Obsidian Potency 3.0
No more guitar lessons over the Internet? Thanks, RIAA.
posted Friday, 6 July 2007
The RIAA is on a fast track to take the place of Wal-Mart as the least progressive influential organization on the planet. Their latest? Forcing YouTube to take down FREE LESSONS posted by guitar teachers because they are depicted playing songs by artists such as The Rolling Stones.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The Internet is a home for a lot of what's foul in the world, granted. But what these music teachers are doing is an example of the awesome positive potential the Internet has. The power to teach over any distance without being face-to-face is incredibly powerful. This is a classic case of an organization not thinking things through before they act.
Have they considered the far-reaching and absurd implications of this action? How about the fact that almost every musician is inspired to play by playing a famous artist's song first? Does this mean cover bands can't record and broadcast their performances? Does this mean I can't karaoke "Even Flow" and post it on the Internet someplace? The RIAA should be ENCOURAGING people to learn guitar this way.
When I lived in San Francisco after undergrad, I took vocal lessons (albeit crappy ones) with the band I was in. We learned some very early Beatles tunes -- and I gained a whole new level of appreciation for the intricacies of the vocal harmonies the Beatles wrote and sang. I'm not a huge Beatles fan. I never would have listened to most of those old Beatles tunes were it not for the fact that they were utilized in a 'classroom' setting. Exposure only increases popularity of songs and artists -- especially when it occurs in such a harmless, not-for-profit manner.
This is simply pathetic. Sadly, it falls into the RIAA's familiar pattern of seeking an impossible amount of control over musical distribution...control they can never effectively enforce. Things will be much better for everyone once they concede defeat.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The Internet is a home for a lot of what's foul in the world, granted. But what these music teachers are doing is an example of the awesome positive potential the Internet has. The power to teach over any distance without being face-to-face is incredibly powerful. This is a classic case of an organization not thinking things through before they act.
Have they considered the far-reaching and absurd implications of this action? How about the fact that almost every musician is inspired to play by playing a famous artist's song first? Does this mean cover bands can't record and broadcast their performances? Does this mean I can't karaoke "Even Flow" and post it on the Internet someplace? The RIAA should be ENCOURAGING people to learn guitar this way.
When I lived in San Francisco after undergrad, I took vocal lessons (albeit crappy ones) with the band I was in. We learned some very early Beatles tunes -- and I gained a whole new level of appreciation for the intricacies of the vocal harmonies the Beatles wrote and sang. I'm not a huge Beatles fan. I never would have listened to most of those old Beatles tunes were it not for the fact that they were utilized in a 'classroom' setting. Exposure only increases popularity of songs and artists -- especially when it occurs in such a harmless, not-for-profit manner.
This is simply pathetic. Sadly, it falls into the RIAA's familiar pattern of seeking an impossible amount of control over musical distribution...control they can never effectively enforce. Things will be much better for everyone once they concede defeat.
Want to read comments, or have something to say? Bring it.
Obsidian Hit Counter
Total: 287,657
since: 18 Oct 2004
since: 18 Oct 2004