For some time the RIAA has been using its legal resources to attack companies and people who are involved in file sharing and other activities which the RIAA considers a threat. However recently the RIAA has increased the scale of its activities and changed its targets from companies to individuals, in particular individuals who do not have the resources to properly defend themselves. This kind of action is inexcusable and we therefore call for a boycott of RIAA members.
Since the RIAA is funded by its member record labels the only way to get the RIAA to change its behavior is through pressure from the record labels. Each member pays the RIAA a proportion of the record label's gross revenues/market share so by not buying CDs and other products from RIAA members you reduce the money available to the RIAA to continue its attacks. Also since the member record labels are represented on the RIAA board, pressure from these will encourage the RIAA to stop its inexcusable activities.
The RIAA has a large number of members but there are still plenty of alternatives. You might find that you will get better music, at lower cost and that much more of the revenue will go to the artist.
The trigger for the Campaign for Fair Music was when the RIAA targeted legal action at students, who were incapable of defending themselves and so destroying their reputation and savings. The settlements were insignificant compared to the RIAA's revenue, in fact the RIAA probably spent much more in costs than the amount of money gained by raiding the life-savings of the students in question.
The RIAA works by creating terror — by picking on a few easy targets it attempts to reduce copyright infringement and generates propaganda to support its assertion that copyright infringement is destroying the music industry. It does so at the expense of destroying the livelihood of a few unlucky individuals.
Engaging in this kind of economic terrorism is almost certainly counter-productive. The people who they are going after are typically in the RIAA's target sales demographics. Customers know this and so, like us, may go against the RIAA and its members. Perhaps the RIAA should consider this factor before blaming any drop in revenue on the copyright infringement bogey-man. Perhaps record companies and artists should consider this before supporting the RIAA.
For more information and links see the news page.
Don't buy products from RIAA members also tell the record labels and record stores why you are doing so. Ask for them to sell music by non-RIAA members and label them as such. You may wish to base your letters on these templates and read replies we have received.
Buy from non-RIAA members, buy their music and let them know you support them. For some examples see the alternatives.
Link to our website and tell your friends and colleague about the campaign. To discuss these issues and hear news about the campaign then join our mailing list. If you have any suggestions or comments then feel free to email us.
If you must support artist who have an exclusive contract with a RIAA-member record label then go to their concerts. A fair greater proportion of the revenue from a concert goes to the musicians, when compared to CDs. Of course the record labels are trying to get more of this for themselves.
fair-music-webmaster@srcf.ucam.org