RIAA wants -- surprise -- DRM on all digital radio

And we thought these folks claiming that random electrical / WiFi / RF waves could turn you into a toad were off-kilter. Recently, a push has reportedly been going on in content guardian circles which would force anti-stream-ripping DRM software to be latched onto internet radio feeds everywhere, presumably to combat the elusive cash-stealing epidemic going on across the globe. As you'll recall, the RIAA has already demanded that XM-Sirius pay higher royalty rates because of (wait, we're still searching), but thankfully, the Digital Freedom Campaign stepped into action and proclaimed that "requiring webcasters to implement mandatory DRM technologies to prevent any personal recording of internet radio streams is an imposition on both webcasters and consumers." 'Course, this statement came after Mitch Glazier (of the RIAA) purportedly stated that there was no need to wait until the aforementioned ripping became "a big problem to start addressing it," insinuating that we should all just blindly deal with another restriction regardless if there's actually a problem that needs to be solved. Interesting logic, indeed.

[Via CreateDigitalMusic]

[Donald @ Jul 21st 2007 6:48PM]

Why is it every time someone from the RIAA opens their mouth, I have the sudden urge to download every Metallica album ever?

[JJ @ Jul 22nd 2007 1:24AM]

How come every time I hear something about RIAA's idiocy that I am reminded how they sit alongside George Bush on the IQ scale?

[Orion @ Jul 21st 2007 6:57PM]

Just more roaring from the tarpit.

[Martez @ Jul 21st 2007 7:58PM]

Well put!

[obiwan @ Jul 22nd 2007 2:49PM]

You should get Apelad to draw that!

[Morgan Percy @ Jul 21st 2007 7:19PM]

Good thinking, eliminate online radio forcing me to download mass amounts of music tracks to listen to instead. Very smart indeed.

[michael @ Jul 21st 2007 7:19PM]

Don't they ever give up? They're just making more users rebel and that's not helping.

[Paul @ Jul 21st 2007 7:33PM]

I always hear people say that the RIAA isn't doing anything wrong, I'd like those people to read this article. If the RIAA had the power, they'd put DRM on everything.

[Jesse @ Jul 21st 2007 7:54PM]

What is next? RIAA wants to have implants in people so, people can pay royalties to everything they hear, even if they do not want to listen to music.

[Jason @ Jul 23rd 2007 5:31PM]

Bingo! RFID Chips (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID)

[LC @ Jul 21st 2007 7:56PM]

Those Pirate Bay guys ever buy that Island? I really need to see the RIAA and MPAA suffer a little.

[miron @ Jul 22nd 2007 6:05PM]

Even if they didn't, pirating is still really popular. The RIAA would suffer if they attempted to put drm on digital radio. They'd only make us download more music.

[linkman2004 @ Jul 21st 2007 8:50PM]

Im in ur computerz, drmin' your filez.

[Marc @ Jul 21st 2007 10:17PM]

That would look awesome on a ThinkGeek t-shirt...

[MEAT! @ Jul 21st 2007 8:57PM]

How often is music from internet radio actually ripped? It seems to me that all the music I've ever seen up for download has come from pirated albums, not some ripped internet stream. And with internet radio stations, it would take ages to accumulate all the songs from one album.

[NHAnimator @ Jul 21st 2007 9:08PM]

My comments herein are entitled for your personal use only. They may not be copied or redistributed to any other forum, chat room, message board, instant messaging system or other means of digital communication. They may not be reverse-engineered. I reserve the right to include rootkits in this message. This message may not play correctly on all systems.

...and Engadget owes me 43 cents for displaying this.

[Joe Anstine @ Jul 22nd 2007 1:49AM]

well played.

[John @ Jul 21st 2007 9:21PM]

When all the DRM software in the world can be circumvented by plugging 'line out' into 'line in', that's a pretty big clue that it's a really, really stupid idea to begin with.

[Woolly Mittens @ Jul 22nd 2007 5:08AM]

Mmmmm feedback-loop.

[peshue @ Jul 21st 2007 9:23PM]

You can still record off a line-in on your pc, they really aren't stopping anyone with any of this garbage.

[Eli @ Jul 21st 2007 9:27PM]

With all of the money it takes to power the RIAA (paying bills, paying CEOs and employees, paying laywer's fees, etc etc), they could have just started compensating artists and record companies for lost profits from pirating.

It would have been a lot better for consumers and record companies if they did that instead of trying to gain complete control over every single 1 and 0.

