Slashdot Mirror
RIAA Hires Artists, Then Sends In the SWAT team
cancan writes "The NY times is carrying an article about how the RIAA is hiring hip hop artists to make mix tapes, and then
helping the police raid their studios. In the case of DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon, they were raided by SWAT teams with their guns drawn. The local police chief said later that they were 'prepared for the worst.' Men in RIAA jackets helped cart away 'evidence'. Just the same, 'Record labels regularly hire mixtape D.J.'s to produce CDs featuring a specific artist. In many cases, these arrangements are conducted with a wink and a nod rather than with a contract; the label doesn't officially grant the D.J. the right to distribute the artist's songs or formally allow the artist to record work outside of his contract.' " This is more of the shenanigans that we've previously discussed on the site.
Not as far as I can see from the article; the Slashdot summary seems misleading. As far as I can see from the article the RIAA had somebody busted that they had previously employed on a different project. I can't find anything in the linked article to suggest the set-up that the Slashdot article implies. Surely the RIAA does enough scummy things that we don't have to make things up about them?
Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
It seems fairly obvious to me. Rap stars need to have "street cred" in order to rise into the upper echelons of rap stardom. That means a criminal record. Say you were a unscrupulous record producer who had a hot new talent on his hands. Say that the talent happens to be a squeaky clean wannabe thug from the 'burbs. Once your man has recorded a record all you have to do is plant some evidence/drugs and make an anonymous phone-call. Heck, if you're lucky those cops might be the trigger happy sort and you'll wind up with the next Tupac on your hands. (Not to mention the fact that your "client"'s contract probably cedes all royalties to the record company upon death...)
It sounds far-fetched, I know. However, one really does have to wonder if the majority of hardened criminals driving the rap industry are actually the sort that wears three-piece suits.
MAFIAA of course stands for the "Music And Film Industries Association of America". Anyone who thinks otherwise or wants to draw parallels to other criminal organisations should reconsider, and ponder his own disposition towards those industries rather than interpreting things into postings that aren't there.
Just to cover your bases, pal. Don't forget, revenue from legal action will soon become the major income base for those industries when their last customer is in jail, so I wouldn't call it beneath them to read this here, too, and try to pump some money outta that, too.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
These cats are private- no matter how much they imply it no matter how much they hint at no matter how much they wink and hold up a sign (but never actually say it) that says "we are a government agency" the RIAA's bullshit only carries the force of law if their regulations BECOME law. It's a trade association- nothing more. That is what makes the idea that they were carting out "evidence" all the more wrenching. I don't like it when these guys are co-opting the government. BTW, if this SWAT business is really true, this means that in a post-911 world we were able to spare a little bit (in this case a lot) of resources on a non-terrorism deal? WTF?
The RIAA homepage needs to be slashdotted, repeatedly, and with no end in sight.
Is this a joke? Somehow I don't think a bunch of nerds throwing packets at the RIAA website is going to help anyone. They're an organisation that deals with other *big* organisations who they already have other communication channels with. They don't need a fucking website. Get real.
Taking up arms against them is also a ridiculously extreme idea. If you want to help remove the RIAA's power, here's a few ideas:
- Learn a musical instrument and join the free culture movement.
- Get a law degree and help out in legal battles against RIAA and any organisation (MPAA, patent trolls, etc.) doing similar things.
- Start an alternative RIAA that protects artists of copylefted music from distributors using DRM on their copylefted music. Sue the DRM distributors for the maximum amount.
- If you feel strongly enough to dedicate a few thousand dollars of your own, launch a copylefted media competition and make the thousands of dollars the prize for the best copylefted film/song/etc. (online film festival, music website, etc.)
"And since when does the RIAA get to act like feds and be part of a raid?"
My first thought, too, on reading the summary.
I do not know what it is going to take, but somehow, these **AA assclowns have to be stopped.
I wish there was a way to incite a universal boycott of ALL **AA related products. Perhaps that would get someone's attention.
Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
shot of a grave-looking police officer saying, "In this case we didn't find drugs or weapons, but it's not uncommon for us to find other contraband."
Or to put it another way, these people are completely innocent of all crimes related to drugs or weapons. Of course, by putting it this way, there's a clear implication that these people are somehow connected to the illegal drugs trade.
The underlying story actually makes more sense if you understand that the RIAA is not the recording industry, but a group that represents them, and that in all likelihood the probability that the story's claim that the RIAA "hired" any hip-hop artists to do anything at all is pretty close to zero.
