Did the RIAA win or lose?

A moot point since they will loose in the end anyway, but here are some thoughts:

Brian Ansorge wrote, refering to the article "FM station: Copyright fees killed Webcast":

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This will all be a moot point when we (I am one) artists get smart and ELIMINATE the MIDDLE WO/MEN.

That would include the RIAA, ASCAP, BMI . . . all the b$@%@*ds.

That's what this technology is going to facilitate.

I can't wait.

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Glad to hear from an artist finally. Especially one who sees what is going on and how to take advantage of it. The old gaurd record companies and their SS guard (RIAA)are loosing favor and rather than change their policies and business practices to tap into a new and very powerful market they are whining to and paying off goverment officials in the hopes that laws will be created to keep the old business practices in place.

I suspect they know they are failing but are unwilling to accept it and will kick and scream until finally they are no more.

They are currently already not needed. The tools and infrastructure are already well established and in place for the individual artists to distribute their music over the Internet. Many are already doing it and as contracts run out, even the bigger artists will begin to see the light.

Artists work hard to make thier music. I respect thier efforts a great deal and I support them as best I can. But frankly as things stand now even, unless you see them walking on the street and hand them $20 for thier efforts, they really aren't getting what they deserve, period.

I'm not talking about the top 40 artists who make up a tiny percentage of the total artists out there either.

Ah screw it, you all can see it, if you choose to. Hiding behind bad laws and twisted logic may work for some, but the rest of us will see the realities of the situation and do what we can to fix or at the very least, point out the problems.