So how does this affect our movement against the RIAA? On the one hand, EMI is still a member of the RIAA and the RIAA is still suing college students and invalids. On the other hand, this is a huge test of the DRM-free music market, and it's one of the most important times to buy music in years.

Like we said when we started this boycott, money talks. If you like something or you don't like something, vote with your wallet. It's a two-way street; while not buying music from the RIAA when you don't like their practices is important, it's equally important to show support when they get something right.

So we say go out there and buy DRM-free music from iTunes. Is it perfect? No. It could be Lossless and it could be the same price as DRM'd tunes, and we sure would like to see those lawsuits stop. But this is a monumental step, and if it's successful we'll certainly see other major labels following suit by releasing their catalogs without DRM. If the demand is there, the supply will arrive in due time.

We sent a message last month by letting the major labels know that we won't give them money for damaged goods. Now that they've, shockingly enough, listened, it's time for us to uphold our end of the bargain. You clamored for legal, DRM-free music? You got it. Now go get it. –Adam Frucci

If this is true—EMI being wishy-washy doesn't add to the cred factor but we're going with it—this is huge, and quite frankly, awesome. Sure, you could chalk it up to mounting EU pressure, Jobs' cry heard round the world, or the crushing impingement of reality, but we totally think our RIAA boycott just worked. One down, three to go. – Matt Buchanan

[via Idolator]
Shackles image via Flickr

Standing Up to the RIAA

Our first tip: be magnanimous about your impending victory.

The biggest trick the RIAA pulls is to convince legislators, the media and technology users that it's viewpoint is so compelling that there's no valid (or even legal) opposition to their behavior, and the general public should give up, and suck down burdens like DRM, endless lawsuits, patronizing anti-piracy warnings and consumer-unfriendly legislation.

In the language of the entertainment industry, fencing in legitimate activity like this is called "educating the end-user." But recently, those end-users have been doing some schooling of their own. Consumer-unfriendly practices get punished in the marketplace and every threat against an innocent child or a pensioner generates terrible publicity. Meanwhile non-paranoid business models succeed, and entertainers who treat their fans well do better than those who treat new opportunities like incoming missiles.

The RIAA's tactics are outdated and failing. It can't go on forever. Of course, it's gone on far too long already, and you're right to be frustrated at the collateral damage you have to suffer along the way. The good news is: There's plenty of ways to speed things up. It may be a downhill battle, but that doesn't mean you
still can't have fun oiling the sled.

Move the Market

Support for DRM is dying in the music industry. In tests, two-thirds of Euro music executives think about dropping DRM. Between being taunted by Steve Jobs, being sued in the face over rootkits and watching eMusic and its companions surround their lousy DRM offerings, they've been getting that message. Rub it in with your dollars.

Dig past the marketing, and learn about the DRM at your online music store. When buying hardware, find out and complain about copy controls and equipment that doesn't provide "unprotected" outputs. Encourage your favorite magazines and blogs to cover the downsides of burnt-in DRM. In short: Do what you do already. Then get your friends to do it too.

Fight for Copyright Reform

The greatest damage that the RIAA causes is when it whispers into the government's ear that even more legal shackles for technology and users are necessary. Read about what's being proposed—bills like The PERFORM Act, a backdoor assault on your right to record off the radio. Support reforms like the FAIR USE act. It doesn't cure all of copyright's ills, but it does get rid of statutory damages in cases against gadget makers. That means that the rightsholders can't hold the insane threat of $30,000 per infringement over innovators' heads.

You can write a letter to your rep on these topics and more in two minutes with the EFF's Action Center (and while you're there, sign our petition against the RIAA lawsuits).

Been there and done that? Then pick up the phone and call your rep for a little personal chat. Just take a couple of minutes to write down what your concerns are — excessive RIAA lawsuits, the DMCA anti-circumvention rules, the new webcasting fees, the attempts to kill home recording by suing XM and Sirius. Politely spell out your concerns, and ask for a written reply that explains what your rep plans to do about it.

