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Truth about iTunes.
If you can tell me who I am hurting by downloading something I would never had bought then I will stop. I pay money for concerts of artists that I enjoy but I will not support the RIAA.

Wow, cool, now the Linux community can easily, painlessly join the choice of a new generation. Fan-f*cking-tastic, where do I sign up? *drool*

the RIAA still gets money from iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.

you're still supporting them.

check out http://www.downhillbattle.org/

iTunes is a terrible alternative, artists still get shafted, cd's are more expensive than they are in the used cd stores and the quality is questionable of course don't just take my word for it. iTunes iSbogus and their parent site Downhill Battle have much more to say on it.

iTunes is a terrible alternative, artists still get shafted, cd's are more expensive than they are in the used cd stores and the quality is questionable of course don't just take my word for it. iTunes iSbogus and their parent site Downhill Battle have much more to say on it.

downhill battle - music activism

Free Culture.org

DownhillBattle.org

Music activism!

www.downhillbattle.org

www.freeculture.org

www.free-culture.cc

Fight back. Donate to downhillbattle and EFF blah blah blah.

congrats to Apple for a job well done

• It's too expensive
  Let's start simple: the iTunes Music Store is not a good value for customers. Apple says many users are buying whole "albums" for $8-$12 each. That's less than the $16 store price, but used CDs at Amazon or ebay cost $5, and those come with liner notes. If you don't care about liner notes, you can burn the CD from a friend for 25 cents and send the musician a buck. In both cases, you end up with a real CD, and you can always use iTunes to rip it onto your computer or mp3 player. And you don't have to deal with restrictions on how you use it.
• If you build a shiny new house on a landfill it still stinks
  Apple says iTunes is "better than free" because it's "fair to the artists and record labels." That's simply not true. First of all, Apple gets 3 times as much money as musicians from each sale. Apple takes a 35% cut from every song and every album sold, a huge amount considering how little they have to do. Record labels receive the other 65% of each sale. Of this, major label artists will end up with only 8 to 14 cents per song, depending on their contract. Many of them will never Artists Get Ripped Off. even see this paltry share because they have to pay for producers and recording costs, both of which can be enormous. Until the musician "recoups" these costs, when you buy an iTunes song, the label gives them nothing.
• Nothing changed
  So why does iTunes give artists such a raw deal? Because it's the exact same deal that artists have always gotten from the big five record companies. Despite huge new efficiencies created by internet distribution --no CDs to make, no distributors to store and ship them, no CD stores to build and run-- artists receive the same pathetic cut. That is the disaster of iTunes. Instead of using this new medium to empower musicians and their fans, it helps the record industry cartel perpetuate the exploitation. Apple might say it's not their fault: after all, they didn't write the unfair record contracts. But when Apple supports and profits from an obviously unfair system, while telling customers that it's "fair to the artists", they are just as guilty. For years, Apple Computer has built a reputation for straightforward business. So if Apple honestly believes that the iTunes system is fair for artists, we challenge them to display the artist's cut next to each song and let their customers decide.
• Keeping progress at bay
  iTunes is just a shiny new facade for the ugly, exploitative system that has managed music for the past 50 years. Thanks to peer to peer filesharing, we finally have a chance to break the major record label system-- but every iTunes user who pays 90 cents on the dollar to middlemen props up the old regime and delays the day when corporations finally lose their stranglehold on music. Now that's something to feel guilty about.

Now, I don't claim to agree with all of these criticisms, but it does bug me how fawning and sycophantic many /. editors and posters are towards Apple.

...because Apple is fucking over the artists as much as the CD producing cartels

Downhill Battle is the group that's best leading the fight to stop the RIAA and the major record labels. Check out the summer concert flyering campaign.