This is more like Microsoft hiring some programmers to produce some kind of installation CD with a variety of applications, much of which is not from Microsoft, and then the BSA busting them for piracy. Yes, Microsoft is a member of the BSA, but that doesn't mean the BSA has much to do with the day-to-day decision making processes at Microsoft or vice-versa.
On the face of it, an article about the BSA raiding a company started by Microsoft wouldn't generate the same kind of Slashdot reactions. We might be amazed Microsoft ever started such a company, but we wouldn't think this was some kind of wierd "entrapment" thing.
Unfortunately, it remains the case that Slashdot seriously believes that the RIAA is a massive, monopolistic, music publisher as opposed to an industry group that represents publishers. Slashdot has, judging from the headline, gone beyond merely repeating this nonsense and now actually believes it.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
>Men in RIAA jackets helped cart away 'evidence'.
Uh, the defendant's lawyer is going to have fun attacking the chain of evidence there.
www.isoHunt.com
That will only hurt some lowly clerk in the mail-room.
Of course, if these hip-hop artists are really "gangstas" and are as hard as they claim, they will be gunning down RIAA executives in the street. But then they would get real jail sentences instead of some cooked-up publicity that makes them look tough without really hurting them, and they would lose the huge income that they get from playing along with the system they claim to despise. So they're not going to do that, are they?
I wonder how much longer Hollywood Accounting will be allowed to continue. You would think that somebody trying to make a name for themselves by going after "the next Enron" would find Hollywood a soft target.
At some point, somewhere, the entire internet will be found to be illegal.
If you'll read TA - Page 1, paragraph 5 (last sentence) - it states: ...
Drama and Cannon have in recent years been paid by the same companies that paid Kilgo to help arrest them. ...
So no, according to the NY Times, it is most certainly not bull, or at least, not Slashdot hype. The RIAA('s member companies) actually did do this.
Screw the rules, I have green hair!
So, one of the things I glean from this article is that the RIAA pays artists to make mixtapes, encouraging them to violate copyright laws? Nobody else is shocked by this? Especially amazing is the Mafia-like behavior surrounding it, secret agreements, payment under the table, etc. I thought things like that were only done in the movies, and even then not by self-styled "respectable" organizations like the RIAA.
Le français vous intéresse?
The problem with "free" and "copylefted" music is that it's usually pretty terrible, and most of the time it's just "make your own techno" which gets boring after a while.
I am a big fan of alternative, heavy metal, and melodic rock, and I never see anything like that out there as "copyleft." These people are either long gone, desperate for cash, or in the case of melodic rock, releasing only one or two songs for free.
My sister's "emo" bands are more download-friendly, she tells me, always telling people at the concerts to download their music. I guess they can get away with that, being more tour-based than studio-based. Many of them, she says, are not on major labels and don't get on the radio or MTV until much later in their careers. But to me, that style of music is just terrible.
I guess I'm just dated, being into the "whole album" concept rather than the rebirth of the "singles" concept. Even with my iPod, I'll organize it into albums and listen to the whole album in most cases.
> I wonder how much longer Hollywood Accounting will be allowed to continue.
That would be 'forever'. The entertainment industry is very generous in helping to provide money and celebrity support to politicians.
[Insert pithy quote here]
' Men in RIAA jackets helped cart away 'evidence'.
So these guys are now behaving like law enforcement agencies, going in with RIAA jackets and so forth? Their importance is way overblown. They're acting like ATF agents. What's next? Will they burn down a compound?
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
"R.I.A.A. investigators helped the police collect evidence and conduct surveillance at the studio. ... after the raid, a team of men wearing R.I.A.A. jackets was responsible for boxing the CDs and carting them to a warehouse for examination."
RIAA, the main benefactor, get's to collect, control and examine the evidence against the accused? Shouldn't that be the job of FBI? Sounds to me like they have a million dollar motive for tampering with the evidence to ensure conviction and collect the $$$$$$$$$$$.
And the underlying assumption of your post that "Slashdot" is a monolithic groupthink is different how exactly?
If he explores all forms and substances Straight homeward to their symbol-essences; He shall not die.
Are you unable to think beyond your own tiny sense of self? Speed cameras aren't just put up as a revenue earner, or to piss you off. The pen pushers that make these choices do so do because, and you may find this surprising, they are thinking about preservation of not only your life, but the safety of millions of other people just like you. No fun to have someone you love killed because some retard wants to get home 2 seconds quicker.
