Mitch Bainwol To Succeed Hilary Rosen As RIAA Head

bmarklein writes "The RIAA has announced that it has named Mitch Bainwol, former chief of staff to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, as chairman & CEO. He replaces Hilary Rosen, who left earlier this month. This confirms the speculation that the RIAA would appoint a well-connected Republican (Rosen was a Democrat)." Several readers have submitted links to CNET's coverage as well. Update: 07/29 12:30 GMT by J : Lobbyists wield incredible power nowadays, and Slate's report on why was enlightening. Here's part 1 and part 2. Includes lyrics to the rap recorded for Rosen's going-away party by some of the most powerful people in the world: "Who wants the job of Hilary Rosen? / How 'bout the dream team of Bono and Tauzin?"

Comments

Former?

[momerath2003]

Former Chief of Staff? Why did Bainwol get fired from / leave his previous position?

frick! er frist er...

[johnny0101]

This RIAA appt. is blatant politicking. I bet if ;) the democrats regain control, they will replace Bainwol with a Rosen clone. Sigh... I am a Republican but on this issue they are pissing me off...

Re:frick! er frist er...

[Scarblac]

Sigh... I am a Republican but on this issue they are pissing me off...

Funny how Americans say "I am a Republican" while a Dutchman would say "I voted VVD last election"... Did you get some sort of label when you were born? :-)

Seriously, it seems like people in the US pretty much always vote what they always voted, simply because that's the camp they feel they belong to... Nothing's ever going to change that way.

Bad thing

[hamtux6]

It's possible this may be modded down, but...

You know this is a bad thing. He's a right-wing Republican; the GOP is pro-rich, pro-big corporations, and pro-personal interest.

Expect even more tyranny from the RIAA.

I shudder at this prospect... not that the old person was good, though...

Re:Bad thing

[kaltkalt]

No, this issue is not about republican/democrat rich/poor. It is about paying off congresspeople to act on an issue that "the american people" do not care about. Well, to that extent it is about money, but only the RIAA's money. Ever notice how every evil copyright bill that gets passed is sponsored by one republican and one democrat? I explained why this is on another post on another thread, and I'm too lazy to go find it (but of course it was +5 insightful hehe). Fucking over the american media consumer, much like getting rid of kiddie porn, is an issue with complete bi-partisan support. It could be worse - both parties could be trying to out-do each other and show who is "really" tougher on IP pirate-theives.

Riiiiight...

[bersl2]

"What could be more rewarding than helping to promote two great American traditions: music and property rights?" Bainwol said in a statement.

Who said property rights was a great American tradition? And rewarding for whom? Certainly not for us.

Re:Riiiiight...

[Dr. Bent]

Who said property rights was a great American tradition?

Oh nobody...just the FIFTH AMENDMENT!

"No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law"

The original vision the founders had for property rights (including the original 14+14 copyright), is what made the American middle class possible. So they're very rewarding, for you and everyone else. If you don't have personal property rights, you have no incentive to work because the fruits of your labor can be taken from you at the whim of the government.

Now music...that's a whole other story...

Re:It figures.

[Anonymous Coward]

As opposed to the previous administration who signed into law the DMCA and had the most pro-censorship bored housewives club (Tipper Gore) - not to mention Censorship Joe Lieberman himself. Also note who the media companies are cozying up to. Hint: it ain't the Republicans.

Influence abounds...

[speedfreak_5]

"Although Bainwol has little experience inside the music industry, he brings deep connections to the Republican Party, something the RIAA has largely lacked under Rosen's leadership."

Hmm. Pre-paid senators...
Already I see there's gonna be some problems with this. Mainly the RIAA getting laws that people know aren't kosher passed. And possibly a little too much influence on some issues...

And before I forget:
"What could be more rewarding than helping to promote two great American traditions: music and property rights?"

When the F**K did property rights become a "great american tradition"?!?

Conservative?

[poptones]

I don't get it - how are either of these conservative? We have yet to see how Hillary the latter will rule (although indications are he'll be as radically corporatist as Rosen), but Hillary the former was quite obviously a radical liberal. The only difference between Rosen and Al Sharpton is the group to which they would like to give special priviledges.

Don't forget Frist is from TN, the center of the country music industry - probably the closest you can get to Hollywood without actually going to Hollywood. And he has plenty of pull of his own.

I'm rather sick of these radical modern day liberals (as opposed to old school liberals, who actually believed in liberty) being called "conservatives." These modern day robber barrons are not conservators of anything except greed. I have in mind a much appropriate word to describe them...

Re:WELCOME TO MY FOES LIST U FAGGOT!

[deglr6328]

Heh, interesting that you would mention that, kind troll. Since coincidentally, Frist is actively supporting a constitutional amendment to officially ban gay marriage. This would effectively be the first constitutional amendment since the 18th(prohibition), ratified in 1919, that is specifically intended to revoke the rights of citizens instead of granting new ones. If this is any indication of the behavior his cronies are prone to, well we're in for a real treat then!

It's because Republicans are on top

[0x0d0a]

Republicans own the government right now. You'd have to be a damn *idiot* to side with the underdog when you're about to try pushing through a seriously dicey move that could piss off a lot of Americans.

Change the Law

[MichaelCrawford]

Sixty million Americans use peer-to-peer networks to share music. That's more Americans than voted for George Bush. If they all engaged in a little consciousness-raising and then got organized, they could vote in a government that would make filesharing legal.

Copyright is not a constitutional right, like free speech. While Congress is empowered to legalize copyright, it is not required to do so. Filesharing could be legalized tomorrow if Congress just passed a bill to repeal copyright.

Change the Law explains this in more detail, and suggests some steps to take to legalize filesharing. You can take these steps in almost any country, not just the US:

• Speak Out
• Vote
• Write to Your Elected Representatives
• Donate Money to Political Campaigns
• Support Campaign Finance Reform
• Join the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Practice Civil Disobedience

If you feel as I do that what I have to say in my article is important for others to read, please link to it from your own website, your weblog, or other message boards.

Thank you for your attention.