They mention in one of the linked articles above that they "break even", just a tiny bit on the profit side.
For every $0.99 song sold on iTunes, Apple gets $0.35 and the label gets $0.65 (35%/65%). From Apples's $0.35 they also have to pay the CC processing fees, causing them to lose money on a single (I think). Apple trys to delay cc processing, hoping to charge you for more than one song at a time (and hence pay less in cc processing fees).
The artist gets about 0.02 to 0.05 cents an single from the major labels it seems. While some independent labels give much more (i.e. 75% ) to the artist.
I calculated these numbers from sites linked to by this page.

Check out my latest "resampling" effort: bradonna.

The RIAA Sucks.

You know that, I know that, Cowboyneal knows it, and pretty much everyone who frequents this site knows it. It's plain and simple, they are out to defend an old Cartel-like system, only because it continues to line their pockets with billions of dollars each year.

Unfortunetly, we are still sitting here reading yet another article of hundreds on how the RIAA sucks, and everyone is saying how outrageous it is, "their just going to destroy all music next!" is a common thread. I'm sure most of us haven't even read the story (shocker **insert a gasp here**). The problem is, what is this doing to fix the problem which is now un-deniable.

Sites like downhillbattle and all of its siblings propose large scale sweeping plans to topple the RIAA cartel. I am a muscian and the number one problem with these great plans of creating a larger "indie" scene, and having artists distribute their own songs over the internet, and getting artists to sign with Non-RIAA companies all require a public, both the artists and the consumers to be informed. As one person mentioned "The RIAA's consumer base is a bunch of stupid kids who buy...", it is not the geeks/nerds/"l33t" who support the RIAA, it is every person who goes to the store, any store and buys a CD. How innocent of a thing is this, yet it is all the RIAA needs to continue in its dominance, NO MATTER WHAT HATRED they are recieving from the few informed. They will not succumb to pressure, there is too much money involved. If we are able to take the message to the masses, and the masses hear it, understand it, accept it, and then chose to change their behaviors because of it, we can choke the RIAA off to the point where they are insignificant. And then trully there has been a solution, an end all end all. Music can then become about a communication between an artist and its audience again, and I'm sure no one can disagree that once to RIAA is removed, it is at least a step in the right direction.

Set aside the sucky iTunes song quality, and the fact they screw over musicians. , and setting aside that Fatty Fast foods are addicting, and bad for you. The cost of a Big Mac is in upwards of 3 dollars, and one song on iTunes is $1.00. Why not buy two songs from iTunes, and go buy a hot dog from a hot dog stand.

I agree - an International "take-back day" would send a wonderful protest message.

I wonder if this group might consider the idea?

Actually, given the discrepancy between Soundscan (who measure all sales) and the RIAA, who measure only member sales, the boycott is in fact working.

Sites like Downhill Battle, RIAA Radar and Canfli.

If you need to have a song from the majors, then download it off the net for free. Period. Downhill Battle has some suggestions for staying below the RIAA lawsuit radar when running your P2P client. But better yet, just stop listening to RIAA music and get involved in the indie scene. Make it a change in your mindset, to eschew the marketing hype and think for yourself.

If you need to have a song from the majors, then download it off the net for free. Period. Downhill Battle has some suggestions for staying below the RIAA lawsuit radar when running your P2P client. But better yet, just stop listening to RIAA music and get involved in the indie scene. Make it a change in your mindset, to eschew the marketing hype and think for yourself.

Just to provide some solid numbers:

"Major label artists will end up with only 8 to 14 cents per song."

For more data on how the money from ITunes is distributes, see this page from Downhillbattle.org.

The artist has been getting screwed from the get-go on this.

I've been buying music lately from Allofmp3.com, covered lately in Slashdot. A review of it can be found here.

It's cheap (1 cent per megabyte), great quality (offers me lossless FLAC files), and legal (royalties paid to ROMS, the relevant group in Russia). And the files are unencumbered

All the problems of iTunes (summarized excellently at Downhill Battle) still apply. Why go for something restricted, too expensive, and too controlled by the media monopoly, when you can get cheap legal music from Allofmp3 or similar services?

