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Diamonds & the RIAA

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the something-to-think-about dept.

eaglebtc writes "After reading the previously-posted article on cdfreaks.com about the rapid erosion of cheap CDR's, I found another equally scintillating write-up about the economics of music CDs written by Richard Menta, founder of MP3 Newswire. Sure, we've all heard the whining about how CDs are so expensive, but Mr. Menta takes a unique perspective on the issue by comparing the RIAA to DeBeers. He argues that both companies control distribution of products in their respective markets with an iron fist, and by so doing can artificially raise prices. Coincidentally, the bubble is beginning to burst in both markets: the RIAA is fighting against the uprisings of P2P software, and the diamond cartel's lawyers are losing sleep over the $5 diamonds produced in a lab."

7 of 739 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The names may change, but by the+MaD+HuNGaRIaN · · Score: 5, Informative

    Diamonds in jewelry are overrated any way.
    There are much prettier stones available, many with cool characteristics

  2. RIAA & CD Sales are hand in hand, kind of... by phaetonic · · Score: 5, Informative

    Did you know that there is a 2% surcharge on all CD recorders sold that goes directly to the RIAA, and a 2% hidden tax associated with the AHRA that is collected by the RIAA to give to artists, yet only roughly 36% of that 2% goes to the artist. www.boycott-riaa.com

  3. Industrial quality? by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You aren't paying attention. Previous artificial diamonds are too small for gems, they are used as abrasives in drill bits and so on.

    These new companies are not making diamond dust, they are making gem size diamonds, and plan to use the income from that, as they destroy deBeers, to finance making diamonds for semiconductors, as in huge wafers.

    Maybe you could come up with some definition for "industrial" diamonds, whatever that is, and then update it for the new artificial diamonds, and realize it has no more meaning.

    --
    Infuriate left and right
  4. Re:Labor Of Love by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Informative
    "Yeah well, not being from the US (North America)I never quite understood that tradition, for ten grand I knew better things to do than buy a ring."

    The DeBeers marketing campaigns are brilliant. If you are exposed to them from a young age and see fictional weddings on TV and how they focus on the ring, you will understand. It is ground into North American minds from the very beginning. Most people in North America know what I'm talking about when I refer to the "A Diamond is Forever Music."

  5. Linares' patent for vapor deposition by Kazymyr · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just in case anyone is interested, here's a link to the patent Linares received for their vapor process.

    --
    I hadn't known there were so many idiots in the world until I started using the Internet -Stanislaw Lem
  6. DeBeers has been much more effective than RIAA by sd_jeff · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not sure how things have changed in the last 20 years since this article came out, but here's an interesting piece on how dimaond engagement rings are an invented tradition that only started 60 years ago. (It's comes in three parts b/c it's pretty long.)

    part 1

    part 2

    part 3

  7. More info on Diamonds by dinog · · Score: 5, Informative
    Available at PBS.

    DeBeers is an even bigger fraud than the RIAA. Diamonds (even natural ones) are not really scarce. Also, the new lab methods do not all rely on the mettalic solvents to create diamonds. One is deposited as plasma, with no extra gunk in the process. They are white diamonds, of unusual perfection.

    BTW, Plastic had this a few weeks ago.

    Dean G.