Friday , March 29 2024

“Just keep looking over your shoulder, we will get you”

The RIAA and friends threaten one and all with an ad in the NY Times:

    NEXT TIME YOU OR YOUR KIDS ‘SHARE’ MUSIC ON THE INTERNET, YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO DOWNLOAD A LIST OF ATTORNEYS.

    By now, most people know that distributing copyrighted music over the Internet without permission is illegal. The courts have said it, Congress has said it, the artists, musicians and songwriters you love have said it, and we have said it. What’s more, there are now many legal and inexpensive ways to get music online. So why do millions of computer users who may know it’s wrong continue to steel music? Because they think they can’t be caught. And because they think it’s free.

    So now they can explain themselves to a judge.

    Starting today, the record industry will begin gathering evidence and preparing lawsuits against individual computer users who illegally “share” copyrighted music over so-called peer-to-peer networks.

    Some folks ask us, “How can you sue your consumers?” Well, the same question can be asked of retailers who prosecute shoplifters. And the answer is simple: retailers take action against shoplifters because they know the problem would get a whole lot worse if they didn’t.

    Music doesn’t just happen. It’s made and brought to you by tens of thousands of people – from songwriters and recording artists to warehouse workers and record store clerks – who work very hard to get it right.

    Still others claim the problem isn’t file sharing but that today’s music just isn’t any good. Hey, there’s no accounting for taste, but if the music isn’t good, why are millions of people illegally downloading literally billions of new songs each month?

    Here are the facts: stealing music over the Internet is no different than shoplifting CDs out of a record store. It’s wrong, and it’s against the law. It’s also a very public activity – meaning the offenders can easily be identified.

    We’d much rather spend our time making music than dealing with legal issues. But we can’t just accept the work of our artists, songwriters, and an entire industry being stolen. So the next time you think about “sharing” music illegally on the Internet, maybe you should also think about how it’s going to play in court.

    American Federation of Musicians
    American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
    ASCAP
    Association of Independent Music Publishers
    BMI
    Country Music Association
    Gospel Music Association
    Nashville Songwriters Association International
    National Music Publishers Association
    Recording Industry of America
    SESAC
    Songwriters Guild of America
    Tennessee Songwriters Association International

Oops, they forgot the Association of Clueless Dickheads, and the Society of People With Their Heads Up Their Asses.

This reminds me of the guy who stuck his unit out the window in an effort the screw the world.

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

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