I just read a list released by the IFPI, outlining what they claim as the “10 inconvenient truths” of Music Piracy. I have a lot of problems with it.

1. “Pirate Bay, one of the flagships of the anti-copyright movement, makes thousands of euros from advertising on its site, while maintaining its anti-establishment “free music” rhetoric.”
   Bullshit. The Pirate Bay requires a shitload of bandwidth. Along with other expenses incurred in the process of keeping their servers up and running, retaining lawyers and all the other things that may factor in, I highly doubt a profit, if anything, is being made.
2. “AllOfMP3.com, the well-known Russian web site, has not been licensed by a single IFPI member, has been disowned by right holder groups worldwide and is facing criminal proceedings in Russia.”
   Well, yeah…it’s likely the fucking Russian mob that runs that site. Most people aren’t stupid to trust their credit information to them. But still, let’s compare…AllOfMP3.com “supposedly” is giving their money to a government agency, who is supposed to pass it on to the record companies and artists and for some reason, be it the site or the agency, it’s not happening. Now, let’s take SoundExchange, a former member of the RIAA who aggressively collects royalties, “holds” them and “seeks out” artists to pay them. How many of those artists have been paid? With a such a staggering huge list of unpaid musicians that they seemingly cannot find (including such <sarcasm>totally obscure</sarcasm> groups like Public Enemy, Siouxsie and the Bansees, Loverboy, several artists who are dead and strangely enough, the band I’m listening to as I write this), it doesn’t seem like they’re trying very hard either. Are they criminals too?

(more…)