If you're really serious, meet your representative in person. It's not as hard as you think. If a politician visits your college or workplace ask a question about the music industry's behavior (and if a representative of the RIAA or MPAA turn up, try asking some of our Frequently Awkward Questions. They love 'em.) Google your congressperson's local town hall meeting hours. If you're in Washington on business during a session, mail them to say you'll drop in. Don't worry about the details of policy: Just talk about how it affects you (and your business, or your opportunities). At the end of your chat, send their staff to speak to us, or to Public Knowledge in Washington, or to the Digital Freedom campaign to find out more.

Be polite and respectful: Every ordinary-looking voter who says that this is
what they worry about makes politicians reconsider the propaganda they're
sent.

Use your social network. If everyone is six degrees away from everyone else, someone in your family or your social network is one hop closer to whoever represents you in Congress. The RIAA paints its opposition as evil, cutlass-wielding criminals. Five minutes talking sense with a friendly face makes congresscritters a lot harder to sway with its propaganda.

Stand by Your Rights

Use 'em or lose 'em. Demand products with the features that the music industry would love to ban: that make space-shifting, or analog output reproduction, or off-the-air recording, easy and affordable. Rip those CDs to within an inch of lives for use on your portable player or home computer. Learn and understand about [fair
use](http://www.chillingeffects.org/fairuse/faq.cgi "Chilling Effect's Fair Use FAQ"). Sample and excerpt away for parody or educational use, and use YouTube or another video-sharing site to share your works when you do. Support your local library: Librarians are a powerful voice in asserting reasonable copyright law. Buy sell, and trade those secondhand CDs: It will remind you of the power of the first-sale doctrine, and will make you madder than hell if they come to take it away. It also lets you buy RIAA-connected music without contributing to their sales figures.

If you don't exercise those rights, you're playing the game how the RIAA want you to play it: defensively. It's time to go on the offense.

It'll take more than a month, but we're in for a long haul, and time — and technology — is on your side.

BB Spot [via Boing Boing]

Check the comic above, and hit the jump for more info on ACT-I-VATE.

–Adam Frucci

Yes, they'll be taking it to the streets to talk to kids about copyright infringement, P2P downloading, and taking pictures of those in attendance for evidence in future lawsuits. Gizmodo readers in the area, please go, bring your smarty pants, and don't let them get out of there without hearing your nasally, nervous diatribe against their practices. Do it for the children! –Adam Frucci

Thanks, Aaron!

Event Page [Arizona State]

Tune in next week, when the RIAA is expected to demand that this adorable puppy be put to sleep for accidentally stepping on the keys of this laptop when excited, initiating the download of a Carrie Underwood song. –Adam Frucci

Recording Industry vs. The People [via Boing Boing]

The RIAA filed a similar lawsuit against XM last year that is still pending. The NMPA represents musicians under Famous Music, Warner/Chappell, Sony/ATV, and EMI publishers. Gizmodo angry, Gizmodo smash! –Travis Hudson

NMPA files suit against XM Satellite Radio [Orbitcast]
Related: RIAA Boycott Coverage

Will the RIAA pay up? Doubtful, but this sends a clear message that the U of N isn't going to put up with their BS. First the ISPs, now the colleges. You just can't find an institution that'll bend over and take it, can you, RIAA? –Adam Frucci

TechDirt [via BoingBoing]

There are tons of record stores out there with sizable used CD departments, full of gems that you wouldn't expect to find for so cheap. If you're too lazy to go to a physical store, there are plenty of places online to buy used CDs such as Prex and Spun. There, now you can buy your precious CDs without the RIAA getting any of your money. –Adam Frucci

RIAA Boycott [Gizmodo]

For starters, the RIAA is incredibly stupid, but they are not evil. Like it or not, they actually do represent and help to pay the salaries of the artists whose music you wish to "share."

Should they be suing teenagers in Poughkeepsie? Of course not. Should they be pushing DRM down our throats? No. But what you fail to grasp is that they are doing these things because they are short-sighted, small-minded,
incredibly ignorant bureaucrats who truly believe they are protecting the interests of artists and the people who pay them. They are not evil. They are not fascists. They are just profoundly stupid.

