EMI Cutting Funding To RIAA, IFPI

According to a Reuters piece, one of the big major labels, EMI is planning to cut back the money they pay to the RIAA and the IFPI. The controversial trade group claims to represent all labels but is largely funded by the the "big four" labels, to the tune of $132 million annually each.

EMI officials would not comment on the reasoning behind the change, but efforts by the RIAA have not measurably demonstrated much in the war against internet downloading. In fact, embarrassing public lawsuits against people of limited means have done considerable public relations damage to the label's cause. In fact, a recent lawsuit had RIAA lawyers admitting that they've "lost money on this program."

EMI has been one of the more agile of the majors, quickly adapting their practices to new technology. It was the first of the big four to release music without DRM through Apple's iTunes stores and many others - a lead eventually followed by Universal and others.

Credits for the report to Punknews.org.

Comments

[Comeback Kiddd]

let the revolution begin

[the_extremist00]

\o/

hope they break off the stupid acts like taking tabs sites down

Comeback Kiddd wrote:

let the revolution begin

hell yeah =D

[loxer]

Music industry needs to re-define it self.

[DiveRightIn63]

Comeback Kiddd wrote:

let the revolution begin

brothers, we must band together!

[UrMomsMom]

EMI.... We Salute You !!

[evilgerbil666]

Awesome...

Viva la revolution!!

[maogall]

Hope the CRIA goes down next, so that DEMONOID can finally come back!!!!

[any14doomsday]

They didnt stop paying them, they are just paying them less. This is a good start though I geuss.

[rygun091]

here we go, this is the something we were waiting for after Radiohead's stunt..

[AngerIsAGift06]

gutted

[thedarkblues06]

Down with the RIAA, up with the new revolution of music! Well, maybe not that extreme, but it's time for OUR GENERATION TO ENTER! So that we can re-define what it means to be musicians, and to incorporate fresh ideas!

[hardrocker64]

GOOD

[headstone05]

So it begins.

[x_themetalfan_x]

Good, this is where music needs to go. They can't bitch, because they're killing themselves by refusing to adapt. Suckers

[BASS IS BETTER]

Yea Dinasours are goona DIE!!

[dieamberdie]

thedarkblues06 wrote:

Down with the RIAA, up with the new revolution of music! Well, maybe not that extreme, but it's time for OUR GENERATION TO ENTER! So that we can re-define what it means to be musicians, and to incorporate fresh ideas!

beautiful...just... beautiful...i couldnt have said it better myself!

[Wardster]

BASS IS BETTER wrote:

Yea Dinasours are goona DIE!!

Weee!!!!!1

[DTOE]

Hopefully recent events are the beginning of the end of the music industry as it stands today. Labels have held too much power for too long, time to give it back to the artist methinks.
Vive la revolution!

[bassplayer275]

thedarkblues06 wrote:

Down with the RIAA, up with the new revolution of music! Well, maybe not that extreme, but it's time for OUR GENERATION TO ENTER! So that we can re-define what it means to be musicians, and to incorporate fresh ideas!

very well put. the music business is in a state of turmoil. hopefully events such as this will begin to turn the tides, and the focus will be more on music and less on business.

a new dawn is coming... things are going to change.

[Korzack]

I smell the scent of Revolution in the air - Well, give ourselves a cheer, We've achieved a victory against the beast! Now to bring it down.

[vanceboy]

hells yeah, great start i think

[whoismilan]

Once again EMI is showing the way

[Draken]

EMI is probably one of the better record companies.

[euan_soad]

EMI has Maiden. That says it all.

[shreddin_frets]

What are DRM's?

and DOWN WITH THE RIAA!!! FUCK EM ALL!!!

[mchugh92]

hopefully we will see the end of labels telling the musicians what to play and when to play it all the time, GIVE POWER BACK TO THE ONES WITH REAL MUSICAL TALENT!!!!!

[bassplayer275]

shreddin_frets wrote:

What are DRM's?

and DOWN WITH THE RIAA!!! FUCK EM ALL!!!

