It's getting to them, says the RIAA.

'Them' are the parents of young p2p file sharers and 'It' is the RIAA's subpoena terror tactic under which children and senior citizens find themselves paying the music industry thousands of dollars to avoid landing in court.

On October 1, 2003, Jonathan Whitehead of the RIAA was quoted in the Washington Post online forum as saying, "there's been a dramatic increase in people's awareness that stealing music is illegal. Parents are talking to their kids ..."

But that's not the case, say data in a new report which refutes both of these claims. In fact, music industry pressure is largely lost on the parents of downloading kids, says research done in the weeks following the first wave of prosecutions by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America ).

While 85% of 13-24 year-olds say their parents are aware of their downloading music, only 13% are doing anything about it - such telling them to stop, say survey firms Bolt Lab and House Three. Findings include:

Findings include:

Only 9% of downloaders believe that the type of downloading they do is illegal. Half (53%) say that they are either "not sure (24%)" or "don't think" the type of music they download is illegal (29%).

85% of teens believe that their parents are aware of their downloading behavior, but only 13% of kids feel pressure by parents to stop. In fact, 25% of teens have helped their parents download music.

75% of teens have downloaded music from the Internet, with half downloading more than 100 files. The top reasons cited for downloading are "wanting only one song, not the whole album" and "wanting to make mixed CD's."

87% of teens are aware of the recent wave of RIAA lawsuits. More than 50% of teens say they are less likely to download music because of the lawsuits. However, active downloaders, those who have downloaded more than 100 files, are less likely to moderate their behavior.

Stealing music is bad, but downloading (or copying) music IS NOT STEALING!!!! Weather or not it's copyright infringment or allowable fair use is debatable in court but it is not stealing.

BTW I stopped my kids from downloading only because I couldn't afford a lawsuit at this time but you can bet they are not getting any RIAA music for Christmas. They are also telling their friends about the boycott.

i hate the assumption that all p2p file sharing is illegal and wrong. Downloading RIAA files is illegal. Other companies see file sharing as a free way to hear their music. I've heard so many new bands, and went to shows and bought merchandise, sometimes cds for bands i downloaded. The RIAA should wake up and realize p2p can help them if they use it right

As long as we are playing the numbers game. I saw a news piece on the AP Wire earlier today saying that the number of Americans using the internet has just topped 150 million. Most of us believe the number of downloaders to be about 60 million. That is about 40% of the internet using population that downloads. In 1992 Bill Clinton won with 43% of the popular vote, with 44 million votes. Ergo, if a national referendum were to be held to create a nationally sanctioned Fasttrack based p2p library, it would likely pass. I bet the RIAA is thanking whatever deity they venerate that there is no national referendum mechanism.

The Riaa doesn't want to make money, so they make their artists suck, then they make pay for their crap, what happened to the old days (16 cantury) when a artist wasn't a Super rich snob, or wacked out maniack, who actually had to write good music otherwise their patrons would stop supporting them, they where supported by rich people who liked their work, not be everyone who listened to their work. This copyright Crap, and this Greed is what's causing this, I am a firm supporter of a Capitalist economy, which the US actually doesn't have, Why you maight ask? Because Orginisations such as the RIAA consolidate all their Compitition to Creat a monopoly that is greatly in thier favor, which forces everyone to buy from them (a communistic/ socialistic type act) I am not against Big business, as long as they have comptiition, they don't rape their customers, and they DON'T force ME to listen/ use or buy their product.

For example I personally don't like Apple products, I have no porblem with the company existing I just don't like their products (don't ask why), now lets say one day Apple owns 90% of the computer and electronics market (It won't happern but what if?) and they forced me to use their product, I wouldn't be happy, I'd fight them, I'd revolt against them, Now just replase Apple with the RIAA, and 90% with 99%, and replase computer and electronics market with entertainment market and the media, and get rid of my little remarks in the () and the thing about me not against apple existing replaceing it with (they do) and i am against the illegal monopoly that the riaa is, and then you would have something that is today.