Instead of demonizing them for doing the only thing they know how to do, why don't you come up with a better way? You guys understand the future of tech and what it means for music and movies better than most anyone, so why don't you stop throwing rocks at the dinosaurs and start solving the problem.

Now, I realize that these guys aren't evil incarnate and we just share differing beliefs, but I don't think I've demonized them personally too much (well, maybe a little bit yesterday). This is clearly an ideological debate, and we're just trying to get people talking about it so progress can be made.

As for us needing to solve the problem, to be fair, we're a blog. It isn't our job to develop new products or services, and I certainly would have no idea where to start doing something like that. If anyone has new, groundbreaking ideas or innovations in this field, of course I would love to post them here and get them publicity. However, there's a huge line between writing about technology and developing technology.

Plus, I write 13 posts a day, dude. There are only so many hours around to do stuff in. Publicizing the issue and educating people about what's at stake is our way of helping to solve the problem, as far as I'm concerned.

So what do you guys think? Are we way off, or do you think we're on the right track? I'm not just looking to get a pat on the back here, either. I really care about this issue, and if you guys have ideas as to how we could be more effective, I want to hear them.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

"File-sharing, P2P—call it what you like. When you asked a customer why he wasn't buying anything, 9 times out of 10 it was 'BitTorrent this, LimeWire that'. Add that to the fact that huge numbers of PC users have burners and fast broadband and its obvious why I had to get out and earn a living another way. We had it good for a while but I don't think those days are coming back."

Say it with me: get rid of DRM and we'll buy more music, get rid of DRM and we'll buy more music, get rid of DRM and we'll buy more music. Music fans are not inherent criminals. –Adam Frucci

TorrentFreak [via BoingBoing]

It's a regular who's who of major label execs, and it even has their phone numbers. You know what that means. Get to it, friends. –Adam Frucci

Faces of the RIAA [Consumerist]

He goes on to say that labels need to drop DRM in order for sales to really take off, as he only gets his music from eMusic or downloads it illegally to avoid DRM. Once they ditch DRM, he says, iTunes will lose their "monopoly" and the market for online music will really open up.

As if we needed another reason to idolize David Byrne. You're dreamy, David! –Adam Frucci

Rocker David Byrne Making Sense at SXSW Fest [NY Times]

You stole two thirds of your music. You told the NPD you did. So now, "finding a record store still in business anywhere near a campus is a difficult assignment at best." It's not because of Best Buy and Wal-Mart undercutting them with lower prices or anything, it's because those super low prices weren't low enough for your thieving asses.

And these damn universities are so uncooperative. The RIAA is being super helpful and showing them all kinds of ways block P2P entirely to stop you bastards in your tracks, since "the overwhelming, if not sole, use of these applications on campus is to illegally download and distribute copyrighted works." It's not like anyone actually uses that BitTorrent store, after all.

It's a damn shame schools aren't doing more, because they have a "moral responsibility, as educators, as organizations transmitting values" to teach you jackasses not to steal music. Which is why "when schools increasingly provide their students with amenities like cable TV, there is simply no reason not to offer them cheap or free legal access to the music they crave." Yeah, schools should pay for the licenses for those services. The RIAA deserves that money, so they get paid even if you resort to stealing music encoded at a higher bit rate with no DRM. Greedy assholes.

Artists' mansions are shrinking. Their children are only able to afford a Wii and a 360, but not a PS3. Think about that the next time you download Nelly's new album, or even some up-and-coming band's new record which you tell all your friends about so they go to their shows and stuff. You just stole a CD from them.

God, why do you keep complaining about the RIAA? They're just trying to "educate these particular students about the importance of music... and the importance of respecting and valuing music as intellectual property." You don't have to be a pirate for life. The RIAA can help. It just needs a small settlement to get you started. – Matt Buchanan

Explaining the Crackdown on Student Downloading [Inside Higher Ed via Boing Boing]

For current students, you should probably not use the University's bandwidth for your bittorrenting. For prospective students, here's one more place to cross off your list.

Update: Looks like both Giz and Wired misread the email. UM won't be giving up the names without a subpoena. Good for them!

On Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10, the University of Michigan received notification that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) intends to sue or receive settlement from more than a dozen members of the U-M community engaged in unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing of music over the Internet. The RIAA has designated these individuals through IP addresses, and the University is in the process of identifying and notifying them.

This action is part of an increased effort to curtail unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing. As a result, individuals who engage in this practice are more likely than ever to be identified and sued by the RIAA. Most have settled these lawsuits out-of-court, typically for $4,000-$4,500.

The University does not condone unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing. Individuals who engage in it are violating a variety of University policies including Standard Practice Guide 601.7 - Proper Use of Information Resources, Information Technology, and Networks at U-M. This reminder also has been sent to all faculty and students.

Faculty, staff, or students who have installed peer-to-peer file sharing programs on their computers and are concerned that they might be unwittingly sharing files illegally should visit the University of Chicago's useful web page that describes how to disable file sharing on a variety of programs (http://security.uchicago.edu/guidelines/peer-to-peer/).

U-M maintains a web page (http://www.copyright.umich.edu) that describes the University's position on illegal sharing of copyrighted materials and also includes a growing list of FAQs. All members of the University community are encouraged to study the materials on this page.

Lawful downloading of music is possible through sites such as Apple iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Ruckus, etc. Details about a number of these sites are available at:
http://mp3.about.com/od/wheretobuymusic/a/all_profile.htm and http://mp3.about.com/od/freemusicdownloads/tp/freeandlegalmp3.htm.

Paul Howell
Chief Information Technology Security Officer

University of Michigan Identifying Students to RIAA, According to Email [Wired]

It's 80 pages long and I am far too busy/lazy to read through the entire thing, but it looks like the general gist of it is that file sharing supports terrorism and corrupts our children. It claims that peer-to-peer networks increase the chances of government workers sharing sensitive data, which is kind of a stupid argument (let's ban phones, while we're at it, so they can't call people and tell them secrets).

An even more backwards argument is that by exposing kids to P2P software they are at a higher risk to pirate music, therefore be sued by copyright holders. The bad news about all this? It will make people protecting their copyrights seem antagonistic. Actually, the copyright holders that are being antagonistic are the ones making themselves seem that way, chief. If any of you out there with too much free time on your hands wants to comb through this beast for some fun quotes, pass em along and we'll post the best ones. –Adam Frucci

Shadowmonkey [via Fark]

We imagine if anyone has the pull to effect a reversal of the new royalty scheme, it's NPR, since it's partially funded by taxpayers. Then again, funneling tax dollars to RIAA fat cats toward obscene royalty payments probably isn't all that unconscionable to some of the government officials who've been receiving massive lobbying largesse for years on end. Even though we rarely tune in, public radio is a worthy cause, so we're totally with NPR on this. – Matt Buchanan

Update: It should be noted that Sound Exchange split off from the RIAA after being created by it, and now represents indie labels as well as ones under the RIAA banner. We still think the rate hike is a bad idea, though. Thanks, Idolator for the clarification.

NPR may lead fight against Internet radio royalty rate hike [Chicago Tribune via Consumerist]

Way to go, guys. We have to hand it to you—every time we think you can't go any lower or give us fresh reasons to hate you, you go exceed all of our expectations. Who's next, an aborted fetus? Thanks for adding more fuel to the boycott fire each and every day, we appreciate it. Though you really could just stop, we'd appreciate that too. – Matt Buchanan

Warner Music sues paralyzed stroke victim [Boing Boing]
RIAA Boycott [Gizmodo]

Tips:
-RIAA Boycott Tip: Donate to the EFF
-RIAA Boycott Tip: Write a Letter to the Editor
-RIAA Boycott: eMusic's Top 10 Albums
-RIAA Boycott Tip: Use RIAA Radar Bookmarklet

