In the RIAA’s 2008 Digital Music Report, the organization threw down the gauntlet against ISPs. The RIAA has begun to meet resistance in its lawsuits against individuals, as people learn that the suits are filed with little to no proof of any wrong doing, among other problems. Ever seeking the easy way out, the organization has set its sights on ISPs, much like France did last year.

From the report:

”Copyright theft has been allowed to run rampant on their networks under the guise of technological advancement… Some estimates say no less than 80 per cent of all internet traffic comprises copyright-infringing files on P2P networks. ISPs have largely stood by, allowing a massive devaluation of copyrighted music. This … has prompted a crisis in recorded music. There is only one acceptable moment for ISPs to start taking responsibility for protecting content – and that moment is now.”

Bringing up the hot buttons of network neutrality and user privacy, two unresolved issues being warred over between the Big TelCos, government and the citizens who use the networks, the RIAA tries to convince the ISPs that spying on their users is OK because of “bandwidth drain” and other flimsy reasoning. France decided to take a pro-RIAA thugs stance on the issue, but it isn’t clear yet how Europe, Canada, the United States and other nations will swing. It is hoped that they will remain pro-user.

The more interesting thing about the report is its statistics section. It waves a red flag in their face for not changing fast enough to meet the demands of a changing media delivery system, and clearly points out how dragging their heels for so long fighting online music has hurt them. One glaring example is their statistic that legal music downloads have grown 53% world wide in just a year. That’s quite a leap, and a clear indication that consumers won’t rest until they have a good solution for downloading music that is inexpensive and upholds fair use in favor of the consumer.

Other interesting facts include a growth of 40% in digital album sales. It also says record labels made nearly $3 Billion USD from digital sales last year, another number that has nearly doubled since 2006. With such clear evidence that online music is what the consumers want, and that there is money to be made from it, why is the RIAA still making this and issue? The answer is simple: greed.

Read the full 2008 Digital Music Report here.

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Entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 11:59 am under Music.

Read more entries by Leslie Poston.
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