RIAA Says Without Them, Music Would Not Be “A Flourishing Legal Marketplace”
In a Nashville's Tennessean op-ed, Liz Kennedy, Director of Communications for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) set out to defend their history of lawsuits and lobbying. "We never expected to “end” piracy…," she wrote. "The goal is to bring the problem under sufficient control so that lawful businesses can compete and the industry can earn enough to protect jobs and invest in new bands."
"Our legal efforts served as an essential educational tool," she continued. Then taking some credit for the growing success of digital music: "today the market exceeds $3 billion annually, and revenue from online platforms will comprise more than 50 percent of total industry revenues this year."
But Kennedy saved her biggest punch for last: "To be clear, no legal efforts are a panacea… But we believe our efforts made a difference...if we had done nothing and illegal downloading skyrocketed further and strangled a flourishing legal marketplace."
Hypebot Readers: While we all are excited by the promise and potential of the digital music era and working to make it a reality, are your sales "flourishing" or am I missing something?
yeah obviously cos the only people who listen to music are frightened kids and grandmas in ohio
quick q. how much of the settlements the riaa have received have actually made it through to the artists pocket?
and what exactlly have the riaa done to help markets outside of the u.s. or does the riaa still think that the u.s. is the only country in the world that has a) the internet & b) loves music ?
But wait, I thought the music industry was dying because of piracy. How can it also be flourishing?
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I really dont think the RIAA accomplished much more than slapping ridiculous fines on college kids. I think the people leveled out the market place and the labels are mad that they can’t cash in on 2 cent on the dollar deals to new artists anymore.