RIAA, Movies and your wallet

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

I heard a story today about how the movie industry plans to deal with movie pirates. Those ruthless villians that go from theater to theater taping movies and then putting them up on Kazaa and other PTP networks.

Let me open this section by stating yes piracy is stealing, but that in itself is not an important fact to the millions of people illegally downloading material daily.
I have pirated movies and MP3's and I can almost bet you do too.

Piracy is popular in the states for 2 big reasons

1. its easy, with very little effort I can get just about anything on the internet I want, what scientists and researchers used to spend years working on I can find in days or minutes. The internet was designed for this kind of free flow of information and it shouldn't be a surprise that this flow of data has included non research material. I sometimes hunt for a movie or a song online just to prove to myself that it exists or can be found.  This has fostered the worldview that data and information should be free for anyone. As a user and a denizen of the Web I would hate to see the RIAA win. The reasons for this are myriad and I wont go into them now, but lets say that a win for the RIAA would mean a tremendous blow to the spread of inforamtion and the explosion of creativity on the Web.

2. In our country (the USA) theft isn't a serious crime.
Well at least certain kinds of theft anyway, stealing from the man doesnt rank high in the Heirarchy of crimes. Petty theft ranks somewhere just above speeding and Jaywalking in the publics ranking of whats wrong. This is a cultural development, springing from our glamorization of rebels and renegades. Americas heros with a few notable exceptions were not the most honorable of men. Even our founding fathers had a hint of rogue in them. John Adams was a smuggler, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and John Dillenger all criminals. Wyatt Earp spent his life on both sides of the law just like Pat Garett. Even our english and scottish folk heros (mostly forgotten with the exception of Robin Hood) were heros of a dubious nature.
Record Companies and Movie studios have turned themselves into an authority symbol (and thus have decriminalized pirating) by creating a glamorous devil may care image that they sell to the public.  The average person doesnt realize that the diamonds worn by moviestars at the oscars are rented, or the car they arrived in was rented, they dont realize that all Rappers signed to labels dont have million dollar houses and dont have closets full of armani suits.  This is an image that these industries have presented to flaunt their position in an attempt to create a "buzz". They know that if you obsess about Ja Rule or Meg Ryan that you will watch a movie or buy an album.

But some people have gotten fed up. They know what it costs to manufacture CD's, or make movies they see the million plus salaries that big name stars get, and it makes them angry, or at the very least indifferent. At some point a line is crossed and the act of theft becomes an act of resistance and civil disobedience.

Remember the movie BIG, when Tom Hanks becomes a big executive at the Toy company and his friend comes to visit him. He's in awe of the toys Josh (Hanks's character) has around his office. The one toy that sticks out in my mind is the Truckapiller $99.95. Remember when Josh says yeah did, you know it costs 14 dollars to make.

14 dollars. The cost of creating a CD is consderably less than making a Tape. Theres something in the process of making magnitized plastic that costs a bundle, yet for some reason CD's cost almost twice as much as Tapes even with inflation.  So why are CD's so expensive?

Anyway I've rambled enough. RIAA and Hollywood, I feel bad, but the Genie is already out of the bottle, and sueing folks wont make it go back any sooner.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

14 dollars. The cost of creating a CD is consderably less than making a Tape. Theres something in the process of making magnitized plastic that costs a bundle, yet for some reason CD's cost almost twice as much as Tapes even with inflation.  So why are CD's so expensive?

Yeah, I get that question CONSTANTLY from my customers. Quite simply, take econ 101. Supply and Demand. CDs cost more because people want them more than they want tapes.

And no, that is not unfair, unjust, or dodgy.

[Entsuropi]

Hell yeah! Lets sell stuff at cost so that companies never make any profit and go bandrupt! Yay!

[House of Mustard]

I have to side with EUOL on the piracy issue.  I'm very happy and proud to say that I have never had Napster, Kazaa or any other music stealing software on my computer.  I have a book being published and, while I seriously doubt anyone will be illegally trading it, I have a hard time justifying the stealing of other copyrighted material.

The fact that it costs $14 dollars to make a toy, or $1.50 to make a CD, doesn't mean that the price should be that low.  When my book comes out, for the first 5000 copies I'll only be making about 88 cents per book.  On top of the printing costs, and the costs of materials, there are editors to pay, and marketing to be done, and artists to pay.