News:
-Gizmodo's Anti-RIAA Manifesto
-RIAA Boycott: Congress Introduces "Fair Use" Bill; They're Totally With Us
-RIAA Boycott, Day 1: Dealzmodo on 'Music Theft' Settlements Offered by Record Industry
-RIAA Boycott: "Fair Use" Bill Falls Short of Sweeping Digital Rights Reform
-RIAA Boycott: "Hey Music Bloggers, Enough with the Free Publicity Already!"
-NIN Year Zero: Too Much for the RIAA
-Yet Another Reason to Boycott the RIAA
-Even FoxTrot Thinks the RIAA Sucks
-Rep. Berman: College Students Are Criminals
-RIAA to Mississippi: It's On
–Adam Frucci

1. Add the RIAA Radar bookmarklet to your bookmarks/favorites list. (A bookmarklet is a piece of JavaScript stored inside a bookmark. You use it just like any other bookmark.) To add it to your bookmark list, right-click on either of the links below, and select "Add to Favorites..." (You can also simply drag the link to your Links toolbar.)

Bookmarklet: RIAA Radar (pop up window, for Internet Explorer)
Bookmarklet: RIAA Radar (pop up window, for Safari)
Bookmarklet: RIAA Radar (same window)

2. Go to any album's detail page on Amazon.com you would like to check.

3. Click the "RIAA Radar" bookmark!

RIAA Radar [riaaradar.com]

The RIAA says it's part of 63 new suits laid down recently. No word on whether or not the other suits are focused in particular areas or if all of those people are alive, have computers, or know anything about p2p file sharing. –Adam Frucci

Sun Herald [via BroadbandReports]

"Indeed, the statistics demonstrate that students engage in rampant piracy, and while Congress has given universities many exemptions from copyright liability it might be time to condition some of those exemptions on action taken by universities to address the piracy problem."

Congressman Hollywood: Universities a wretched hive of scum and villainy [Ars Technica]

Take a look at this, for example. It's eMusic's top 10 selling albums at the moment. There's some great stuff on there from a bunch of different genres. They're all available for sale in beautiful, DRM-free formats. Why don't you try one of them?

1. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
2. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
3. Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
5. Van Morrison - The Complete Band Sessions
6. Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift
7. Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
8. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
9. Unk - Beat'n Down Yo Block
10. Bloodshot Records Honky-Tonk Compilation

–Adam Frucci

RIAA Boycott [Gizmodo]

One of the best things you can do is write a letter to the editor of your local paper letting them know about this issue and why it's important to you. It's a big issue, so choose one or two aspects that you know the most about and feel the most strongly about and focus on those (if you need a refresher on the facts, check our manifesto out). Be rational and keep from going over the top or being too emotional — you want to educate people, not bludgeon them with your opinions.

So whether your local paper is the Concord Monitor or the New York Times, sit down, get your thoughts together, and help spread the word. –Adam Frucci

RIAA Boycott [Gizmodo]

The EFF is a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting digital rights, and they're the ones battling the RIAA on the front lines — in court. They need all the help they can get, and by taking money you would have given to the RIAA and giving it to them you'll be doubly screwing the RIAA. It feels so good, you've just gotta try it. –Adam Frucci

EFF.org [Electronic Frontier Foundation]

"Per performance" rates are charged per stream per listener. The example the Radio and Internet Newsletter gives is that an "audience of 500 listeners racks up 500 'performances' for each song" played. There is also a minimum fee of 500 bucks per station, even for tiny or noncommercial ones.

Why is this a big deal? "That math suggests that the royalty rate decision — for the performance alone, not even including composers' royalties! — is in the in the ballpark of 100% or more of total revenues." It's never enough is it? – Matt Buchanan

Webcast royalty rate decision announced [RAIN via Slashdot]
Gizmodo's RIAA boycott [Gizmodo]

They've all been 320 kbps MP3, DRM-free and widely distributed. Of course, the RIAA had a conniption, even though it's an official NIN viral promotion, pretty much proving our point. We're up to four tracks out right now, so who knows if more are coming. Nonetheless, it seems like a better way to deal with album leaks than suing the pants off of people and their grandmothers. – Matt Buchanan

Nine Inch Nails [Idolator]
Gizmodo's RIAA boycott [Gizmodo]
Year Zero summary [ETS]

