RIAA Files Report Outlines Copyright and Market-Access Problems in 55 Countries
In cooperation with the International Intellectual Property Alliance, the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America filed a reportmailto:lpelliccia@riaa.com">report; in February with the United States Trade Representative outlining the problems that US record companies face conducting business in foreign marketplaces. The report highlights inadequacies in copyright protection with respect to standards and enforcement, and identifies major impediments to market access.
RIAA Follies
Mom fights back: As we've previously reportedhttp://stereophile.com/news/020705riaa/">reported;, the recording industry hasn't shied away from pursuing individuals it suspects of illegal downloading from peer-to-peer networks through the RIAA's "John Doe" lawsuits, most of which have intimidated the recipients into making out-of-court settlements. This strategy has, on several occasions, made the organization look foolish—as it assuredly did when it served a deceased 83-year-old.
RIAA Heavy Handed?
Even if you win, sometimes you lose—a lesson the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) might soon be learning if the results of a new poll are proven to reflect the long-term mainstream music buying mood.
RIAA in Several Battles
The US music industry is fighting a war on several fronts—industrial piracy in foreign countries, casual piracy in the States, unhappiness among consumers, and disagreements with artists (see related story).
RIAA in Two-Front War Against Aimster, Songwriters
In 1984, George Orwell's chilling tale of life in a totalitarian society, good citizens are expected to master the art of "doublethink," the ability to embrace two contradictory ideas at the same time. As evidenced by legal actions undertaken by their organization in late May, executives of the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America would make excellent role models in an Orwellian state.
RIAA Members Drop Lawsuit Against ISPs
Less than a week after launching major copyright-infringement litigationhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/11422/">litigation; against several large Internet service providers (ISPs), member companies of the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) abruptly withdrew their lawsuit because an offending offshore music site had even more abruptly gone dark.
RIAA Opposes NY Artists' Bill
The Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has gone on record opposing the Artistic">http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A11926">Artistic Freedom Act, introduced for consideration by the New York State Assembly on October 28 by Speaker Sheldon Silver. The bill would free artists from long-term contracts—now sometimes as long as 25 years—and would give them "free agency" status.
RIAA Pursues Puretunes
The owners of Spanish website Puretunes.com are the latest to feel the wrath of the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in its campaign to rid the world of unauthorized music. The site's parent company, Sakfield Holding, will defend itself against a lawsuit filed July 3 in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The accusation: providing illegal downloads.
RIAA Releases 1997 Year-End Music Sales Statistics
The market for recorded music, measured by what manufacturers ship to retail and non-retail channels, experienced a decline in unit shipments and dollar value according to a Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) report released February 19. Concurrently, accounts from US record retailers and mass merchandisers indicated a banner 1997.
RIAA Releases Annual Consumer Profile
Recorded music was a $14.3 billion business in the United States last year, according to the newly published 2000 Consumer Profile from the Recording">http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released March 13, the report details who music buyers are, what they are buying, and how much they are spending.