Condoning violence is stupid. Being violent is equally as moronic. (Ex military, so I'd like to think I have a clue)
They were arrested on RICO charges which is one of the most abused laws in the nation. RICO allows for the immediate confiscation and auction of the property of the accused. It was originally used against the mob and later applied to drug dealers. The idea is to prevent them from using "ill-gotten gains" to fund their defense. So things like houses, cars, money in the bank, and other valuable property is sold at auction with the proceeds going to the state to fund further raids like these. In short, the DJ's paid for their own raid.
IMO, if RICO should be applied to anyone it should be the RIAA.
B.
This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
Is RIAA/MPAA/BSA becoming the 5th branch of government?
thats all well and good but how exactly does a speed camera stop you speeding? it silently takes your photo, and the first you hear about it is a letter in the mail with a nice big fine. they collect revenue, nothing more.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
I don't know what else you would expect from this group.
First and foremost, what they are doing is entrapment and they have no ability to come into your office and take anything. ONLY the police are allowed to and then, only with a warrant (or with exigent circumstances, which only exists when there is a threat to health or safety... which clearly does not exist here).
The RIAA are a bunch of high bankrolled bullies who make it seem like they have a quasi-legal status. What they do to DJs is larceny and no less.
This is why you get a signed contract or some record of a discussion.
MEF
With RIAA joining in on the raid and getting the cops and the SWAT team to do their bidding doesn't it start to sound like the RIAA is an agent of the state? Or, more likely, the state is an agent of the RIAA?
As far as the first question, were they likely to commit their alleged crimes without RIAA inducement? Who knows...
Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
It's all about control. The RIAA's mission is about controlling the distribution channel. These individuals had gotten successful enough that they became a credible threat. The RIAA can't allow them to continue being successful. So the RIAA sent a rather thuggish message
The truely disturbing element of all this is that the law enforcement folks allowed the RIAA representatives to play a pseudo-law-enforcement role. The defense attorneys should petition to discard all evidence that's come in contact with the RIAA representatives. At a minimum, the evidenciary chain of custody has been broken. The RIAA has a substantial interest in the outcome of the case, and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the evidence. Law Enforcement officers are specially trained to be impartial. They're directly accountable through the courts. They're held to a higher standard. They're an element of "due process." The RIAA is none of these (though they pretend to be law enforcement on TV.)
After reading the article, it all seems like a publicity stunt to me. The SWAT team/police were probably invovled unknowingly. Notice in the article, after posting bail, they immediately go to a radio station to promote their upcoming (I believe officially licensed) mixtape.
Ok...I say then, just to prove it, let's take the revenue stream earned by speed cameras AND just old fashioned radar and manual police enforcement out of the picture. Lets fix the laws, and instead of giving the fines generated by this to the cops...lets redistribute those out to all those in the community that did NOT get a traffic infraction that year.
I guarantee, that if the cops did not earn a single penny from all the speed traps and traffic enforcement...if they did not have quotas to meet monthly, you'd see a severe drop off in the number of these setups. I think the cops would move on to other policing activities.
Down here in New Orleans, post Katrina, we're having a huge surge in crime....robberies, murder, etc.
I think our city would be much better served by having the cops channel their activities into more serious crime prevention, patrols and the like...rather than trying to earn money by giving out traffic citations. I'm not much worried about John Q. Citizen speeding to get to work on time to earn a living and pay taxes. I'm much more concerned about the thugs driving around 5 mph through neighborhoods, casing places to rob, or looking for a rival gang member to perform a drive-by-shooting on...
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Folks, this is an organized bootleg operation that got shut down
... and major labels continued to e-mail them new tracks."
From TFA:
"Mixtapes also feature unreleased songs, often "leaked" to the D.J. by a record label that wants to test an artist's popularity or build hype for a coming album release. Record labels regularly hire mixtape D.J.'s to produce CDs featuring a specific artist."
"...when label employees send [mix DJs] tracks to include on his mixtapes, they request a copy of the mixtape so that they can show their bosses the track is "getting spin from the street." He also said record-label promoters want sales figures for his mixtapes so they can chart sales patterns, which they use in marketing their own releases. "
"But even in the days immediately following the raid,
SO, the tracks are provided BY THE MAJOR RECORD LABELS (aka the RIAA members), and they get a copy of the resulting mix and sales figures for it, AND they keep sending stuff to the DJs, even after the bust.
