I hate the RIAA - Or - What I intend to do RE: downloading music.

[Madrone]

I am a music lover. And I hate the recording industry as a whole. I've never been much into downloading music, until recently. I downloaded a few songs over the last number of years, but it was a paltry number. I just couldn't get into the idea of downloading substandard music files - and being a girl that likes "tangibles" (real PAPER books and CDs with artwork and liner notes) I ENJOY buying CDs. Additionally, I don't listen to music on my PC. That's what my home stereo is for.

I discovered CAKE by downloading 2 of their songs many years ago. Now I own all of their CDs.

I recently purchased a device that connects to my home stereo connection, and I run their software server on my PC. The device streams music wirelessly from my PC to my home stereo system. It's AWESOME. I love many different types of music, and I can set the device (A SqueezeBox, if you're interested) to stream random songs. I LOVE it - you just never know what you're going to get next. My intention is to rip every single CD in my collection (last full count taken 5 or 6 years ago added up to 300 CDs, guaranteed to be much larger now although I have no idea what the total is) into FLAC format and store on a NAS with a Terabyte of storage in a RAID array. A HUGE endeavor I've only barely started. When completed I will pack my CDs away and gain some major household space.

With this new plan in mind and because of the fat internets tube going to my home I've started making up for lost time and joined the downloading revolution. I've downloaded a large number of albums. Some of CDs I already own so I don't have to rip them later, and mostly albums from artists I've never heard of before. I don't think there's anything I've found that I haven't fallen in love with.

So what does this mean for ME? For me it means that I've discovered a huge list of artists I never knew existed, and THAT means my HUGH!!11! list of CDs and artists to look for and purchase has increased exponentially. (not that it really needed any help!) And what does that mean for the stinking RIAA? For THEM it means a boatload more money extracted from my pockets. And my friend's pockets - as I always share my new finds with friends who then go out and purchase more music themselves.

I just ordered 16 new CDs last week, mainly consisting of artists I've only discovered over the last few weeks of random downloads.

Which brings me to the point of this thread - and something I suggest anyone with similar habits should try as well:

When I purchase a CD from an artist I learned about only because of "illegal downloading" I am going to email or write them a letter stating that I just purchased X number of their CDs, and I've *_only_* done so because I found their music on the internets and after downloading an album or 2 I've fallen in love with their music and sought them out for purchase. A purchase (or purchases) that would have never occurred had I not downloaded them in the first place.

I am aware that there are those that download a ton of music but would never think about purchasing a CD. I think those people are not only in the minority, but I also believe that they wouldn't probably spend the money on CDs anyway - with or without downloading. I believe that the RIAA saying they've lost money because of "Napster like" file-sharing is a huge load. I believe that there are a huge number of people out there just like me - that love learning about and finding new music, that don't listen to the radio, that don't have a huge network of friends with the same level of musical interest - people that buy a lot more music because they are exposed to artists they would otherwise never experience.

So that's it - that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to contact each artist and let them know I purchased their music only because I was exposed to it, and I would not have been exposed to it without "illegal downloads." I'm tired of being treated like a thief by the recording industry - especially considering how much money they receive from me in any given year. And I think those of us that are music lovers that purchase music AND download need to let them know how much more money they receive as a result of a practice they villanize us for.

</rant>

[Omphaloskepsis]

1. I have found tons of new things from last.fm

I think I am done buying CD's. But I will pay for concerts and tee-shirts. That should be the new business model.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. I was reading an article in some magazine back in the day...

That seems to be where artists get most of their money anyway. I wish i could remember the name of the magazine, because I remember the article being online as well.

[MysticalChicken]

3. One word.

Pandora.com.

[GOPisEvil]

4. If all downloaders were like you, the RIAA would embrace downloading.

However, I think conscientious people such as you are not the majority of downloaders.

I prefer to listen to free downloads on artist sites, music sites, etc. Then either buy directly from the artist or from an independent retailer. I really do like the tactile experience of having the cd. Also, if I lose my data (which has happened), I can easily replace the music.

I do like your idea of letting the artist know, although I suspect most will just appreciate the purchase.