IDIOTSSS

[me @ Jul 21st 2007 9:44PM]

They still think it's music on P2P stealing that is the problem. It's crappy music produced and sold. It's not worth a plug nickle.

And yes I buy all my music via iTunes. Stealing is wrong. But stealing is not the music business problem. It's the garbage they try and sell.

[Art Ginsburg @ Jul 21st 2007 9:59PM]

As someone who takes checks from the Evil Big Broadcast Industry, I gotta tell the RIAA that they really failed to "hit the post" here... they've missed it entirely.

HD Radio has its' problems. It's most likely a dollar short and a day late in "saving" terrestrial broadcasting, and certainly isn't going to help it not Suck.

But the thing here is that the FCC JUST MADE THE IBIQUITY HDRadio Codec the LAW. They signed off, lock, stock, and Barrel, on the Codec, the Method for Making HD, and the way Broadcasters are going to spit it into the Ether, on AM and FM. It's DONE. The Ones And Zeroes Must be Made by THIS scheme to be legally broadcast. Period. And that scheme doesn't include DRM.

The Ibiquity HD codec does not allow for the added overhead of DRM, and there's no way in hell everyone who's ponied up the kinda cash that "Going HD" entails, is gonna pull that all out now, or turn it off. This isn't like killing Internet Streaming in 1999/2000; what the RIAA goons are asking is the equivalent of a "Do Over" on the entire HD Bitstream, to include DRM, AFTER it's been tested, approved, and put in the Wild by hundreds of broadcasters, expending millions of dollars. They had YEARS of "testing Phases", "Temporary Authorizations" , and "Experimental Authorities" to deal with this, and they waited until AFTER the FCC cast the Grand Master.

Say what you want about the NAB, I don't see their Lobbyists letting this happen... And I'm sure, with the Grease Ibiquity was able to lay to get their product to be declared The Standard for HD, they're not going to "allow" their HDCodec to be ruled Unnacceptable either.

Really, it'td be a laughable fight, but it's not going to happen. And trust me, you can download an illeagal rip in better quality than your local HD station is giving you anyway, and not have it pre-processed and compressed all to hell for maximum loudness.

HD Radio, cool, yes. On AM, Wow. Really, you gotta hear it to believe it. But a BitTorrent replacement? An endless source of Digital DRM-Free Music? Not so much so.

We shall now see a BAttle of the Legal Departments to end all... and I guarantee broadcasters will pick up the costs in higher fees to Ibiquity to license their codec... which means commercials on the HD2 and HD3 channels to pay for it all... and again, we suffer, because the RIAA and their lawyers are, well, them.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Jul 21st 2007 10:03PM]

Stick it to the RIAA. Pirate your music if it's on a major label, because if you've seen the breakdown of profit distribution, the artist makes crap because the manager, studio techs, and record label make all the money. Artists make their money on tour, period.

So: 1) pirate major label music. 2) go see your favorite bands in concert. 3) buy from artists on independent labels where the artist makes much more money. I really think this is the only way to bring down the RIAA. Just my opinion of course.

[John @ Jul 21st 2007 10:11PM]

F*** The RIAA - all they ever do is take take take and ask for things and file lawsuits (although, that's all they are for). You never hear of the RIAA helping out in the community or it's artists and management donating time or money. You know what, I'm gonna take it a step further.

Beginning today and henceforth, the JIAA (John Industry Assoc. of America) would like tribute in the form of cash sent to me on a regular basis. Also, no one may sing in their car without my express written consent. This is what I want and if I don't get it, I'm filing a lawsuit on Monday.

[PEZ @ Jul 21st 2007 10:13PM]

The riaa dosn't deserve to have their acronym in capitals.

[lord_asano @ Jul 22nd 2007 10:15AM]

AMEN!!

[joe @ Jul 21st 2007 10:20PM]

I love the cat pic. For all of the efforts of all of these anti piracy groups I have never not been able to pirate any music/software/movies I wanted. But I really used to love to buy cd's before RIAA killed that format.

[Penguin Warlord @ Jul 21st 2007 11:32PM]

Hey guys do you hear that sound? It's the sound of noone mentioning an iPhone. Isn't beautiful take it all in children this is a rare moment, you may never see one of these again.

and I hate the RIAA.

[Revels @ Jul 22nd 2007 7:29AM]

You just mentioned it. *weeps*

[Grail @ Jul 21st 2007 11:59PM]

@ Joe - those CD's are another issue, whatever happened to that so-called "class-action suit" filed against the recording companies a decade ago?