The fat corporations represented by the MPAA and RIAA have been fleecing the public for years. They are the real criminals.

Now, as the people are becoming empowered by technology, those same corporations are fighting a propaganda war in a desperate attempt to derail a future in which they have no place. Let us celebrate their imminent demise!

Check out Downhill Battle. They have the same sort of skull and crossbones logo.

I wouldn't mind the price of online songs going down but lets hope that the artist's cut goes up. http://www.downhillbattle.org/itunes/

We do. We donate to EFF and Downhill Battle.

I totally agree. The fact that teacher says it's wrong makes piracy even more enticing!
I see a lot of 1984 comments but I wouldn't worry about that. We still live in a society where multiple points of view are allowed (for now) so as long as we support organizations like EFF, Down Hill Battle, etc. kids will be able to learn something.
Get involved!

I agree. We are seeing the government completely dominated by corporate interests. I view p2p as a form of civil disobedience. That's why I support downhillbattle. BTW, I like your website. Keep up the good work.

So, you guys buy a digital camera from Wal-Mart and then document yourselves vandalizing CDs, in-store displays, and music preview hardware... Does Downhill Battle do anything of value, or is it all just lame anti-RIAA posturing?

Vandalizing? They put STICKERS on the CDs. Your vague wording makes it sound like they smashed the place up with baseball bats. This is more along the line of civil disobedience, and does no real harm to the product, as the cellophane is removed when you get the CD home anyway.

Right now this is a cute tool, but it has the potential to become a powerful weapon to fight the major record label monopoly.

Give me a fecking break. The people at Downhill Battle have a history of vastly overstating the importance and relevance of their "accomplishments", and this is no different. Being able to browse iTunes over the Internet (something that won't last long once Apple hears about this) will do nothing to defeat the record companies. The amount of self-delusion that must go into a thought like that is startling.

While I'm on a rant, let me talk about something else that's been bothering me. Just what is it that Downhill Battle hopes to accomplish? One of their projects is showcased here. So, you guys buy a digital camera from Wal-Mart and then document yourselves vandalizing CDs, in-store displays, and music preview hardware (which, incidentally, has led me on more than one occasion to purchase indie-label music that I would not have found without the machines), and then fraudulently returned the camera. And this accomplished.... what? Far as I can tell, nothing beyond proving just how immature these guys are. Does Downhill Battle do anything of value, or is it all just lame anti-RIAA posturing?

I don't buy anything from the major labels any more either. The first time I got a "copy protected" CD that wouldn't play in my computer, I stopped buying any. I hope the 7.6% decline is because of the boycott called for by sites like dontbuycds, Downhillbattle, and boycott-riaa. It would serve the major labels right if they all went bankrupt.

You left out Downhill Battle.

• Downhill Battle
• Stop RIAA Lawsuits Coalition
• Boycott-RIAA
• Swarthmore Coalition for the Digital Commons
• Pirates Or Heroes

The media giants own our government. Boycotting and file sharing are two ways that the unrepresented masses can fight back. Also, anyone who really cares will support Downhill Battle.

You can also check out my not-quite-ready-for-prime-time website Pirates Or Heroes.

.99 cent song downloads aren't an album it's a song. It's like 99 cents for a chapter of a book. I won't argue the crateive talent at work (except by pop stars that don't do their own work, oh those unsung studio musicians), but I do think that 99 cents is a bit high. Although if it is actually good I would pay that. I do like how single song downloads would make artists more prone to focus on making a few good songs then a lot of bad ones.

...bitch about RIAA taking 90% of that $0.99 when all they did is market the artist in question.

Hmm suspiciously similar to my post that got modded flamebait, but anyways I totally agree with this. However, it's not the RIAA it's the record labels that are members of the RIAA just a small distinction. Anyways, here's a great site for information about how iTunes abuses artists just as badly as the old distribution systems. I wonder if the new one will work more fairly. I certainly hope so.

