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Boycott The Music Industry

By Jose B. Rivera
Graphic of an anti-RIAA symbol.

East Harlem - July 29, 2003. The RIAA and it’s band of brothers has decided to bite the hand that feeds them, by suing the music loving public for downloading music. Now while I agree that we should all pay for the music we listen too. I believe that we should only pay once, regardless of the music medium.

Let me explain. I have an Earth Wind and Fire album on LP, which I also had to later purchase on cassette. So I’ve purchased the same thing twice. Now, if I choose to download it from a peer to peer network sharing web site, I should not be penalized by the music industry because I did not wish to purchase the CD. I already have the darn songs twice.

I also don’t agree to the amount of money the music industry is suing the general public for. They can ask for hundreds of thousands of dollars for just one song. A lot more than the song costs at retail. Hell as I said in a letter to the RIAA, “...for $150,000 I could get Mariah Carey to come sing at my house”.

I believe that the RIAA is asking for trouble with their law suits against users. One, it will backfire on them. They face what I am now advocating, a boycott against their tactics. Two, some nut is sure to take it out of the hide of some music executive when he/her families’ economic future has been taken from them due to a law suite. The law does not protect against some idiot seeing some warped form of justice.

Because the music industry is acting childish, spoiled and stubborn on what is the best selling and distributive model out there. And because they are biting the hands that feed them. I say, feed them no more until they stop their childish ways. East Harlemites, New Yorkers, fellow Americans, stop buying music until the music industry comes to their senses on these lawsuite and just asks those who downloaded music for the regular price of the music they’ve aquired illegally.

Note: This article is protected by Free Speech, and is my humble opinion, any attempt to make it more than it is, will result in a lawsuite. We have to right not to buy something and to ask others to join our effort. See American History. Hint: Ask the Grape and Lettice people.

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