Deception and The RIAA: Know The Facts

I spend a lot of time during my day reading Hip-Hop articles and listening to what a lot of these rappers have to say. In my short stint as a writer for this website, I have also been privileged to learn about different unknown aspects of the game. In my talking to various personalities and […]

I spend a lot of time during my day reading Hip-Hop

articles and listening to what a lot of these rappers have to say. In my short

stint as a writer for this website, I have also been privileged to learn about

different unknown aspects of the game. In my talking to various personalities

and reading on current happenings, I have found that the game of HipHop is one

big smokescreen.

There is not a lot of room to breathe once you

get past all the wrongdoings and contradictions that happen on a daily basis.

There is one subject in particular that brings

a rise out of me more so than any other subject that I run across. Before I

continue with my random musing, please be informed that the purpose of this

is not rain on anyone’s parade; it is to simply bring a brighter light to an

important issue that, in my view, has not been addressed properly.

Also, be aware that my opinion on this subject

is not those of Allhiphop.com or the general public-at-large.

The topic I’d like to discuss is those d####

over at the RIAA. The RIAA (which stands for "Recording Industry Association

of America") are people who are hung up on the idea of suing people who

download copyrighted music from websites such as Kazaa and Grokster.

Their claim is that online piracy prevents the

Internet from being a free marketplace and it takes away artist and record company’s

rights to privacy.

"The Internet can’t be a viable avenue for

distributing music unless artist and record company rights are respected,"

said the trade group’s President and CEO, Hillary Rosen.

This is hypocrisy that borderlines on stupidity!

The record companies themselves are the biggest con artists and thieves on the

face of the Earth today. For years, people have seen the horror stories about

how artists make these companies millions of dollars, but the artist is basically

left out in the cold, starving and not better off than the average fan.

TLC is a prime example of this very thing. In

an interview with VH1, they stated that their album, CrazySexyCool sold

well over 10 million albums worldwide. Yet, they made out with about $50,000

in profits. How is that possible? They were robbed blind, had to file bankruptcy,

and it almost cost them their career. Almost.

Another point that struck me was the sudden influx

of rappers in motion pictures. Most major label rappers are not lacking camera

time by any means, so what would possibly make an MC have the idea to become

a thespian? Then it hit me.

They have to find a way recoup the up front money

that they get from these record companies and pay it back in interest. Rappers

can go on the road and perform 150 nights a year in various conditions and sweat

for small chips, or they can do a bit part in motion picture for eight weeks

and collect bigger funds at the end of the day.

How would you rather make your money?

Artists have helped provide the CEOs of these

record companies with yachts, expensive cars, dream homes, lengthy vacations,

high balance credit cards, and other extravagant material that comes along with

being a high-powered executive.

The RIAA is trying to keep that dream alive for

these crooks, and it has to end somewhere. What they have failed to tell consumers

is that by downloading music they are not hurting the artist, but they are hurting

the company itself on the back end.

The company itself takes a hit because it cannot

recoup what it has lost as a result of "audiophiles" robbing them

of the right to privacy on the Internet. If the technology for downloading music

did not exist, artists would still be in the same slave-like position that they

are in today: they receive a meager to non-existent budget, which in turn is

spent on studio time, producers, travel, advertising expenses, etc. Publicists,

managers, and road personnel also have to be paid, so as you can see, the music

industry can suck the blood right out of you.

If you are afraid of lawsuits and big, bold messages

of threat popping out of nowhere on your computer screen, heed the warning and

stop downloading the product.

If you are of the rebellious persuasion, let

the record companies know that you are tired of artists being taken advantage

of by simply continuing to download the products that websites make available.

The executive’s yacht will always be gassed up,

their lobster tail won’t get any smaller, and the diamonds on their wrist will

not glisten any less.

The RIAA obviously has many fans, by virtue of

the fact their website is nonexistent due to computer hackers ripping their

site to shreds. Special thanks and praise goes out to Kazaa, Grokster, and similar

websites for giving Hillary Rosen the middle finger!