Singer Richard Marx slams RIAA vs. Jammie Thomas-Rasset verdict

[wyldwolf]

If you haven’t been following the case of RIAA vs. Jammie Thomas-Rasset, here’s a quick recap: RIAA sued her (like thousands of others) for infringing copyright, offering to settle, which she declined. Choosing to go to court, she lost; the jury found her guilty and awarded the plaintiff a ridiculous sum of 1.92 million dollars, or $80,000 per song.

Richard Marx’s song “Now and Forever” was one of the 24 tracks for which Thomas-Rasset was ordered to pay, and according to Ars Technica, he has spoken out against the verdict. His statement:

“As a longtime professional songwriter, I have always objected to the practice of illegal downloading of music. I have also always, however, been sympathetic to the average music fan, who has been consistently financially abused by the greedy actions of major labels. These labels, until recently, were responsible for the distribution of the majority of recorded music, and instead of nurturing the industry and doing their best to provide the highest quality of music to the fans, they predominantly chose to ream the consumer and fill their pockets.

So now we have a “judgment” in a case of illegal downloading, and it seems to me, especially in these extremely volatile economic times, that holding Ms. Thomas-Rasset accountable for the continuing daily actions of hundreds of thousands of people is, at best, misguided and at worst, farcical. Her accountability itself is not in question, but this show of force posing as judicial come-uppance is clearly abusive. Ms. Thomas-Rasset, I think you got a raw deal, and I’m ashamed to have my name associated with this issue.“

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/richard-marx-attacks-riaa-after-19m-thomas-verdict.ars

From: Mashable.com

[ThatsMyBarack]

1. Whom exactly is RM mad at?

Ms. Thomas-Rasset or the RIAA? It's confusing. :shrug:

[wyldwolf]

2. My take is he acknowledges what Thomas-Rasset did was illegal but...

...blames the greed of the RIAA for helping to create the culture where this practice is common and that the verdict against Thomas-Rasset was excessive and abusive.

[ThatsMyBarack]

3. Thanks, wyldwolf!

That clears it up! :hi:

[baldguy]

4. "...this show of force posing as judicial come-uppance is clearly abusive."

What do you think? The RIAA represents the major labels.

[madrchsod]

5. richard marx will receive pennies per violation of his music.

the rest of the money goes to pay the riaa organization and it`s lawyers.