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 Reply-To: Academic Discussion of Popular Music 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