Jonathan Lamy is the senior vice president of communications at the RIAA. He can be contacted at [email protected].A recent column in The Reflector (“RIAA suits show bad ethics,” by Mike Dedwylder) appropriately considered some of the important issues facing today’s music industry. Unfortunately, some of the conclusions and characterizations were recycled criticisms that don’t reflect today’s music industry or were just plain wrong. A response is merited to clear up any confusion that may have resulted from these inaccuracies.
To clear the record, The Washington Post incorrectly reported that we claimed it was illegal to make personal use copies of the music fans lawfully purchased. In fact, the newspaper subsequently issued a retraction, proving Mr. Dedwylder’s assertion that we were “quick to correct” ourselves is flat-out wrong.
The Washington Post got its facts wrong and, incidentally, the newspaper was the one quick to correct itself.
Mr. Dedwylder writes, “There has been a paradigm shift in the way that people listen to and purchase music spanning the past 20 years.”
We agree! And that’s great news for fans and the music industry. There are now dozens of new ways for fans to access and listen to great music digitally: download services like iTunes, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com; subscription services such as Rhapsody and Napster; social networking sites like iMeem; satellite and Internet radio; and even legal peer-to-peer sites such as iMesh.
All these different models exist because the record industry is partnering with these businesses to offer fans music when they want, how they want it.
Another flaw in the column is the conclusion that innovative business models are somehow inconsistent with the enforcement campaign against those who ignore warnings and steal music online. The two actually complement each other.
We enforce our member companies’ rights against those who engage in illegal music file-trafficking because we want to do all we can to help this exciting, burgeoning digital marketplace thrive.
And while we have seen some encouraging progress and growth in that legal marketplace, it still pales in comparison to the extent of illegal downloading, especially on college campuses. Lawsuits are a last resort for those who ignore years of educational efforts and now the extensive availability of great legal options.
To be clear, bringing lawsuits is not something we prefer to do, nor enjoy doing, but it’s an important part of the larger strategy to encourage fans to enjoy music legally.
The question we ask The Reflector‘s readers is this: With so many great, affordable and legal ways to enjoy music, why risk a federal lawsuit and gumming up your computer with spyware and viruses by using illegal sites?