The RIAA Lashes Out in Fear against Consumers

Many critics believe that the recent spate of highly publicized lawsuits by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) against ordinary members of the public, who are alleged to have downloaded music illegally via popular filesharing networks, is less about supporting the music industry and more about the RIAA trying to prop up an ailing CD market.

With the advent of the Internet and file-sharing networks, the market for CD music has been in decline for a number of years. People would rather download one or two songs than pay for an entire album of which there might only be a few songs worth listening to. Unfortunately, the RIAA believes that they can scare consumers back into the shops by spending ridiculous amounts of money filing lawsuits against a few hapless individuals.

Many people believe the RIAA needs to accept that times have changed and embrace a new business model whereby people can download their music freely using a Voluntary Collective License. This would make more sense than spending $64 million to recover only $1.4 million.

However, one thing is certain as the CD industry reaches the meltdown stage—the RIAA will have to change its tune at some point.

The RIAA Lashes Out in Fear against Consumers

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