[Madrone]

5. Honestly, I think the RIAA has their collective heads...

...up their collective asses. I don't think they really think people like me exist. They also view every download as a lost sale - and that's just NOT the way it is.

Anyway - speaking of purchasing non-evil music, check out magnatunes.com. They don't have a huge listing of artists yet, but there are some good ones on there and their business model is AWESOME. You can listen to every album in it's entirety before purchase, you can purchase the music files OR the physical CD - and they encourage you to share the music with 3 friends - whether it be copying 3 cds from your physical copy or distributing the files to 3 friends. When you decide to purchase you can choose how much you want to pay - something like a minimum of $5 and up to $20 (physical CDs cost around $5 more). The artist gets a full 50% of all proceeds. They RULE and I really hope they get many more artists lined up in the near future. I've already pointed one of my good musician friends in their direction.

[GOPisEvil]

7. Oh, I agree with you on the RIAA.

Downloading of music is a much more complex issue than they give it credit for being.

I'll check that site out. I like that they want you to share the music. That's an innovative business model. I've made some purchases through ampcamp.com and they've been good to me. Also, fortunately for me, Austin has a very good independent record store scene. In fact there's a very good article in today's paper on that very subject. In fact, the mega-indie store, Waterloo Records, will crack open any cd you want to listen to, and give you a private listening room so you can check it out. They're also organized alphabetically so you don't have to agonize over whether a band is punk, pop, alternative, etc.

[GOPisEvil]

10. Hey, that site is pretty cool. I hope their inventory grows.

I like that they do their own compilations. Those are useful in exposing a lot of artists at once. I have it bookmarked. :)

[Madrone]

12. Found it recommended on Slashdot -

during one of their famous threads (usually devolving into us vs. them flamefests) regarding the RIAA and the morality of downloading music. Definitely spend some time checking them out!

[GOPisEvil]

14. Heh...us v them flamewars?

They don't have those on the internets. ;)

Seriously, I've added it to my list of bookmarks of music sites. If only my income were as unlimited as my desire for new music.

[Guava Jelly]

6. Good for you! and i agree

And I have all of Cake's cds also..Even on my ipod. Great band One of my favorites

[Madrone]

8. Dude, but YOU'VE got the T-Shirt!

I've seen photographic evidence.


And I want it. x(


I loooove Cake. Nice to see you :hi:

[Guava Jelly]

9. Nice to see you also

I have 3 cake shirts :)
One of them i bought when i seen them in concert and the other two i got from http://cakemusic.com/store.html

And it's nice to see you!
I hope all your stalker drama is history :7

[Madrone]

11. No more stalker drama!

Hip-hip Hurraaaayyy!

Um... That'd be unless the RIAA is reading my thread right now. :scared:


You've seen Cake in concert too?

[Guava Jelly]

13. I am happy about the" no more stalker drama"

I have seen Cake twice in concert!
They were wonderful!
I saw them once with Weezer and once where they were headlining.
They played every song i wanted to hear.
I plan to see them every time they make it to my neck of the woods.

[Madrone]

15. Awesome!

I haven't seen many concerts in my life - and not ONE since I've lived in WA. I'm just far enough away from everything that it makes it a pain in the ass to catch one. And I don't really have anyone to go with ... a road trip for one, to see a show ... meh.

The shitty thing is I'm not all *that* far from Seattle ... and I imagine I'm missing out on a LOT.

[Guava Jelly]

17. I just found this picture on cakemusic.com

http://cakemusic.com/news.html
I had to share it with you.

[Solon]

16. The RIAA is detached from reality, especially in regards to fair use rights...

They have stated that I break the law when I rip a CD I bought into MP3s, when this is STRICTLY allowed in copyright law. And now they are using the DMCA in addition to DRM so that our fair use rights are curtailed, for no better reason than to just be asses. I don't distribute the music I rip, I put it on my Nintendo DS, on a flash card and MP3 player software I downloaded. It plays the music when in SUSPEND mode, it lasts DAYS of constant playing, you simply can't beat that.

I go to usually locally owned used CD stores, or, in a pinch, I download some independent music online. The RIAA and any artists affiliated with them I simply ignore, most of it is crap anyways.

[Mojambo]

18. Yep. I only listen to independent music

The RIAA (and all their artists) can suck it hard.