Looking at this through the lens of our RIAA Boycott month, we can just imagine how our favorite organization would handle this news. Instead of giving away free music to kids who wouldn't even be able to afford buying it in the first place, the RIAA would probably (and may even still) find a way to crap all over the project. – Jason Chen

Project Page [Freemusic]

It's pretty much a lock for them now, but do it just because you hate the RIAA. – Jason Chen

Round 9: RIAA vs U-Haul [Consumerist]

Blogs fulfill the role that I saw radio DJs having back in the day, only they do a much better job. Rather than 15 radio stations of various genres, there are about a million blogs catering to every taste under the sun. They provide news and info on new bands and, conveniently, often post single tracks from upcoming or buzzed about albums for people to check out. As a rule, they never post entire albums. They aren't some file warehouse, they're publications, and as publications about music it only makes sense that they give you a sample of what they're writing about. Just like the radio, they whet your palate for the music they teach you about. The RIAA should love the free publicity from this, right?

Wrong. This is the RIAA we're talking about, after all. The past few days has seen a sudden influx of blogs getting shut down after the RIAA harasses their hosting providers. Are blogs the next target for the RIAA lawyerbots? Is there a logical reason for them to be doing this? There's been a kind of unspoken truce between the RIAA and bloggers for a long time, one that says that as long as you only post one or two songs and are writing about the artists, it's OK. Why the sudden change of heart? What, suing students doesn't make you seem like big enough dicks, so you've decided to go after the biggest fans of your music? Keep it up dudes, there are still more stupid moves you can make to further alienate potential customers. –Adam Frucci

RIAA Hitting Music Bloggers Right In The Bandwidth? [Idolator]

This morning I chatted with Xeni Jardin of BoingBoing on NPR about the RIAA's lawsuit tactics and our boycott. You can hear some of the interview as it was broadcast here and read Xeni's BB post about the show here.

Check back tomorrow for some tips on how to be proactive in taking the battle to the RIAA. We can't win this battle by just not buying CDs, after all. –Adam Frucci

NPR "Xeni Tech" - RIAA vs. college students, Gizmodo boycott [Boing Boing]

"The problem is that, unlike previous versions of the legislation, Boucher's new bill offers no legal protections for the developers of software like Handbrake. As a result, the tools required to exercise fair use are difficult to find, not as user-friendly as they could be, and not supported by major software companies like Apple and Microsoft. Perhaps worst of all, the law makes it impossible for legitimate software firms (in the United States, at least) to develop new software to make innovative uses of content obtained from DVDs, iTunes, or other DRM-encumbered formats."

FAIR USE Act analysis: DMCA reform left on the cutting room floor [Ars Technica]

"The theft of music remains unacceptably high and undermines the industry's ability to invest in new music," whined Mitch Bainwol, the chief bottle washer of the RIAA. Before taking downloaders to court and suing them for those six-figure amounts, the RIAA usually settles for around $5000. There was no word about the exact amount of the RIAA's special settlement sale that's going on now. Jump to the list of schools on the hit list.

Here are the schools listed by the RIAA in its special sale on settlements for "music thieves:"

Arizona State University, Marshall University, North Carolina State University, North Dakota State University, Northern Illinois University, Ohio University, Syracuse University, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, University of South Florida, University of Southern California, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and University of Texas, Austin. – Charlie White

Music labels offer deal in download case [Yahoo News]

Reps. Rich Boucher (D-Va.) and John Dolittle (R-Calif.) introduced their "Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship" (or FAIR USE) Act today, one that aims to make crippled DRM illegal. Check it:

"The Digital Millennium Copyright Act dramatically tilted the copyright balance toward complete copyright protection at the expense of the public's right to fair use. Without a change in the law, individuals will be less willing to purchase digital media if their use of the media within the home is severely circumscribed and the manufacturers of equipment and software that enables circumvention for legitimate purposes will be reluctant to introduce the products into the market."

