the smedley log - suburban scrawl

Biting the hand that feeds (the RIAA)

Metroblogging Marisa posted yesterday about the day of silence, during which online radio stations will be going dark to protest the new royalty requirements, a change aimed squarely at online streaming radio stations. (Click here to sign a petition regarding the upcoming changes.)

Does anyone else remember how record companies used to have to bribe radio stations to help give their records more exposure? I thought airplay on radio stations (on or offline) actually enhanced the chances of new listeners hearing music, thus leading to more sales.

Or has the recording industry just gone completely insane? And would you be surprised if it had?

Yet another reason to buy independent music.

That online petition, once again, is here.

Thanks for the link – and reminder. I heard WXPN this morning talking about it, and they got 5,000 signatures during the time I was at work.
Radio has long had the stink of impropriety to me, and I never really trusted them to “feed” me new music. I don’t include XPN in that group, but they too have their agenda.

In the good old days (6 months ago) when I would wander through Tower Records and see thousands of CDs, several hundred of which I would never hear, it made me wonder how certain artists get airplay and others do not.

The almighty dollar. Only now, nobody is being brought up on charges.

The RIAA continues to dig their own grave. Take, for example, the new Smashing Pumpkins CD. Three different stores are selling three different versions of the CD—each with its own “Exclusive Best Buy track” or “Exclusive Target track.” If this doesn’t promote the illegal exchange of music, I don’t know what does. Who is going to go out and buy three different albums? A wiley friend of mine is buying the Best Buy version. Two of his other friends are going to the other stores. Then they’re going to rip and exchange. Fun times.