Congratulations are in order...

The court case that I mentioned in yesterday's post is over. The victor? Surprisingly enough, it's the RIAA. While yours truly was hoping for a victory for defendant Jammie Thomas, the jury in the copyright infringement case thought otherwise.

For me, I feel it's a setback to the entire music industry. As I stated in my previous post, I truly believe that the idea of record labels as a whole is just a flawed business model. A fellow heavy metal fan calls the recording industry a "backwards, dysfunctional industry." In fact, before I proceed any further with my thoughts here, I'd like you guys to take a second to click that link I posted in the previous sentence. It's a very good read and I'm very much in agreement with what the writer says.

I feel as though record labels should be done away with. It's my belief that bands can make it without record deals. Self-promotion through the internet is easier than ever, and file sharing has made it easier to expose people to your music.

I envision the future of the music business as such: bands promote themselves via the internet. Albums will be available freely for digital distribution via bands' websites, or in CD form for a small price at shows. CDs had every right to cost $15 - $20 twenty years ago when the technology was new. In these modern times of CD-R and CD-RW, consumers know how much it costs to make a CD, but record labels are still stuck in their greedy ways.

All in all, the recording industry has become nothing more than one more blood-sucking parasite trying to capitalize on the hard work, dedication, and naivety of musicians. I'd like to state for the record that should my band ever sign with a label, it will be on our terms, set up in a way that benefits us before it benefits the record label.

I'm exhausted, and at this point feel as if I continue this diatribe, I will ultimately compromise the integrity of the statements I've made thusfar. As such, I will bid you all a fond farewell for now, and I promise to be back with thoughts on more than just the RIAA.