Digital 'Fair Use' Bill Introduced In Congress [Washington Post]

First off, we want to be clear that this battle won't be over on March 31st. We declared March the Boycott the RIAA month to draw a line in the sand and to make a strong statement, but this is merely the beginning. Everything we're going to lay out here will still be true in April, in May, in June, and in the months that follow. March will be not the entirety of our efforts, but rather a kick off of our organized campaign to make a difference. We'll be posting tips for how to get the word out, ways to support artists without supporting the RIAA, and keeping you updated with everything that's going on throughout the entire month. With your help, we can educate people about how important this issue is and really make a difference.

Who We're Up Against
The RIAA is the industry group that represents the four major record labels — Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal, and Sony BMG — and all of their subsidiaries. They work on behalf of their members, and they have been accused of a wide range of offenses, from price-fixing to stifling innovation. They're able to perpetuate these crimes due to their huge bankroll, but that happens to be the one aspect of their organization we have control over. As consumers, we are the ones who stuff their coffers. By buying albums released by RIAA labels, we're giving them the money they use to sue our peers, stifle innovation, and force DRM down our throats. By cutting off their income stream, we can help make the RIAA less effective and therefore less damaging.

We're huge music fans here at Gizmodo, and that's why it's really hard to advocate not purchasing albums from artists we love. However, what everyone needs to understand is that we are in no means advocating piracy or not supporting musicians. The fact of the matter is, the RIAA's practices do not, in the end, support musicians or put money into their pockets. A fraction of the money from album sales actually makes it to artists, and not a single penny that the RIAA has received from their series of lawsuits has actually made it back to the artists that had their "copyrights infringed" in the first place.

Piracy Lawsuits: Extortion and Privacy Invasion Under the Guise of Copyright Enforcement
The goal of the RIAA's lawsuits is to make people so afraid of being sued that they will stop downloading music. However, in their lawsuits they circumvent the law and extort money from people who haven't been given the benefit of a legal trial.

The process that the RIAA has in place to find and sue plaintiffs is designed not to provide a fair trial and prove guilt, but rather to confuse and intimidate people into settling out of court. What exactly happens is too detailed and lengthy for me to go into here, but Grant Robertson's Layperson's Guide to Filesharing Lawsuits is a must-read for anyone interested in what exactly happened in the 20,000+ lawsuits (so far) the RIAA has brought upon the citizens of this country.

Recently, the RIAA began looking to streamline the entire lawsuit process by cutting courts, lawyers, and any semblance of due process out altogether. Their new plan is to have ISPs point people to p2plawsuits.com (catchy!) and offer to discount their settlement by $1,000 if they pay up without going to court at all. By avoiding the court system, the RIAA can avoid paying those pesky lawyer's fees. Even better for them, they plan to require ISPs to retain all of their customer records for at least 180 days in order to be eligible for the $1,000 discount. This would make everyone's surfing and downloading history available to a non-governmental organization in order to make it easier for them to gather evidence for their intimidation lawsuits.

Smothering Innovation: If You Can't Access the Internet, You Can't Pirate Music
Beyond the harassment, extortion, and privacy invasion that the RIAA commits under the guise of lawsuits, they also stifle innovation by treating any open Internet source as a potential way for people to violate their copyrights. Recently, they filed a "motion for reconsideration" in a suit claiming that anything downloaded via an Internet connection is the responsibility of the owner of said connection. While the RIAA is trying to make it easier for them to get money out of the parents of kids they sue, the precedent that it would set would make it difficult, if not impossible, for open WiFi hotspots to exist. That means that the RIAA would make it impossible for you to connect to the web for free while out in a city that provides Internet access merely because you might use it to download music.

DRM: Pay More, Get Less
Digital Rights Management, or DRM, is the software that makes it so music you buy from the iTunes Music Store can't play on any other player other than the iPod, such as a Zune or Sansa. In an effort to keep people from sharing legally purchased music, DRM actually goes much farther than copyright law dictates, denying paying customers the fair use of the music they buy. You should be able to do what you want with an album once you've paid for it; like a CD or a record, you now own it for life.

However, music wrapped in DRM software cannot be played on devices other than those explicitly tied to the store you brought it from. Furthermore, listening to your music across multiple computers, or moving your music to a new computer when you upgrade, is often a huge headache that ends with you needing to repurchase your songs.

