More RIAA Download Lawsuits

The Hollywoord Reporter online edition reported that “the recording industry launched a new round of lawsuits against illegal downloading Thursday, the same day negotiations intensified between copyright industry executives and high-tech industry representatives on legislation aimed at companies that encourage copyright piracy via peer-to-peer networks. As part of a legal action salvo against a total of 762 allegedly illegal file sharers, 32 individuals at 26 different schools were sued by the major record companies for using their university networks to illegally distribute copyrighted sound recordings on unauthorized P2P services”

Then the reporter went on to repeat the standard old-school industry/RIAA line that, “this and other forms of piracy are at the root of the music industry’s multibillion-dollar drop in CD sales — a decline that has led to thousands of layoffs at record companies and huge declines in royalty income for artists, songwriters, producers and other creators.”

Not only is this far from factual, but when will the RIAA, the industry it serves, and the trade publications who write about them learn that there are two sides to this story? Now that the cat has escaped the digital bag; it’s time for everyone to work with (and perhaps monetize) the hardcore music fans that have embraced P2P. These core fans don;t download because they are criminals, but because of the greed and mis-steps of those that have tried to control their access to music.