RIAA budget, staff slashed in almost half

The RIAA has been struggling.

The group's budget, which comes directly from distributors and music labels, has been slashed in almost half, forcing the RIAA to cut its staff, as well.

According to their latest tax filing, the RIAA has seen its budget cut to $29.1 million in 2011 from $51.35 million in 2009. Employees have been slashed from 119 to 72.

The RIAA has also apparently shifted its anti-piracy focus, moving away from spending its entire budget on frivolous lawsuits towards supporting the 'six strikes' notion pioneered by Hadopi in France.

Hadopi has been panned in France, and new President Hollande has actively discussed shutting it down, completely.

Lobbying remained steady at $2.3 million per year.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Aug 2012 12:21

seths

F the RIAA, I hope they go down in flames. I can't stand organizations like this that have to be supported by the industry. The amount of people trying to make a living off of a recording artist is rediculous. Let's get rid of all these jobs that are not jobs, but merely a way of sucking off others. Artists would make far more money if they sold their own music online for $1.00 per whole CD. This whole world is filled with worthless people that suck off of others, lets dump the mob...I mean the labor unions next.

25.8.2012 13:00 #1

Interestx

Excuse me while I shed a tear for them..................bha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Oh, my bad, I meant laugh my b@llocks off

25.8.2012 15:03 #2

LordRuss

I got an idea, toss the whole thing out. They're pissing money out the window on frivolous cases against the wrong people as it is anyway. Any money they get, which if memory serves they AIN'T, doesn't ever seem to make it to the artists anyway.

Let them fist hand grenades or cry over a fresh bowl of puppy shit for all I care, they're a waste of resources & BS legislation.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

25.8.2012 15:25 #3

joebloe12

I hope they go broke!

25.8.2012 18:47 #4

sternrulez

I couldn't be happier about the news...hope they and their bedmates the ESA die a horrible painful death! I really like seths' comment about $1 CDs...I think deep down that would actually work! $1 per is more than what an artist gets paid for a disc, so you can just imagine all the "hangers on" associated with the process.

The same goes for Ubisoft's outlandish claim of 95% piracy of PC games. If that were indeed the actual number (which pretty much all of us know it isn't), that once again shows much of your money goes to bullshit artists instead of the actual game designers. Yes I'm aware that game sales are in decline, especially in consoles, but I believe it because people are sick to death of dropping $60 each on a title that's either unplayable or can be finished in a week. With the US economy the way it is, those $60 drops aren't as easy to make anymore, especially in families with more than 1 child who had differing gaming tastes. A recent editorial in GameInformer stated pretty much the same thing...people are sick to death of shelling out their hard-earned cash on pure garbage or recycled content (cough...FPS...cough cough). The editor went on to say that game developers should be the ones to place a value on their creations instead of the draconian rules placed on them by M$, $ony, Nintendon't and crApple. and that reform is called for if the industry is to survive.

Such reform is already taking place with the upcoming release of the OUYA game console in April (March for me, since I was a backer of it on Kickstarter ;)), which will allow ANYONE to create their own Android content at a price THEY think is fair. Want piracy to diminish? Start charging a fair price instead of padding your pockets people...we're tired of it! :)

26.8.2012 07:24 #5

gimp1

A dollar a cd, yes good idea...but will that also come pressed on a memorex cd-r disc, brown paper bag packaging as well as the lyrics written out in crayon. Cause it does take a lot more to produce a cd than just the band,studio engineers, p.r, artistic design . actual disc pressing..no no no, i didnt forget about direct downloads, however some us still do like the packaging and musician info included in our purchases. We just dont like getting the RIAA stiffy on decomposed shitty music. There is going to come a time...and it seems as though pretty quickly. The whole Music Industry is going to be reeling from all of their smart decisions (sarcasms) and with the guidance of us the consumers (purchases vs stagnancy)the artists will find an alternative way to get their creations to the people...cutting out the middle (RIAA, Rec. COmpany, etc)men and having their own say on how their music is made, processed and eventually delivered. Hell with the musical technology and a little tech know how, a band is more than able to produce a musical cd, from beginning to end....it doesnt take the whole music industry to back an artist and produce their cd....people (musicians) do it yourself and win the whole war! I want to support my fav artists, just not the slave drivers and golden fleeced record execs and their ragtag team of pencil pushers/ lawyers. ok, im done...lol

26.8.2012 12:30 #6

Interestx

Originally posted by gimp1: A dollar a cd, yes good idea...but will that also come pressed on a memorex cd-r disc, brown paper bag packaging as well as the lyrics written out in crayon. Cause it does take a lot more to produce a cd than just the band,studio engineers, p.r, artistic design . actual disc pressing..no no no, i didnt forget about direct downloads, however some us still do like the packaging and musician info included in our purchases.
How about most just pay their $1/�1 download the music & do what they like with it.
Meanwhile you, if you wish, can head to your 'media/record stores' (or as it seems to be heading that way your local hypermarket - see the Sainsburys UK story) have your CD printed up for you & a properly fitting template for your CD case printed up?
You could pay $/�2 instead for all that work.

There is no reason to tollerate the parasitic tyranny of the record business, they do not benefit the artist to anything like the degree they steal from them.
(and the irony is they will look you straight in the eye & without a trace of shame or irony call sharers - most of whom actually buy lots of content as survey after survey proves - thieves)
As for films?

I might have some sympathy of it wasn't for the fact that 'the entertainment industry' is one of the most profitable on the planet after oil/energy.

26.8.2012 12:41 #7

seths

The $1.00 per CD was figured for a download. We used to have records that were worth purchasing because you had so much artwork and stuff to read on the cover. That really went by the wayside with the advent of CD's. There are still plenty of independent artists that still put much effort into their packaging and it is worth having. In these cases I am seeing a lot of bands selling these for $5.00 with shipping, and I have no problem paying them for their efforts. For any band brave enough to offer for free download, I give $5.00 donation to support them (if I like the music, of course).

26.8.2012 13:19 #8

sternrulez

The reason I said $1 per disc would be more than the artist gets was due to an article I read recently where it stated the artist receives less than $1 from every disc sold...the rest goes to the leeches. I won't quote the exact amount since I don't remember it, and I won't pull a figure out of the air for sake of argument like Ubisoft does... :)

26.8.2012 15:37 #9

Ripper

As much as I hate to see people lose their jobs in cuts (and, let's face it, no one integral to the RIAA as we know it is losing their job in a cut like this), it couldn't have happened to a better organisation.

26.8.2012 19:00 #10

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