There should be universal access to information, but that doesn't mean it should be 'free'.  If you don't want to pay for a book or a CD or a movie, go to the library.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

and you'd be surprised to know I agree, but its hard for the public to sympathise with the industry and their boo hooing when they see CEO's like the CEO at Tycho using huge amounts of corperate cash for themselves, or Movie stars like Keanu Reeves giving new Harleys to every one of his stunt men. The Riaa in particular has made a bad case for who pirating hurts when they talk about the artists and producers being hurt. A least the movie industry has had the stones to say yeah some people get paid tons of cash but most of em dont, look at Sam the set painter or Ted the Cameraman.


And when someone sells X product for too much and that product is in demand because it entertains, or it is neccisary in some way that product will be stolen... Fact of life folks, fact of life. Im not saying for them to sell it so low they lose money either, im just saying (using the toy as an example) if the toy costs 15 dollars to make, sell it for 49.95 instead of 99.95.  If it costs 99 cents to burn a CD Sell it for 8 or ten dollars and not 17 or 19.  Or hire a spin doctor to change the public perception of the industry from rich crying executives and spoiled artist playboys to normal people.  

Im not advocating theft at all. And not saying that we need to take revenge on these industries by stealing their product,. They deserve their due, but when it comes to cause the industry is not as blameless as they want to appear.

[House of Mustard]

Not that this justifies the theft, but I've always found it funny that the same artists that promote immorality (drug abuse, sexual immorality, etc...) are complaining about the dishonesty of their listeners.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Yeah, I dont' think there was ever a specific idea on this thread to justify theft. I think the idea was just that "a large segment of society doesn't see it as a problem. And here's why"

I don't think that these people are over-charging unless they're losing money (which, really, they are, that's why they sue). But really, you don't have a right to this product. Theft or no as your means. Music, movies, books, etc. YOu don't NEED them to get by, with certain exceptions for certain careers, in which case you get tax breaks or your company pays for it. Rock CDs are luxury items. If they're over priced, do without and spend your money on groceries. (Or break the law).

(Note, this is a do what I say, not what I do post)

[EUOL]

I do think that CD's are overpriced.  But, that comes from my belief that the content, rather than the medium, should determine the price.  It annoys me that CDs cost more than tapes, because there's a feeling of arrogance about it--not to mention a feeling that there must be some sort of price-fixing going on to keep one label from undercutting the rest.

One big reason for my annoyance is that I don't feel my decision to buy a CD in a particular format in any way sends a message of approval.  I buy hardback books, and have no problem paying the extra money, even though it really doesn't cost that much more to print a hardback than a paperback.  I believe that when I buy a hardback, I am saying 'good job' to the author and publisher.  I tell them 'this is a book I think is worth twenty-five bucks.'

If I don't think the book is worth that much, I buy it in paperback.  The author still gets proceeds, just not as much.  I feel democratic in my purchasing.  I feel kind of the same way about going to movies as opposed to watching them on video.

Yet, with the music industry, I get a different feeling.  I hear too many stories about them treating their artists like trash, along with whisperings of price fixing and other nastiness.  

Yet, I still think stealing the music is the wrong way to send the message.  Instead, I purchase CD's from used stores, buy from BMG, or just download indy music.  These things take a bite out of their profits without forcing my higher stand into hypocrisy.

Oh, and if you really want to support the artists, go to the concerts.  Though I'm not a big fan of concerts myself, they do usually pay directly to the artist with very little going to the label.

[Spriggan]

just FYI most music companies are lowering the recomened retial price of CD's from 12.99 to 9.99.  If you remeber the RIAA has managed to legealy price fix their cd's to a minium price, so in a lot of places you'll be seeing the CD prices lower.  Of course the reason they raised the CD prices is because they "wanted" to help small busnesses, which is when CD sales started to go down.

oh ya CD's them selfs are about 5 cents to make, but that's just for the blank one.  You still have to pay all the people that work behind the scenes on CD production.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

In my opinion, which one should not take lightly, I think the RIAA is just a big ol' monopoly that needs to be broken by the guy that broke them all up from way back when. I think it was Teddy, but I can't put my finger on it. In other words, look out RIAA the navy's coming for you.