Another One Bites the Dust
As part of a settlement with the RIAA and labels, Grokster has agreed to immediately halt the distribution and support of the Grokster program. Co defendants Streamcast are going to keep the battle going. Though the RIAA is sure to proclaim victory, it’s pretty hollow and really not going to put a dent in piracy or file sharing. You can’t unring the bell or put the genie back in the bottle. Besides, suing grandmothers and trying to stop P2P does nothing to stop what the real danger to revenue is, copies sold in other countries (and also available on the streets of NYC) that are direct pirates of masters. Those are leaks from within the studio that need to be plugged. The movie industry is really getting throttled with that an not by some teener or twenty-something spending an hour or two to download whatever trendy flick of the week. Besides, the cool kids aren’t using Grokster anymore and haven’t for quite sometime. The RIAA is still playing digital Whack A Mole and losing badly.
The enforcement actions of big music isn’t working. Earlier today during my now twice a day workout I was catching up on my podcasts and on Leo LaPorte’s awesome This Week in Tech (TWIT) podcast from a couple of weeks ago with Larry Lessig a panel guest. Interesting discussion on licenses, copyright and models for downloadable content. Whatever braindead, MBA wannabe hipsters are running the labels these days, need to pull themselves away from their Blackberrys long enough to start paying attention. The EFF has recently published a paper on the effects of the enforcement actions with regards to the popularity file sharing. Since the enforcement actions have started, file sharing has doubled. You can’t use a carrot and stick method when you have no carrot.
This shouldn’t be a free for all on downloading copyrighted works without the owner’s permission but the inability of the current regime to find a suitable solution is leading to an entire generation of think nothing of downloading infringing works. There are only a handful of solutions, NONE of them from the labels and only really one that has any commercial attraction and that’s because it’s tied to a well liked, trendy music (and now video) player. By floundering for almost six years and punishing some of the very people that have made the record biz so profitable in previous years the biz isn’t doing itself any favors. There is now a model where the labels can’t control the distribution and the media format and they don’t know how to respond. And they’ve had more than half a decade.
Looks like it’s about time for some new blood at the labels. Any takers?