I pass a copy of BusinessWeek everytime I walk into the office. The latest issue has a lurid headline of “STEALING HOLLYWOOD: Can the movie biz avoid the piracy that has crippled the music industry?”
Excuse me? “Crippled the music industry?” Funny, I wasn’t aware that the music industry was crippled. I certainly wasn’t aware that the Internet somehow killed the music industry.
What really ticks me off about this is that this headline, in inch-high letters, is declaring the Internet guilty of music-industry murder without the benefit of a fair trial. Where is the proof that Johnny Downloader has brought this business to its knees?
And don’t tell me about those RIAA-comissioned reports. They’re all bunk. In fact, some intrepid music lovers have picked apart the RIAA’s own numbers to prove them wrong. His verdict was that what killed CD sales is the fact that the industry quit releasing CD singles.
I feel towards the music and movie industry the same way I feel towards the airline industry. If these dinosaurs can’t adapt to current market realities, they deserve to die! They don’t need Uncle Sam bailing them out. Any Congresscritter who disagrees needs to meet a cluestick.
I could rant on and on about this but alas I don’t have the time at the moment. Tune into my brother’s site to follow his take on things.