I need a drink.

stevebugge referendum do it at the state level if enough states have it then maybe the feds will have to follow i think about 24 or 25 state you can put on the ballet though signatures or though the state house for a vote

I was thinking I was safe because I'm on a dial-up connection. I figure they were only going after cable/DSL users.

johnn225

The RIAA does not need our help or advice. The goal is to dissolve the labels and figure out a way to get the money to the artists that create the amazing music we listen to.

What does the RIAA do? They package up someone else's creation and market it. Does that take talent? No, in fact what they do is limit the talent that gets exposed and use their "only game in town" power to exploit the artists and later the fans.

You heard it straight from the mouth of a twelve year old that was being sued. She was heart broken that somehow file sharing was hurting the artist she loved. The one big problem; her only channel to these artists is through the RIAA. They set the prices; they make or break the artists. On the surface it would seem to be a lose lose situation.

Let's remove the pimp/RIAA from the equation and everyone will benefit.

all great points!
The RIAA is motivated by greed and the fear of losing money, and they assume that everyone else must share the same sleazy motivations as they do. They probably can't imagine why anyone would offer up something of value to give to someone else without charging for it, so, in some ways, I bet file sharing itself, that is not carried out by ratio, is an alien concept to them.

So, since they think everyone is like them and just focussing on money,
then they thought hitting people with big lawsuits would cause them to shut the computers down for fear of losing everything. I guess "they wuz wrong".

Question.

Are politicians afriad of us boycotters?

Fear makes people act.

What else, besides boycotting can we do to make both the RIAA and the government they're buying off afriad of the people.

Ideas:
-Attract attention of mass media.

-Organize a march on washington.

-Protest the RIAA in front of every record store in every large Mall in the US, on the friday after thanksgiving.

-Organize a mass email campaign (chain letters) that succinctly educate people of the fallacy of the RIAA's arguments, copyright law, fair use..etc..Make it catchy so that people will remember it and tell their friends about it.

-Organize flashmobs that block busy intersections of city streets with people brandishing anti-RIAA material.

-Create and distribute RIAA blacklists that target specific artists and labels, and encourage people not to buy from them.

-Create a massive fund through donations that support the people being sued, and will also support our activism.

Bulkeraser

You have an interesting perspective. I would have to agree that RIAA folk can not relate to file sharing at all. I am wondering if the word "sharing" is even in their vocabulary.

There is a point that people reach when they have so little that they begin to not care about consequences. Whether those consequences take the form of physical or monetary punishment is irrelevant.

Just because you are being punished does not mean the punishment is justified. Laws are written to serve the good of the people and not the good of corporations.

Their tactics aren't working? I don't know. About eight of every ten people I've talked with about the RIAA's little temper tantrum have expressed various levels of disgust and usually voiced a desire to never buy an RIAA label CD again. So from my perspective, the RIAA's tactics are working perfectly. Of course, I want to see them utterly destroyed so my idea of what "working" means is different from their's.

I agree with you wholeheartedly BlackOrchid, and reciprocate on appreciation of your posts. They are well thought out, articulate, and strike to the heart of the matter, i.e. that this is NOT just about sharing MP3s, but about the loss of freedoms, globalization, and digitization of everything for easy manipulation ala "1984" in which Winston has a job manipulating the news to reflect the version of reality that the gov wants people to have.
-bulkeraser "Looking for the golden plasma"

What golden plasma?

stdlibh I like the march on washington, blacklist of artists and labels but the flash mob idea, I don't think that would give a good impression to the cause. We've all been trying to get the medias attention through emails press releases etc. somethings gotta make them crack. There's been virtually no mention of this one week boycott here in the media.

