use an ipod, get arrested
Modern Humorist
We all know Obama is the beacon of light in a sea of darkness, the destined prince of Dubya’s evil reign. Totally a given. But, what if he’s just a president, pressured by the same rich folk and backed by the same metaphorically (and sexist-ly) dickless non-leaders as those before him?
Horrifying, right?
According to Threat Level, Obama supports a fine of (up to) $150k per track for file sharing. They, probably for good reason, mark it as a low-level threat but this could be important.
This goes directly in line with the RIAA‘s goals and brings more confusion into copyright and infringement issues. Copyright is supposed to facilitate new ideas and expand creativity. Currently, it’s used to perpetuate music/movie monopolies. (Changing the definition a bit, yes?)
The music industry could have easily shifted to a digital medium, created vast archives and sold tracks off individually for $1 each for billions. They didn’t. Apple did. And now they’re looking to get their money back by suing small-time audiophiles.
Having the drummer from Metallica*, the RIAA and the President in the same camp could spark other intriguing results:
- RIAA comes down on all music sharing, people go local, music “industry” dries up
- Every mix-tape or CD you burned for any girl (guy) you wanted sans-pants is ordered destroyed; teen romance moves to MySpace dies
- Content ownership decomposes (we’re left with a great Beyoncé v. Rihanna debate that kills herds of cattle)
* Demanding ISPs block P2P users and increasing fines to comic proportions is overkill, which describes dual base drumming well.