DRM stands for "Digital Rights Management." its a type of copy protection that companies use on downloadable songs, such as those in itunes. the DRM is like a license, some songs you can download and listen to, but must pay a fee in order to burn it to a cd or put it on your ipod, etc.

[jane_says]

i think we should let music b music, it shouldnt b about the money, should it?

down with the RIAA and up with freedom of hearing

Checked.

[addeisdead]

This is the same EMI that many punk bands rioted against in the early days. The Sex Pistols even wrote a song about it.

[Kayfan]

All right, way to go EMI I'm going to go buy albums from you now (Assuming you have some good bands on your label).

[Scourge441]

Looks like EMI is starting to realize that the music industry is going to die if the labels don't start changing the way they operate.

[Gibson_SG_uzr55]

Good. Fuck the RIAA. They're a bunch of corporate, plastic *******s anyway.

[-heartbreaker-]

they should'nt be paying them anything.

[emr_steelmech]

Korzack wrote:

I smell the scent of Revolution in the air - Well, give ourselves a cheer, We've achieved a victory against the beast! Now to bring it down.

euan_soad wrote:

EMI has Maiden. That says it all.

6! 6-6! The Number of the Beast!!!

[MegaRon]

Hooray! Thank you, EMI!

[Covet]

Comeback Kiddd wrote:

let the revolution begin

Amen.

[astrocreep71]

good luck making enough money on music to ever quit your day job

[Bananapatata]

this should be front page

[algemar]

Not that I don't support EMI's move or anything, but the RIAA is not exactly hurting musicians. Yes the RIAA might take under .05% of a musician's salary indirectly, but the RIAA mostly affects the consumer.(both legal and illegal). While I am a consumer, I would hope that at least some people on this site are musicians.

If anything, the labels are the ones hurting the musicians. And as EMI is a label... is this really a revolution?

[Bananapatata]

wait nevermind. i'm a dumbass. i was looking in the full news section. my apologies. but this is a good step.

[Muse-Citizen]

La Resistace!!!!! we shall persivere!

[Scott_Hetfield]

Damn straight, **** you RIAA! Down with your practices of hording money and saying your actions are "for the best" to put innocent people in jail.

[2113]

Um, you are all missing the point. Greatly.

They still do not condone downloading, and they are strongly against it. They, in fact, are still giving the RIAA money.

They still hate you for downloading, and only have their profits in mind. They are just realizing that the RIAA sucks at what they are supposed to be doing, and it's not worth giving them money.

There would be no reason to make this front page.

[deterramone]

Fuck RIAA. Bunch of goddamn music Nazis.

[pinheadslts75]

Yay. Fuck those thought police.

[Fast_Fingers]

May a concert-centered music business come forward...

[which ones pink]

I'm glad that there's finally some good news on UG.

[fallout5959]

maogall wrote:

Hope the CRIA goes down next, so that DEMONOID can finally come back!!!!

I hear you. Demonoid was an awesome site, sucks that it went down. Yeah.... Good for EMI though! The RIAA doesn't really represent much of anything anymore.

[ZeRoGuY]

screw everyone who gets in the way of what everyone wants.

[roythereaper]

In the long run, this means more money for EMI, and as has been mentioned before, they're still giving money to the RIAA anyway.

Not really revolutionary, to be fair.

[WFMedia]

YES! REVOLUTION!!!!

[orgasmickey]

Download music. If it's good music, see the band and pay the outrageous price for a shirt. Support artists in ways that see no money flow through to the RIAA. The industry will inevitably cave in and restructure. Go out of your way to listen to local independent artists and support them. Kill the four.

[Decembero]

BEST NEWS FOR A LONG TIME!

RIAA are getting in the way of what everyone wants, and they fail at what they are doing, they are USELESS.

DOWNLOAD MUSIC, FREE OR OTHERWISE, IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR THEN BUY THE ALBUM AND SEE THEM LIVE. FREEDOM! lol

[buckethead_jr]

Awesome.

[Jeffray85]

great news, it's good to know they know they look like stupid *******s.

[kurtshapedbox]

Alls i've got to say is that, as a person who loves collecting CDs, I hope that the good old-fashion Compact Disc never gets discontinued.