Cry me a RIAA

I have to admit, I’m flummoxed by the whole music copyright issues that seem to keep cropping up. I understand, to some degree, the idea. I mean, yes, the artist records a CD, the record company publishes and produces it. Then millions of fans buy it. Albums go platinum; everyone makes money hand over fist. But then someone rips it to MP3 and someone else gets it without having to fork over $13 or more for it and the record company executives and musicians have to actually pay out of pocket for the cabana boy to come fan them with a palm frond instead of just having that last CD sale cover it. I was mildly sympathetic…but really, how much of the price of a CD is really used for the music vs. simply covering the costs of production? Because if you’re getting the thing on MP3, you’re not paying for the CD, the jewel case, the glossy photos of the band members in outfits that make hookers embarrassed. You’re simply getting the music.

Ok, so they got iTunes to make you pay $0.99 a track – so if you buy the whole CD you’re paying the full price without all the infrastructure (CD, case, etc.). And people bought into it because it’s convenient and they aren’t forced to buy the whole CD and you can preview a few seconds of the various tracks and, honestly, when you break it out to $0.99, it really doesn’t feel like that much. (Seriously, how many people eat off $0.99 menus? And end up spending more than they would’ve if they’d just gotten a meal because they had to get 3 or 4 things.) So that sucker ploy worked. Good for Apple. Good for the music industry. Everyone is happy.

And now they want to get their hooks into Satellite Radio. It seems some whacky idiot at the Satellite Radio equipment decided that it would be a good idea for people to be able to record what they hear into MP3 off the radio. Right on the players. Great idea! But it really seems to have horked RIAA. Because that’s a copyright violation. That’s right – you’re now denying these poor schlubs in the music industry even the pitiful $0.99 that you’d have to give them at iTunes. All because you liked a song and wanted to be able to hear it again at your leisure…after they played it on the radio.

So what’s next…are all the teenagers who sit by their FM radios with cassette players (or more likely MP3 players, these days, but I’m feeling nostalgic) to get that hit single for their car next in line? (Well, probably not if they stop there, since that’s personal use – but don’t make your friend a copy if you managed to get it without the commercials or DJ talking over the intro to the song, cause then you’re recording with the intent to distribute.)

Can I be fined if I hear a song and find myself singing it during the day? Aloud. To other people? I certainly haven’t paid a licensing fee and other people are getting to hear the song (though there is of course debate about the quality of the recording, that hasn’t seemed to be an issue yet in the courts.)

Yes, the music industry is seeing declining sales. But a bad year in the entertainment industry is a red letter year in just about any other industry. And frankly, to start whining about not being able to afford the jewel encrusted bras you just have to buy, well, I don’t have a lot of pity. Come talk to me when your musicians and executives are having to get by on – oh let’s be generous – twice the average income of someone with a college education. At that point, we’ll talk about the downfall of the music industry through copyright violation. Until then I’m turning up the volume on my iPod so I don’t have to listen to you whine.