ann writes:
I also despise the riaa's bully tactics, which I see as a last ditch attempt to maintain the recording industries oligopolistic pricing policies in the face of increased competition. I don't doubt that theatening to sue 12 year olds will decrease the amount of file sharing, but unless those 12 year olds have very generous allowances it's not going to increase record sales.
i'm no fan of the RIAA, but i've been wondering lately if these tactics aren't more calculated than i'd previously given them credit for. it's often pointed out that the RIAA has a long history of trying to outlaw technologies it ultimately profits from, as this discussion from boycott-riaa.com summarizes:
The RIAA tried to outlaw dual casette decks. One of the any things they tried to outlaw, along with player pianos, wax cylinder recorders, record, radios, television and DAT.
i'm not sure how much of this is true (it doesn't make any sense to me that the RIAA would have any interest in television), but i trust enough of it is true that the general point is the same.
but certainly the RIAA is aware of this. so why are they making the same mistake again now? that question assumes it was a mistake before. maybe the RIAA's strategy assumes an eventual failure in their attempts to halt technological progress, but sees these attempts as buying time while they figure out how to profit from the new technology.
i once looked at these lawsuits and thought to myself "the RIAA can't possibly win the battle against file sharing", but now i think that's not the battle they're fighting. they're fighting the battle for maximum profit, and as services like itunes and buymusic start to replace services like napster and kazaa as the standard means of obtaining music, it increasingly appears the RIAA has already won this battle.