UK online music hobbled by high prices - silicon.com

We know. We've know for ages. Let's hope that they do something about it. They might also like to pass a little bit more of the cash back to the artists too.

One gets the feeling that perhaps the record companies have seen the writing on the wall and are trying to make as much as they can while they can. Or perhaps they're just being as greedy as ever.

Artists of the world unite! Get yourselves a website and a distributor and dump the big labels.

Kazaa copyright ruling "a milestone", says music industry - silicon.com

So Sharman Networks has lost the first round of the fight against the RIAA. They are going to appeal, but realistically can they win against the big multinational record companies?

My favorite quote from this story was a spokesman for the record labels who said,
"We're disappointed they won't accept the umpire's decision. It can't be fair to build a business on somebody else's work."

Hmm.... lets ask the songwriters and recording artists about that one; isn't this sort of parasitic behaviour what the record labels have been doing for years? Isn't clamping down on uncontrolled file sharing and enforcing the use or DRM just another way to ensure that all entertainment must use their services?

May they rot in hell!

UK record industry takes first five file-sharers to court

"The three men and two women are accused of uploading nearly 9,000 tracks between them to file-sharing networks and have been unable to settle with music industry trade body the BPI (British Phonographic Industry). The BPI has now filed civil proceedings against the five individuals and will be seeing them in court.

"The BPI has said it will be suing the individuals for costs and compensation for the income they claim has been lost to the music industry as a result of the uploaders' actions.

"The BPI has sought settlements with more than 90 alleged uploaders, more than 60 of whom have opted to pay compensation averaging thousands of pounds to the trade body."

silicon.com

Let's hope that the courts see this as the cynical attempt to scare others into submission - I just hope that at least one of the five was only sharing music he/she had legitimately purchased. Sales of legal music online has grown by 300% where as shared tracks have grown by 3%. Hmmm... I make that a reasonable swing in the Record Companies favour already.

When will they learn that the file sharing community are helping their sales? Since most downloaders couldn't pay for many of the tracks that they download how could the BPI's members make any more money than they do already? Oh yeah, by suing people too scared or poor to go to court.