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Would a Boycott of the MPAA/RIAA Help Matters?
ChrisGoodwin asks: "Why do geeks support MPAA and RIAA? Here on Slashdot, the talk is all about how evil the film and record companies are. But when the next Star Wars or Matrix or Lord of the Rings comes out, it's all about camping out to get tickets. According to RIAA's web site, member companies distribute 90% of the legitimate sound recordings in the United States; chances are, if you've ever bought music, you've given them money. (Take a look at their list of members.) Heck, most of the film companies own, are owned by, or share a corporate parent with a record company, and many of us get our internet access from part of the MPAA/RIAA conglomerate. So why is it? Why do we continue to buy their product? Why are we giving them money so that they can harass us? Why hasn't there been a call for a boycott of the record and film industries?" This is in the FAQ, but this is certainly a discussion worth having. With the pervasiveness of media in our society, for some it is not as easy as "boycott" or "no boycott", and it may be unfair to the artists we like for us to do so, and as Big Media diversifies, a boycott on movies and music may still not be enough. So do you feel a boycott of mass media will help matters, or would such be counter-productive in some way?
It ain't that phricken difficult, folks.
Movies: Only attend matinees, if you MUST see it in a theatre.
DVD's: Only buy used. Period. It's not that difficult to find a pawn shop, or ebay, or whatever.
Music: Only buy used. Again, it's not that hard to find your favorite artists. Wanna support the artist? Go see their show, buy their ts-shirt or cd AT THE SHOW.
I utterly REFUSE to give those fsckers another dime that I don't absolutely have to.
These companies have spent billions brainwashing us to think that we actually want these things. The new evolutionary strength is going be people's ability to filter out media and advertising. Wise Up.
love is just extroverted narcissism
Wow.. great minds think alike (whilst fools seldom differ)
:-)
/. community proclaimed a boycott and refused to buy CDs for a month.
I was just pondering the practicalities of a RIAA boycot this morning (okay, who installed the trojan on my PC???
Unfortunately, such boycotts can backfire very, very badly.
Imagine if the
If CD sales remained unaffected then the RIAA could simply turn around and say that this proves most people are happy with their pricing, their product and their attitudes to the marketplace.
Or, even worse, if such a boycott did affect sales in a negative way, they'd simply say that this was due to piracy and that it endorses their stand on copy-protection, the DMCA, etc.
In effect, we'd be hoist by our own petard.
Anyone contemplating a boycott ought to be very sure they've got the numbers (and I'm talking *big* numbers) before they embark on such an action.
A better way might be to incite people to get active in starting a petition protesting the loss of fair use due to recent and proposed moves by the RIAA/MPAA.
This would have to be a petition where signatures are collected in ink, on sheets of paper. Cyber petitions are too easily discredited.
I'm sure, given the seven degrees of separation principle, that if everyone here solicited everyone they knew to sign such a petition, and got them to do likewise, it wouldn't be too hard to dump a very large truckload of dead-tree pulp and ink on the doorstep of Congress.
That's the way democracy works isn't it?
I've been boycotting the RIAA since they first went after Napster. What took you guys so long? The only CD's I've purchased in the last 2 years have been from indie labels. Not that my small boycott will make much difference, but I was kinda hoping the idea would catch on eventually.
Just give equal (or more) money to the EFF?
See a movie, make a donation.
Then at least you're not contributing to the net evil.
check them out:
matador
dischord
touch and go
mint
southern
merge
alternative tentacles
or, for the fast route, hit the google listing of record labels:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/Record_ Labels/
2 1337 4 u!
Movies: Only attend matinees, if you MUST see it in a theatre.
MPAA still gets a cut; even if not directly, the cost is offset in the feature price.
DVD's: Only buy used. Period. It's not that difficult to find a pawn shop, or ebay, or whatever.
Music: Only buy used. Again, it's not that hard to find your favorite artists.
Sorry, somebody originally had to buy it in the first place, which means that MPAA or RIAA still got its share. Creating a demand in the secondary market is only going to stimulate a surge in supply in the primary market.
Wanna support the artist? Go see their show, buy their ts-shirt or cd AT THE SHOW.
