According to a post on the site of political blogger Michelle Malkin, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is plannning to try to ram through a tax that would be added to everyone’s Internet bill. She reported on this back on March 28, quoting the Portfolio.com site as follows:
The plan—the boldest move yet to keep the wounded entertainment industry giants afloat—is simple: Consumers will pay a monthly fee, bundled into an internet-service bill in exchange for unfettered access to a database of all known music.
I have said before that the RIAA is behaving in a manner that smacks of borderline illegal strong-arm tactics. Ms. Malkin hits the nail on the head, remarking that the RIAA is “engaging in a protection racket, pure and simple.” And so they are. I am all for musicians receiving due credit for their creative efforts. But record companies are not the creators. And with the technology that consumers currently have at their disposal, the question arises whether the recording companies even need to exist. However, that is a question for another discussion.
First, let’s ask our elected representatives first if they plan to support this thinly-veiled attempt at extortion. Even though I consider the music freeloaders as thieves and have no sympathy whatsoever for them, I for one intend to oppose this new idea of the RIAA with every effort I can muster.