In effect, the RIAA's insistence on strict DRM takes value away from legally purchased music. People have a choice: they can either pirate unrestricted MP3 files that will let them use them however they'd like, or they can pay for files that won't allow them the freedom to listen where and how they choose. It only makes sense that many tech-savvy people choose to download MP3s rather than pay for crippled files. The RIAA wants people to pay for restrictions and like it.

Rescuing Artists From Those Claiming to Support Them
As we're a technology website, we're most in touch with the RIAA's actions in response to music downloading as opposed to their history of poor artist management and unfair retail tactics. However, it's worth noting that issues such as the underpayment of artists and album price-fixing are quite serious and should be considered as good a reason as any to keep your money from going to their pockets. Two articles worth reading to study up on how major labels screw over the artists they claim to represent are Courtney Love's speech to the Digital Hollywood online entertainment conference and The Problem with Music by Steve Albini. Both are written by artists who have first-hand knowledge of just how badly major labels take advantage of musicians, and both are guaranteed to change how you view the music industry.

Out With the Old, In With the New
So what would we like to see happen? First and foremost, we want the lawsuits to stop. Treating normal people like common criminals and using fear tactics and intimidation to extort thousands of dollars from them goes against everything that this country stands for. Secondly, we want them to stop insisting that DRM software be used on all of their music being sold online. People are willing to pay for their music, but they deserve to be able to own that music and use it however they'd like once they purchase it. And lastly, we want the RIAA to stop trying to stifle innovation and control the future of the Internet merely because the possibility exists for piracy to happen using upcoming technologies.

But all these things, in the long run, are temporary solutions to a problem that will eventually end with a permanent solution. The fact of the matter is, the RIAA is becoming more outdated and unnecessary by the day. Their seeming inability to grasp the reality of today's music industry has doomed them, and there will come a time when they will cease to exist.

That's because the era of the major label is over. Why should a new band want to sign with one? They no longer need a $50,000 recording budget; more sophisticated and powerful home recording equipment and software is released every day. Music videos are cheaper to shoot and edit as well due to the lowered costs of cameras and computers. Promoting for radio is increasingly unnecessary, as more and more bands are discovered via blogs rather than through traditional channels. And manufacturing is slowly being erased from the picture altogether, allowing artists to distribute their music online with little overhead costs.

While twenty years ago a band needed a record label to discover them, help them record, help them shoot a video, manufacture and then distribute their album, a resourceful band can do all of those things themselves. Eventually, bands will be able to sell their music online direct to fans with minimal reliance on a record label. The RIAA is teetering on the edge of irrelevance, and it's our job to give it a hearty shove. They can still do a hell of a lot of damage on their way down, and that's what we need to try to stop. Stay tuned. –Adam Frucci

With that in mind, Gizmodo is declaring the month of March Boycott the RIAA month. We want to get the word out to as many people as humanly possible that we can all send a message by refusing to buy any album put out by an RIAA label. Am I saying you should start pirating music? Not at all. You can continue to support the artists you enjoy and respect in a number of ways.

Firstly, I encourage everyone to purchase music from unsigned bands and bands on independent record labels. There are tons of great artists out there, many of which you're probably already a fan of, that have nothing to do with the RIAA. Buy their records at eMusic, an online store that sells independent tunes in beautiful, DRM-free MP3 format.

Secondly, you can still support RIAA-signed bands without buying their music. Go see them live and buy their merchandise; they get a hell of a lot more money from that then they do from album sales. And hey, you could benefit from getting out more, couldn't you?

If you are unsure whether or not an album is put out by an RIAA label, the handy RIAA Radar will clear everything up for you. They have both a search engine and a great bookmarklet, so be sure to get yourself hooked up.

Let me just reiterate that we are not saying you should stop buying music and start pirating everything. We need to send a message with our wallets to the RIAA, and that message will only be stronger if we show support for musicians without your money making its way to the lawyer fund.

So come on, make next month one to remember. Let's stand together and let the RIAA know that yes, we are paying attention and no, we aren't going to put up with their unethical practices any longer. –Adam Frucci