I spend a lot of time during my day reading Hip-Hop
articles and listening to what a lot of these rappers have to say. In my short
stint as a writer for this website, I have also been privileged to learn about
different unknown aspects of the game. In my talking to various personalities
and reading on current happenings, I have found that the game of HipHop is one
big smokescreen.
There is not a lot of room to breathe once you
get past all the wrongdoings and contradictions that happen on a daily basis.
There is one subject in particular that brings
a rise out of me more so than any other subject that I run across. Before I
continue with my random musing, please be informed that the purpose of this
is not rain on anyone’s parade; it is to simply bring a brighter light to an
important issue that, in my view, has not been addressed properly.
Also, be aware that my opinion on this subject
is not those of Allhiphop.com or the general public-at-large.
The topic I’d like to discuss is those d####
over at the RIAA. The RIAA (which stands for "Recording Industry Association
of America") are people who are hung up on the idea of suing people who
download copyrighted music from websites such as Kazaa and Grokster.
Their claim is that online piracy prevents the
Internet from being a free marketplace and it takes away artist and record company’s
rights to privacy.
"The Internet can’t be a viable avenue for
distributing music unless artist and record company rights are respected,"
said the trade group’s President and CEO, Hillary Rosen.
This is hypocrisy that borderlines on stupidity!
The record companies themselves are the biggest con artists and thieves on the
face of the Earth today. For years, people have seen the horror stories about
how artists make these companies millions of dollars, but the artist is basically
left out in the cold, starving and not better off than the average fan.
TLC is a prime example of this very thing. In
an interview with VH1, they stated that their album, CrazySexyCool sold
well over 10 million albums worldwide. Yet, they made out with about $50,000
in profits. How is that possible? They were robbed blind, had to file bankruptcy,
and it almost cost them their career. Almost.
Another point that struck me was the sudden influx
of rappers in motion pictures. Most major label rappers are not lacking camera
time by any means, so what would possibly make an MC have the idea to become
a thespian? Then it hit me.
They have to find a way recoup the up front money
that they get from these record companies and pay it back in interest. Rappers
can go on the road and perform 150 nights a year in various conditions and sweat
for small chips, or they can do a bit part in motion picture for eight weeks
and collect bigger funds at the end of the day.
How would you rather make your money?
Artists have helped provide the CEOs of these
record companies with yachts, expensive cars, dream homes, lengthy vacations,
high balance credit cards, and other extravagant material that comes along with
being a high-powered executive.
The RIAA is trying to keep that dream alive for
these crooks, and it has to end somewhere. What they have failed to tell consumers
is that by downloading music they are not hurting the artist, but they are hurting
the company itself on the back end.
The company itself takes a hit because it cannot
recoup what it has lost as a result of "audiophiles" robbing them
of the right to privacy on the Internet. If the technology for downloading music
did not exist, artists would still be in the same slave-like position that they
are in today: they receive a meager to non-existent budget, which in turn is
spent on studio time, producers, travel, advertising expenses, etc. Publicists,
managers, and road personnel also have to be paid, so as you can see, the music
industry can suck the blood right out of you.
If you are afraid of lawsuits and big, bold messages
of threat popping out of nowhere on your computer screen, heed the warning and
stop downloading the product.
If you are of the rebellious persuasion, let
the record companies know that you are tired of artists being taken advantage
of by simply continuing to download the products that websites make available.
The executive’s yacht will always be gassed up,
their lobster tail won’t get any smaller, and the diamonds on their wrist will
not glisten any less.
The RIAA obviously has many fans, by virtue of
the fact their website is nonexistent due to computer hackers ripping their
site to shreds. Special thanks and praise goes out to Kazaa, Grokster, and similar
websites for giving Hillary Rosen the middle finger!