of school...

I actually paid to see LB because of music I first downloaded...

but hey...its one of those days...you know I'm just doin' it my way...have a little faith wesley

Woodhead.... we need everyone right now, Including you. I was pissed the other night about the whole thing with Code. Now we ALL need to take up the slack since Code left.

Wabbitman, Paulruss and Merylstryfe are right.
This in-fighting will get us no where.

We will get by without Code. Maybe he's still lurking around somewhere.

Guess what? I have downloaded somewhere in the region of 200GB of music files in the last few years. Then I check my CD collection and up until recently when the RIAA started all this crap I had purchased TONS more CD's than I ever purchased before I started downloading. Previous to that I had very little interest in music because I did not know what music I liked (I had a tough time being able to hear what was out there and there was very little means to listen to the amount of music that was out there simply because it never got played on radio stations).

But now I refuse to buy a single RIAA affliliated CD. Mind you a lot of what I was buying on CD was independent labels anyhow so my buying habits have only marginally changed

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a single website where you could preview & then buy EVERY indie artist's offerings... without a penny going to any RIAA contributer?

I am new here, could someone please explain what happened to "Code" ??

-jigga-