Leflaw, if you're out there, is there any word on this boycott or it's affects?

lol...i dunno, sounds intriguing though

Hawk, It's a great Idea to start at the state level on p2p referendums. I want to ask Leflaw (and any other lawyers/legal professionals) on this board about the potential Federalism Conflict (copyrights are Federally enforced) of trying to 'legalize' p2p file sharing, or even take file sharing in to the public sector under state/local library districts (which I can't say I'm 100% in favor of).

well, duh!! we r alot smarter than 2 feed the riaa what they want, and thats 4 us 2 stop downloading. so, i say, "u want us 2 stop? ok,
we wont" lol

STOP CALLING the down loading of riaa member music iilegal it's not it's barly even a cival case let alone being iilegal the only ilegal thing that happins in the transfer of music over the internet is when the riaa voilats the user agrements that the p2p file sharing make you agree to befor you use thair software.........



GOT IT? GOOD you can not transfer copyrighted songs and go to jail you are not a pirate you are no a cimanal you have not commited murrder on the high seas

stop say ilegal-pirate-stealing i DON"T WANT TO HEAR IT ANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the parent of several teens (19, 18, 15) all I tell my kids is, is to CYA "Cover Your Ass".

I haven't actually bought a CD in years (I have bought a couple in bars when the band was playing, but....) and I don't intend to. I expect my kids won't either.

CDs and DVDs are too expensive, considering their actual worth, I won't pay retail. Now, give me a legal download for $0.50 and I might consider it. That is, 50 cents for an entire CD or DVD!!! Considering I'm using my bandwidth and time, not to mention my own disks, anything more is robery.

As for my kids, hopefully I've tought them enought to stay out of the RIAAs eye

Marco

The RIAA needs to understand that teens see it is accepted culture. What we need to do is to get artists paid for this new technology, not more DRM and more lawsuits. I wonder how long it will be until the RIAA learns this!

Hey, all these are great points. I wish I could come up with something, but I'm out of anything interesting. Just real quick, I love listening to music while reading this sight and was listening to "Headstrong" by Trapt. There is one line that goes:

"Back off, I'll take you on, Headstrong to take on anyone!"

That's how I feel with the RIAA. I'm ready to march in D.C. I ain't afraid of you RIAA!

you get em koemoejoe. Is this not a boycott we are supposed to be boycotting everything RIAA, no downloads, no purchases. And I like Koemoejoe am not A pirate, heck you would have one heck of a time getting this land lover in the middle of an ocean on a boat. Shiver me timbers

I don't even think its stealing if you own the song. I've downloaded songs before just because I didn't want to wait to rip it myself. I can get 10 streams going and come back in an hour instead of having to sit there and do one disc at a time. I don't think that's illegal since I own the music anyway.

koemoejoe- for once bro, I couldn't have said it better! You da man!
-bulkeraser

stevebugge -- only one problem with your numbers. 60 million americans, I bet 60-80% of them are not yet of voting age. That isn't going to help for a bit, but in 5-9 years . Teenagers aren't stupid, most of us know whats going on and hopefully they'll join up and help fight, and definitely as they come of age start voting... not that you need to be 18 to write letters to congress.

too many GOOD ideas here......

we have to have an outline, i think
what it is we want to do, specifically.....and how we want to do it.
we are like an ameoba!
well, a big nice fuzzy ameoba with guns, ok?
if anyone wants to help me sort of condense the issue for submission.....
my email is always open
operaghost@charter.net

~time flies~

From the headline: "RIAA terror tactics aren't working"

Not only are the tactics not working but they are having an unanticipated (by the riaa) domino effect.

People keep hearing about file sharing in the news almost daily (it registers subconsciously.) Good news, bad news doesn't really matter, in the end it is the numbing effect that is having the most impact.

More people are looking into p2p then ever before because most weren't aware of it but because of the media blitz, now they are.

The lawsuits have turned into another public relations fiasco. By sueing children and grandparents they have firmed up the resolve of the many, that up to that point were indifferent as to the p2p issues.

Now after seeing the legal proceeding come to light and the release of the riaa artist hitlists more and more people are looking into alternative music resources.

Counter lawsuits are being filed by isps and John Does based on invasion of privacy issues.

Lastly the chances of being involved in a lawsuit by the riaa are less than that of a fatal transportation accident. (This includes everything from pedestrians to cars, planes & trains)

And the file sharing still continues unabated...

Makes you wonder how the riaa minions sleep at night?