Sorry, the RIAA gets its cut here as well, at least from the CD sales (the T-shirt sales and concert tickets will vary depending on the artist's contract).
You are missing out on another thing: even if somehow the distribution channel is completely bypassed, that means that the artist didn't get paid either.
The problem with both RIAA and MPAA is that neither one consists of a single corporation, but that they are "trusts" which have succeeded in sustaining oligopoly power.
A boycott truly means: never watching movies outside of independent films, and never listening to music outside of independent music. Most of us (myself included here) are all consumerist victims to the mass market.
Sorry, we can't beat them using these tactics.
Anyway, keep in mind that these movies cost often over 1.00E+8 dollars to make. It's reasonable for MPAA members to expect a healty 5 or 10 percent profit on they're effort.
Keep in mind that the studios keep as much as 90% of the admission price. The theaters only make money on the popcorn and candy, thats why its so expensive. Second run theaters will get better deals on older movies, sometimes as low as 35% to the studios. So if you want to hurt the studios see movies in second run theaters and don't go to them in the first 3 weeks or so after they are released.
This would not work. Period. All they'll see is that there's a decline in sales. Where do you think they'll place the blame? Hint: Their first assumption won't be that they're being boycotted.
They aren't entitled to your money. They are businesses. If they threaten you because you refuse to give them money, that extortion and exactly the kinds of things that RICO laws are supposed to deal with. If anyone from the copyright industry ever threatens you if you tell them you don't want to give them money, do us all a favor and report them to your local A.G. and try to get them thrown in jail.
On another note, I agree with the boycott. Don't see LOTR tomorrow, k folx? Or, at least minimize the money you spend. Or try to donate money to the other side when you give money to them. Spread the word. It doesn't matter if the boycott fails. Every little bit helps. Just remember that this has to be a boycott (or a minimization) that lasts forever. They will never change and they will lie to get you to come back but don't listen to them. Just deny them the one thing they want: money.
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
bang on. i've been in the music scene for about 15 years as a promoter, dj/radio hack, musician, etc. and i have seen a lot of bands get completely screwed by majors. the worst case was of the primrods who signed to dgc. after recording the album, the geffenites decided it wasn't commercially viable enough and decided to not release it. when the primrods tried to farm it out, geffen told them that was against their contract. the album was geffens and it would sit in the can. of course the primrods got no money for the album... eventually, geffen came to them to get back the advance paid to the band on the album (which was never released)sales. the primrods wound up in the hole, with an album that was never released.
eventually, the band broke up due to the pressure.
thanks mr. geffen, you destroyed the best band this city has ever seen.
don't take my word though, steve albini (who has probably produced at least three albums in your collection) did the math on why bands should stay away from the majors. it's
here.
if you are in a rock band you must read this article. the primrods didn't.
2 1337 4 u!
Dunno why you're rated +5 Funny, when what you say would be a plausible alternative, if only one could be sure the secretary doesn't pinch the dough.
There are some artists who have big bucks and who also have a hate-on for RIAA. These artists need to get off their duff and help others record and sell their music without RIAA.
We're all savvy enough these days to be able to sample music through the Internet, and search out other people who share our taste in music. Getting known in the music community to the point which you can make a living off your music will not be difficult if you're any good at all.
Once a band realizes that the only thing RIAA's doing is bribing disk jockeys and five-fingering their freakin' wallets, it shouldn't take much smarts to understand that there's more money to be made through small-scale touring than there's ever to be made from RIAA.
That's where the RIAA-hating successful artists come in. A few million to get a non-profit music sharing/sales site set up would be just the ticket. Make it easy for people to explore musical styles, provide reasonable wages to employees, keep away from money-grubbin' CEOs, and have an up-front accounting of money flow.
I'd get a real kick out of seeing my $5 CD purchase get distributed fairly. Let me know how much of that money goes to web operations, how much to the band, how much to pay back Elton's loan.
I have no problem supporting artists that I like. I WANT to support them. But I'll be goddamned if I'll support the blood-sucking leeches and lawyers in RIAA!
Make it possible for me to help artists. Please.
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