RIAA Nightmare: Pro-level Portable Hard Disk Recorder

ratfynk writes "Anybody interested in creating their own MP3 or WAV recordings should take a look at this device. It is a compact hard drive recorder that looks like it is the next logical step beyond ADAT. My interest is fair use, the ability to record my compositions and performance with studio grade equipment at a reasonable cost. This device seems to fit the bill. Specs are available at micsupply.com. This device looks so good that the RIAA might try to make it illegal." For a not-cheap but cheaper alternative, check out the updated-weekly Core Sound page on their PDA-based recorder mentioned a few months ago.

Comments

Re:They can try...

[squiggleslash]

Jeez. Will you people lay off?

In the UK, the popular comedians Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse have a pair of characters called the "Self-righteous Brothers". Conversations usually go along the lines of:

First: Did you hear about that Linus Torvalds? He wrote an operating system and distributed to everyone for free
Second: Ah Torvalds, a master of his craft. His Linux kernel is widely regarded as one of the finest components of the GNU/Linux operating system, a superbly designed example of technical excellence
First: Oh yes. And if Torvalds were to come round my house, I'd gladly shake him by the hand.
Second: You're right there
First: Mind you, if he were to invite himself in, start making himself some tea without even asking if I wanted some, made a mess all over the kitchen, and ate all my biscuits, I'd be outraged.
Second: As well you might be.
At this point, both characters are seething with rage
First: I'd say "Oi! Torvalds! Noooo! You might be a superb C programmer, and your generousity distributing your operating system for free is well appreciated. But you don't start using up my tea, and making a mess of the kitchen, without my permission!" And I'd give him a slap.
Second: And you'd be well in order there. Bloody computer programmers, think they own everything.

You get the idea. Ok, Enfield and Whitehouse wouldn't choose such a nerdy subject, but you get the gist.

And the moment someone comes up with anything to do with music, Slashdotters go off and do their "Bloody RIAA, think they own everything" act, no matter how inappropriate.

We even saw that with the iTunes Music Store threads. That's the music service backed by the major labels. Those are the labels that fund the RIAA. Everyone saw that in the write ups and they still went into a frothing self-righteous quixotic rage about how the RIAA would try to shut it down.

The RIAA hasn't made any comments to the best of my knowledge about this particular piece of equipment. Nor would they want to. It's as infringing as an MP3 player. It's not a way of transporting music to masses of people anonymously. It'll make no serious dent in piracy terms. And it'll make music more valuable. The RIAA have done some bloody stupid things before, but they're not challenging Apple over the iPod - why would they try to make this illegal?

It gets worse. The writeup implies that the RIAA's solution to what it sees as threats is to go to congress and lobby for new laws. That's bollocks. The only new law the RIAA has lobbied for in recent history concerning copyright infringements has been a law allowing it to hack into computers. It's not a sane proposal - nobody would imply that - but it's a world away from proposing further restrictions on the use of content. For all the RIAA's faults, it isn't the MPAA. The MPAA got the DMCA through onto the statute books, I can't even say for definite if the RIAA supported that law, and it's not something they've encouraged their members to make use of, in the same way as the MPAA built the DMCA protected DVD CSS standards.

Can we at least do ourselves some favours and, if we consider the RIAA the "enemy", presumably in reality for being the representative of music publishers we feel have foisted too much crap on the public and who have treated artists with less respect than they deserve, at least criticise them for what they are, rather than some stereotype of what they might become.