Carp-Free Independent Music Labels

robkill writes "The actions and intentions of the RIAA have been under close scrutiny in the folk music community as well as Slashdot. In addition to Janis Ian's article previously featured here on Slashdot, guitarist Harvey Reid has an article on the importance of internet radio for the independent music community. Besides posting a number of good links, he has started a signup webpage for independent artists and music labels who are interested in circumventing the CARP fee. Right now, it's only a mailing list for Artists and Record Labels who want to see internet radio succeed. So if you own the copyrights on some independent music, why not join the list? For the rest of us, it's a good list of musicians to support."

Hopefully this new trend...

[idfrsr]

won't fall by the wayside. It will take artists and musicians to make internet radio, and downloadable music something that we can all enjoy for a long time to come. We can huff and puff all we want, but they are ones who have to lead the charge for anything to change for the better.

Re:Hopefully this new trend...

[telbij]

Yes, but they need our money, and lots of it, otherwise they'll end up starving and turn to the record companies.

Re:Glad Somebody's finally doing it..

[billatq]

Well--I'm not advocating socialism, but I don't think any single entity (and a non-governmental one, at that) should have this degree of control of the the type of music that we listen to and what we are and aren't able to do with the content in which we have legally purchased licenses. Not to mention, what happens when you aren't part of RIAA's big scheme of things? You can't exactly depend on a file sharing service to help promote your music, as they keep shutting the damn things down.

If you really want to help...

[antirename]

Hang out at live shows if you want to support your local unsigned bands. A lot of them are really quite good. Then, when you're buying their CD if you liked the music (this is about supporting the musician, remember) suggest CARP-free web radio. Leave them a card with a link to information, maybe your e-mail address (a lot of them will have mailing lists, questions, etc). I've mentioned mp3 archive sites and streaming audio to several guys here; none of them have done it yet but all of them were at least thinking about it. The local small time musicians know the problems in the industry a lot better than the geeks do, but geeks can at least make suggestions :)

Our Fight, Not Necessarily the Artists'

[donnacha]

I hope more artists sign up for this.

Hell, I don't want my favorite artists distracting themselves with this business bullshit, unless being a fighter is part of what they already are, like Ani diFranco [righteousbabe.com] or Courtney Love [holemusic.com]. Life is too short, time too scarce for the few genuinely talented artists we have to go running off on tangents.

This is a battle that we, the consumers, should be fighting. If we decide, en masse, not to play the RIAA's game, what the Hell can they do.

Can I suggest that PeerCast [peercast.org] (as discussed on /. [slashdot.org] earlier) is a very good place to start.

And, remember, if we really want to stop these bastards shagging us, we must always remember that our participation in P2P has to be about growing a new, fairer system, not just getting our hands on free stuff.

Re:Glad Somebody's finally doing it..

[blitziod]

well then stop supporting them. Every time you buy a record from a big company you put oney in the RIAA's pocket. Write letters to small labels , indie music magz and the like saying we will buy no corperate media. Hell right letters to sony and BMG too, maybe they will get the hint. If people can be shamed into veganism and not wearing fur, maybe they can be shamed into NOT buying shitty music.

Re:Hopefully this new trend...

[e-gold]

I don't think it'll take lots of money to out-do what the RIAA gives musicians. What it WILL take is a new way of looking at how-to-get-paid (and how-to-pay) that can eliminate the bottleneck between artist and consumer. (Yes, as always, I have a financial interest in a certain way to do this.) It shouldn't take a giant corporation's help to let a musician ask for money (either tips, or pay-per-download) because our side doesn't have layers of management who require (as Courtney Love puts it) all those trips to "Scores."

For an example of what I'm talking about, see www.radsfans.net [radsfans.net] (and hopefully others soon). I again offer anyone here a small click of e-gold (not much, but enough to test) so you can try it for free. I want programmers to use e-gold, so please take advantage. Thanks.
JMR

(I speak only for Jim Ray [free-market.net], nobody else wants to admit this stuff anyway.)

Re:RIAA Membership List

[thales]

Boycotting the RIAA means more than just not buying CDs. If you download music that is availble on RIAA labels all you are going to do is make yourselves look like a bunch of deadbeats that are too cheap to pay for entertainment. A Boycott involves having NOTHING to do with the RIAA. Don't buy it. Don't download it. Don't make it availble for downloading. Don't attend the concerts.

Write to the bands and tell them you are Boycotting RIAA labels and the reasons WHY, and urge them to sign with a non RIAA label. Leave Boycott messages on bands fan site message boards.

Extend the Boycott. If a company has non-music bussiness Boycott that too. Don't buy that Sony monitor, or TV or PS2. Don't go see that AOL/Time Warner movie. Drop AOL in the unlikely event a slashdotter is using the service. Don't watch AOL/TW stations on TV. If a company hires an artist that is signed to an RIAA label as a ad spokesman, write them and let them know you won't be purchasing their products.

Include the MPAA in the Boycott too.

You have a big advantage. The RIAA and the MPAA deal in a non vital product, entertainment. You won't die of music hunger or movie thirst if you boycott their products. Use it.

Don't worry about the artists being hurt in a boycott either. Are they worried that the RIAA's ploys are going to hurt you? Are they speaking out against copyright extensions and attempts to narrow the scope of fair use? If they aren't, why should you give a shit about them?

Re:Glad Somebody's finally doing it..

[Anonymous Coward]

And has history has shown so well socialist communites (at least the ones who are socialist by the force of law) have done so, so well.

Yeah, it's pretty nice here in Europe, without the oh-so-groovy capitalists of Enron and Arthur Anderson. Have fun while your markets crash, losers!

Re:Glad Somebody's finally doing it..

[groman]

I am going to get modded down for this, but the problem is not with RIAA/MPAA/BSA/Microsoft/GM/AOL/Enron or whatever monopoly is terrorizing you at the moment, but with the semi-Socialistic government of the US(and pretty much the rest of the world too) that fucks up everything and allows laws to get passed letting these companies screw you.

In my humble opinion a country should not need laws, but rather a principle (i.e. "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness") for the US.

RIAA would be harmless if they tried to compete in real world capitalism as opposed to trying to legislate out of their ass.

Retroactive? What's _that_ all about?

[jonadab]

Quoting from the article:
> ... the major record labels [working through the courts] ... have
> now made a serious move that, if successful, will ... apply...
> hefty fees to broadcasters, ... retroactive to 1998.

Retroactive to 1998? Yeeeesh. If that's true, it would
represent a serious abuse of power, or I'm missing something.
Lawmakers can't even _think_ about levying fees retroactive
to 1998 (Article I Section 9). But now the courts _can_?
The courts are supposed to interpret the law, not go off
on their own doing things that *can't* be made into law
because the constitution won't allow it. Or is there some
twisted interpretation by which some extant law can be
construed to indicate that these fees should have been paid
all along? Can someone explain this, before I lose my last
shreds of faith in our legal system?