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RIAA Wants Artist Royalties Lowered

Posted by Zonk on from the why-should-they-get-paid-it-is-not-their-music dept.

laughingcoyote writes "The RIAA has asked the panel of federal government Copyright Royalty Judges to lower royalties paid to publishers and songwriters. They're specifically after digital recordings, and uses like cell phone ringtones. They say that the rates (which were placed in 1981) don't apply the same way to new technologies." From the article: "According to The Hollywood Reporter, the RIAA maintains that in the modern period when piracy began devastating the record industry profits to publishers from sales of ringtones and other 'innovative services' grew dramatically. Record industry executives believe this to be cause to advocate reducing the royalties paid to the artists who wrote the original music."

7 of 399 comments (clear)

  1. RIAA does *not* represent artists by JoostSchuttelaar · · Score: 5, Informative

    when the RIAA claims to do anything in the future for the sake of artists. The Recording Industry Association of America represents the recording industry, like record labels and distributors, not artists.
    1. Re:RIAA does *not* represent artists by Stormwatch · · Score: 4, Informative
      The artists also depend on their reputations, which are damaged by the inferior quality of pirated copies sold to the public.
      Bullshit. If I buy a pirated CD and it skips, I know it's because the pirate didn't use a good blank, or burned it too fast; if I download an MP3 and it sounds tinny or muffled, I know it's because it was poorly compressed; but if I go to a store, buy a CD, and it doesn't work on some players, can't be ripped, or infects my computer with malware... now THAT is sure to make one stop buying legit CDs completely!
      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  2. Re:WTF? by advocate_one · · Score: 4, Informative
    So, we officially need to find a replacement word for the first A in RIAA, because it doesn't standa for Artists anymore. I suggest something like this:

    It never stood for "Artists" in the first place... It for "association"... as in "Record Industry Association of America"

    Follow the link and be amazed... the Artists DO NOT feature in the RIAA's thoughts at all, they're only concern is for the publishing rights holders as in the publishers, not the artists.

    The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.
    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  3. Oblig. article links by Knuckles · · Score: 5, Informative

    They are not working for the artists as we all know, but this is a compelling argument detached from the copyright infringement case.

    Just to add to this, here are articles by different artists about being ripped off:

    Steve Albini
    Courtney Love
    Steve Vai

    --
    "When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
  4. Mechanical Royalties != Artist Royalties by VoxCombo · · Score: 5, Informative

    The article headline is wrong. Artist royalties are paid by record labels to recording artists for use of their recordings.

    The article is referring to MECHANICAL ROYALTIES which are paid to SONGWRITERS for use of their songs. While the songwriter and artist are often the same, this is not always the case

    EXAMPLE: Joe Schmoe writes a song that is recorded by Britney Spears for her new album. Britney Spears gets paid artist royalties by the record label. Joe Schmoe get paid mechanical royalties by the label.

    The article is talking about reducing Joe Schmoe's royalties

  5. Re:the record labels can also drop the RIAA by John+Hasler · · Score: 4, Informative

    > if the RIAA is not going to pay the old kinds of royalties, there is no reason
    > the record labels can not walk away. they could form a new organization or
    > figure out some other method of making their money. the RIAA and the labels
    > have a symbiotic relationship though.

    You aren't making any sense. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) pays no royalties. It is the record industry trade group. The labels are the members and it does exactly what they tell it to.

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
  6. Re:Not likley by enharmonix · · Score: 4, Informative
    And at $15 CD, much more for DVD, I question how much the artist actually gets.
    Read this essay by Steve Albini, a producer with Sub Pop (the guy who produced Nirvana), for a typical breakdown of the numbers. It's depressing...