Screw 'em. You aren't really hurting any artists by downloading the music from the net. Only the mega-super-duper-stars actually end up in the black from a record deal with one of the music cartels, and they're the ones that don't need more money. Support the artists you like by going to their concerts and buying merchandise there. Or get music from artists that didn't sign away their souls. Indie records generally assume that the common consumer is an honest person, and trust you enough to allow you to listen to the music the way you want to.

My favorite sitelist (not sure about international relevance, but whatever):
www.downhillbattle.org | www.eff.org | www.boycott-riaa.com

The comments suggesting that this only affects TV are also misguided. Once the above mentioned industries get their act together and get all their ducks lined up, then they will lock down the content and it won't matter if you are watching TV, downloading to your PC, or whatever. At that point they will tell you what, when, and how you get your media.

It's a battle folks. Join EFF, support Downhill Battle, write your congress critter.

I am a member and big fan of the EFF, but their treatment of this topic leaves me unimpressed. The RIAA are fighting to maintain the status quo and their increasing irrellevance in the digital age, and they will continue to use any sleazy means at their disposal. Those of us on the other side are fighting to destroy them. I support downhillbattle.

It's true that iTunes "works" in the sense that people are using it, but as some point out it's just a perpetuation of the same tired "selling discrete amounts of music for a defined price" model, and the artists are really no better off than under the current system. This is my fundamental objection to all these online music stores. Also don't forget the BBC Talking Point which recently aired about these issues. Interestingly, for ages I never saw the BBC post comments which pointed out the "loss of control" factor as being the real thrust of the recording industry's complaint ($DEITY knows, I submitted enough of them) but now they have published a few of these. They took ages to have a talking point on the issue but once they did, and the overwhelmingly anti-RIAA mindset of the readers became clear, it seemed to have a definite effect on their other articles with less use of words like "piracy" and "stealing music" - and less simple rehashing of record industry press releases.

I agree completely. The big media have launched a major propaganda war. We should fight back with all we've got, i.e. boycott, download, show them as the corrupt bastards they are. Groups like EFF are doing a good job fighting them in court, but the organizers of GreyTuesday mobilizing the grass roots. Spread the word.

Don't forget your "Buying this CD funds lawsuits against children and families" stickers. Gotta have those.

Someone mod this parent up!

If 10,000 people put these on 100 CDs each, "average" people may start to get the message!

-dave-

• WARNING! Buying This CD Funds Lawsuits Against Children and Families

Don't forget your "Buying this CD funds lawsuits against children and families" stickers. Gotta have those.

Just get one of these stickers from downhillbattle and place it over the stupid FBI Warning.

We all may agree with their stand on the RIAA, but I for one cannot support their position of 'retail-terrorist'. To add insult to injury, they 'borrow' a new camera from Wal-Mart to photograph their little escapade, fully intending to return it after they're done! Reprehensible.

We all may agree with their stand on the RIAA, but I for one cannot support their position of 'retail-terrorist'. To add insult to injury, they 'borrow' a new camera from Wal-Mart to photograph their little escapade, fully intending to return it after they're done! Reprehensible.

Just accept that Apple is playing Janus regarding the music industry. They screw up artists exactly the same way. Want some more details ?

Stop defending Apple against common sense, please...

Regards,
jdif

Just sitting on your hands and whinning about something when you can quickly find out & decide for yourself is silly. I'll humour you for a couple more clicks, though...

WhatACrappyPresent is their creation, and they've been in the news a whole bunch. You can even call Nicholas, one of the creators of the site, at home via the whois info. I'm sure he'll be happy to answer your questions.

The problem is that Downhill Battle is, first of all, providing this service for people who have not installed or cannot install iTunes (such as Linux users). Secondly, they don't think that iTunes is a good idea, and they'd rather that people didn't use it at all. See their site iTunes is bogus.