RIAA says DRM is dead...

[AbMagFab]

Is the MPAA far behind?

 

[DrinkLyeAndDie]

Is the MPAA far behind?

With AACS and BD+ with future protections on the wings? Nope.

Link to the RIAA saying DRM is dead, please.

 

[DrinkLyeAndDie]

AbMagFab did post the link but I failed to ask where it was first. Due to the nature of the article's source website I removed the post with the link. In it's place I have posted the article below. I have not removed information as to the author or location. I have simply removed links to the website in question.

Due to the nature of the website where the article is, I'm posting the article in its entirety. I am leaving the credit and everything intact including links to other websites that are okay but TorrentFreak links are removed.

Here's the article from TorrentFreak:

DRM is Dead, RIAA Says
Written by Ernesto on July 19, 2009

For years the RIAA has defended the use of DRM, much to the dislike of millions of honest customers who actually paid for their music. Now, in a shocking turnaround, the outfit seems to have come to the realization that DRM does more harm than good and has officially declared its death.

The digital music landscape is evolving continuously. Just two years ago RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol defended the use of DRM on digital music because customers would benefit from it.

“DRM serves all sorts of pro-consumer purposes,” he said at the time, without going into detail about the alleged benefits.

However, in the year that followed the numbers of consumers calling for DRM-free music increased and more labels and music services started to offer music without digital restrictions. Still, the RIAA was not convinced that there could be a future without it, and predicted a comeback for DRM last year.

Quite the opposite happened. Although DRM is still present in the majority of the legal music stores, most of the big players have decided to ditch it. Most importantly Apple announced in early 2009 that all music sold via the iTunes store would be free of DRM. This time even the RIAA doesn’t believe that it can be resurrected.

Jonathan Lamy, chief spokesperson for the RIAA declared DRM dead, when he was asked about the RIAA’s view on DRM for an upcoming SCMagazine article. “DRM is dead, isn’t it?” Lamy said, referring to the DRM-less iTunes store and other online outfits that now offer music without restrictions.

When the most vocal forefighters of DRM say so, it must be for real. Although this is the first time that the RIAA have actually said on record that DRM is dead, other players in the music industry have seen the light before them. Most notable IFPI, who said earlier this year that stripping DRM would “significantly boost download sales.”

In this we have to agree with them. All DRM has ever done is annoy consumers who actually paid for their music. No single piece of DRM has ever stopped anyone from pirating music, it’s quite the opposite as the music industry now realizes.

 

[DrinkLyeAndDie]

Betanews is reporting that the story stating the RIAA has proclaimed DRM to be dead was simply dead wrong. Quite frankly, I am not surprised to find this out.

The article in its entirety can be found here: http://www.betanews.com/article/RIAA-spokesperson-denies-proclaiming-DRM-dead/1248118659

RIAA spokesperson denies proclaiming DRM 'dead'
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published July 20, 2009, 3:37 PM

The principal spokesperson for the Recording Industry Association of America -- whose name, for all who are interested, is correctly spelled Jonathan Lamy, not "Larry" -- denied telling an SC Magazine reporter, even off the cuff, that "DRM is dead," calling it a "blatantly inaccurate quote."

<snip>

Regardless of the truth to the story or not there is simply no question as to the amount of music sold by Apple through iTunes. Music, TV, etc. The content now is DRM-free yet it still sells like hotcakes and I, personally, have purchased a few specific tracks directly from Amazon without DRM and a few through iTunes. Apple has proven that people will buy music when it isn't contaminated with DRM.

The RIAA's enemy isn't the consumer at all. The enemy of the RIAA is the RIAA, itself. They have proven themselves a complete joke. They extort and harm people. They claim to be fighting to protect the artists yet there are artists who claim the RIAA isn't helping them at all.

 

[PolakTom101]

I hope next the RIAA will be dead

 

[emu314159]

They claim to be fighting to protect the artists yet there are artists who claim the RIAA isn't helping them at all.

I'd say it would be all artists who don't have some kind of deal where they own the masters saying that, except they don't want to be blacklisted. Artists don't even break EVEN on an album until it sells 2 million copies with current accounting. Smart ones view major label deals as publicity for tours.

 

[lostinlodos]

Our band had previously discussed distribution and recording deals with RIAA member labels, specifically Sony and Warner Entertainment; and told them to #*%$ off when financial return was offered. Artists receive between 3% and 5% of total NET returns, meaning after "marketing, advertising and fees" are recovered. We self distributed each of our albums ON in-home laser-printed CDR media. We still sell them for just 50c each. We get 20c profit per disc doing it ourselves, 15c more than Warner would have given us since there was no chance we'd ever sell enough under ANY label to get past that fees clause that's in EVERY contract.
Not to mention we GAVE AWAY our albums on torrent sites, with a text link to email donations or purchase physical media. 90-95% of our sales came from "pirates" on the Extreme Torrents and Island Metal sites.
The Really {just} Inbred Anti-Artists Arse-bangers are their own worst enemy. I've posted surveys on a couple of trading sites, and even made a few of my own, showing that the VAST majority of people would PAY for a film/album that had NO DRM and was priced below $5.00., between 35-60% (vry) saying they'd pay up to $14.99.
Lower the price, increase sales, decrease piracy. Go figure.