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| From | Sam Smith <samsmith@colorado.edu> |
| Subject | [Fwd: How Much The RIAA Are Paid] |
| Date | Tue, 30 Sep 2003 15:49:45 -0600 |
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Damn, glad somebody is taking care of those artists, huh?
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: How Much The RIAA Are Paid
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 14:41:35 -0700
From: Timothy Lynch <tlynch@SOCRATES.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: Academic Discussion of Popular Music <ROCKLIST@LISTSERV.KENT.EDU>
To: ROCKLIST@LISTSERV.KENT.EDU
HOW MUCH THE RIAA ARE PAID
Dave Ralis's Aug 4 column in the Burlington (PA) County Times
began: "I used to think music was about freedom. Especially rock
'n' roll. Not anymore." Ralis, outraged by the RlAA's legal war
against those who share music, got a copy of the RIAA's tax
return and found out that it made a profit of US$721,000 by
handing out gold and platinum albums and another US$9.5 million
by prosecuting "music pirates."
Ralis called the RIAA to find out how much of that money went to
artists and was told by controller Deborah Moore that, "We're
pursuing the rights of labels, not the artists. They are paid
based on what their deal with the company is."
In fact, as every audit in the history of the music business
confirms, artists are never paid based on what "their deal with
the company is." Part of the money stolen from artists goes to
the RIAA - the US$44 million a year in dues it collects from
member labels. Then, Ralis details, that money in 2002 went to:
RIAA president Hilary Rosen (US$1,282,599), general counsel Cary
Sherman (US$764,184), US$1.2 million for "investigative support,"
US$546,000 for "evidence collection/storage," US$539,000 for
"online monitoring," US$3.48 million for lobbying and US$16.7
million for legal fees.
Ralis writes: "The Internet has largely supplanted radio as the
primary means to listen to new music in no small part due to the
recording industry's continued manipulation of station playlists
with an estimated US$100 million in annual payola." He urges his
readers to file a complaint with the FCC if they suspect a
station has been paid off to play a song and adds that they
should also challenge the RIAA's non-profit status with the IRS.
- Rock & Rap Confidential
--
___________________________________________________________
Sam Smith
1020 Jersey St. #2
Denver CO 80220
303.321.0515 /h | 303.981.4398 /c
orb@colorado.edu | sam@lullabypit.com
http://www.lullabypit.com
...it's a lonesome thing to be passing small towns with the
lights shining sideways when the night is down, or going in
strange places with a dog nosing before you and a dog nosing
behind, or drawn to the cities where you'd hear a voice
kissing and talking deep love in every shadow of the ditch,
and you passing on with an empty, hungry stomach failing
from your heart.
- John Millington Synge
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