indies stuck in the riaa member list
just in case you needed a specific reason not to exempt the riaa and mpaa, npr has a story about the indie labels suffering under the charms of the riaa – and hints that lawsuits or threats of lawsuits are the only way out.
erin kelly-burkett (fat wreck chords)“basically, the only way we could get ourselves removed from that site was to threaten to sue them, which i don’t even believe in. i wanted my name off the site, and it really took us saying to them you know, this is defamation of character, this is copyright infringement, which is what.. supposedly you guys are all against right now and basically that’s what you’re doing to me.” –
matt jacobson (relapse records and release entertainment)“it’s a simple principle. i don’t think they should include labels that are not members. period.”
“someone could say that it’s an honest mistake, and it’s possible, but being that we’re not the only label faced with this, i almost feel that the riaa has deliberately tried to make it look like more of the industry supports them and their actions than what is really the case.”
according to the npr story, it took almost two years to get fat wreck chords off the riaa list – and the riaa won’t comment “on the record.” heh.