Doesn't sound like bootlegging to me.
Which shows Gallagher is a human being and your co-worker is thoughtless and rude.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
revenue earned from traffic infringement could be used to employ more officers/upgrade equipment to fight more serious crime.
i spent five minutes thinking and all i got was this crappy sig
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Makes no sense. Was it a complete cycle or wasn't it? Or was it a complete cycle but ignoring you? If it's traffic triggered, look on the road, near the lines. You'll see a thin black square, about the size of a car. Make sure your vehicle is over it.
Given how horribly I see people handle rain on the road in Seattle, quite frankly, I'd rather not let 99% of the other road users determine that their skill is sufficient to tear down the freeway at 80+. Hint: in the battle between overestimating and underestimating your driving skill, I'd find it fairly safe to assume that the very vast majority overestimate.
Further, driver skill is far from the only concern. What about the other drivers on the road? Road conditions? Animals and debris on road? Vehicle condition?
I remember reading here some guy ranting about how he was unimpressed with the stopping distance of his SUV in icy conditions. Huh? Rubber. Wet ice. Quite frankly, people should be amazed that we get the stopping distances we do, let alone with a 5000+ lb SUV on wet ice.
Frankly, I don't know you from a bar of soap, so really, I'd just prefer you stuck within the legal limits posted for the road, thanks. Like them or not, most of the time, they're designed with a far more objective eye than you (or I)'s judgment of our own abilities.
Tangential: Australian road law specifies that a driver "should drive at the maximum speed which is both within the posted limit and at which the driver has complete control of the vehicle".
Maybe some people do things and then learn afterwards the folley of their actions. Maybe this is called maturation. But what the hell do I know?
---FourChannel---
If I flipped off a blind man, and everyone around laughed, but no one made a remark -- Would the blind man be hurt? Would it still be rude? You might consider not the consequences of an action, but the motivation for doing so. You then might find that maybe people do things that hurt others by accident. And sometimes harmless actions are manifested by sinister motives. It's not as black and white as She didn't know who he was, so no it wasn't rude. Gallagher was still hurt, regardless if the co-worker realized her harm.
---FourChannel---
Ummm, when did these remixers ever claim to be gangstas?
... and then they built the supercollider.
Why? It could mean that they are renting brilliant rare movies that are under-appreciated or not well known. To me, the ultimate insult is renting the same things as everybody else. Nothing says "bad taste" more than renting mainstream blockbusters.
... and then they built the supercollider.
You contradict yourself. Speed cameras (at least the permanently installed variety) do not use police resources. They save police resources. There aren't enough police to physically patrol the roads, considering how many cars there are, and how many speeders there are.
I think our city would be much better served by having the cops channel their activities into more serious crime prevention,This is exactly what speed cameras enable. You don't need a cop operating them, the cop can go and pursue robberies and murders. You also make a mistake when you claim speeding is not a serious crime. It is very serious. Most robberies don't lead to death, but speeding consistently does. I can't think of anything more serious than killing someone and endangering the public.
Another great thing about speed cameras is that they are objective. No more crooked cops letting someone off because they are an attractive female - or busting someone who wasn't actually speeding because they are black, or the cop "doesn't like the look of him."
... and then they built the supercollider.
I would think confiscation would be something that they do but auctioning someone's property before a conviction would be grounds for a constitutional challange to the law wouldn't it?
meep
Freedom means the freedom to do what you like with your own life... but you should not be free to deprive other people of the freedom to control their own lives. Your right to swing your fist ends at my nose. And your right to drive however fast you like ends when your reckless driving starts to endanger my life or my property.
If protecting my freedoms means that a central authority must be given the power to take away your freedoms in cases where you have demonstrated, by your actions, that you cannot be trusted to enjoy them responsibly, then so be it. Welcome to this thing called civilisation. If you don't like it, feel free to move out to the backwoods somewhere where you can be as stupid as you like without hurting anyone but yourself.
> "Of course, if these hip-hop artists are really "gangstas" and are as hard as they claim"
TFA mentions that one of them gets up at 8 AM to take his kindergartener to private school.
Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
Case regarding what? that you're a narrow minded asshole? Or do you assume that all rappers are somehow involved in gangland killings? Is that cause you're a bigot as well?