I just read this smile-inducing article from the Toronto Star. The gist of it is that the various corporate members of the Canadian Recording Industry Association (i.e. Sony Canada, EMI Canada, etc.) are being sued for BIG bucks (possibly 60 billion bucks - that’s billion with a ‘b’) in a class action suit for making a habit of not paying royalty fees (for up to 20 years!). The smile really comes from this line in the article:
The irony is too delicious!
Can’t say I’m sorry to hear it. Since this is also a music thread I’m going to send it to Cafe Society.
Wow. I wonder if the judge will throw the book at the industry in light of their grandstanding about the importance of combating copyright infringement. If the allegations are true then it seems to me that the lawyers for the record industry are going to have a tough time defending their client. I wonder if there will be a similar suit in the United States. I can’t image the record industry has been any better about respecting artists.
I can’t imagine the US industry doesn’t have better lawyers, better accountants, better lobbyists, and a lot more of each. Besides, we favor corporations legally over the little guy. If there ever were a royalty scam uncovered, it would just end in a class action where everyone concerned got pennies on the dollar and business went on as usual.
This nicely sums up my argument about the whole music piracy debate. Yes, stealing music is morally wrong. But given that the record labels have been stealing from consumers and artists for years, I’m certainly not going to cry for them. What goes around comes around, bitches.
Sunday night I watched The Wrestler and for the next two days had “Round and Round” by Ratt stuck in my head. Today, I had finally gotten rid of it.
Until now. 
If this would be the last step to the death of the corporate record industry, I would cry no tear. They’ve been doing this as long as they existed.
Obligatory link to Steve Albini’s Maximum Rock’n’Roll column about how the record industry fucks people.