I mean, it only takes on average 5-10 cents to manufacture CD's and they still jack up the price to 15-20 dollars, while they sell the cassette tapes at a measly $2.

RIAA, really now, after the Sony DRM-rootkit fiasco, you still don't learn do you?

[joe @ Jul 22nd 2007 1:31PM]

This might be what you were asking about
http://www.musiccdsettlement.com/english/default.htm

[Jessie Sparks @ Jul 22nd 2007 12:46AM]

Another attempt to have Internet Radio pay for the RIAA's dumb mistakes that have almost driven them out of business. THEY NEVER LEARN,what they don't understand is this: 1) anything they make DRM will be hacked 2)if they start suing Internet Radio they will have almost a billion Americans pissed off and do nothing but pirate music. Sound Exchange is a joke, someone should Bi*** slap that John Simons he is annoying as hell, everything he says is a lie, everything the RIAA says is a lie.

I personally am getting sick of the back and fourth, back and fourth drama between Internet Radio and Sound Exchange. Someone please tell the RIAA to back off Internet Radio and stop shoving down DRM down every digital technology that comes out! The RIAA even gets paid by me listening to their "crappy" (pun intended) music in the bathroom! LOL ...

[Goemon4 @ Jul 22nd 2007 1:23AM]

lol RIAA. Dont they know the more DRM they enforce on us, the more we will pirate? lol, they should stop being so damned greedy, and give us freedom in the music we love. To bad they dont love the music, and just rape it so they can make more money. I fucking hate them, they show no respect to the artists. Tho most of the artists suck, still, their milking them, which is wrong.

I will continue sticking it to the RIAA and keep supporting the artists. I will not support a greedy corporate bastards. I wish these bastards would just make the music free, not a cash cow to fill pockets.

F
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[ssuk @ Jul 22nd 2007 3:04AM]

... ... That's pointless and shows that the RIAA are fucking morons. You can just record the radio off your soundcard using free software on the internet, encode it in free MP3 encoding codecs thus removing any need for stream-rippers and then bi-passes any DRM they'll accosiate with the stream. Where's that RIAA comic with a guy on the beach...

[Jorman @ Jul 25th 2007 8:41PM]

http://clintjcl.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/delme-riaa-comic.jpg

[Domenick @ Jul 22nd 2007 3:38AM]

I've stopped listening to music.

[Aaron @ Jul 22nd 2007 4:40AM]

The more they restrict, the more we rebel. When are these idiots going to get it through their heads that we hate them? When are these idiots going to get it through their heads that they're on our last nerves?

When are we going to rise up and find a way to take these fuckers down!?!?!?!?!?

RIAA... I'll be laughin' my ass off when you're burnin' in hell! (Props to Wierd Al Yankovic)

[TheWakeUpCall @ Jul 22nd 2007 9:28AM]

You can still record DRM'd music. If it is playing, it can be recorded. Even in Windows sound recorder, it can still be recorded. Other recorders without the 60 second limit can be used... On live radio, what effect will DRM have on it?

[Oriax @ Jul 22nd 2007 1:51PM]

the only thing net radio DRM will do is stop the most casual streamrippers. soundxchange/riaa will gain more control over music they don't even have rights to, and if this goes through i really think they'll have hell to pay.

i'm just glad i can still listen to soma.fm

[daBrat @ Jul 22nd 2007 2:40PM]

DRM is a fanatsy - dah, ever heard of TIVO, VCR, etc. But RIAA's demanding it has a legal precedent in the Supreme Court's Grokster decision and is likely to be enforced. Naturally, it's a ruse to pile more cost and complexity on Internet Radio which is obvious since it's not a demand for the NAB, just Internet Radio.
However, don't get caught up in the little shit - the real RIAA/Sound Exchange (yes they are the same owners) is all about Label control. A close look at the payouts to artists FACTUALLY shows that 95% of all fees collected go to the Labels or Sound Exchange - the artists get nothing or almost nothing.
It costs Indie artists thousands of dollars to join ASCAP and BMI or SESAC - if they aren't registered all collections default to Sound Exchange. Considering the large percentage of Indie artists on internet Radio, RIAA screws the Indie artist twice hard ... 1) No payouts and 2.) no play.
RIAA screws all artists, label and Indie - and splits the take with the labels. Another feat of great government brought to us by the Lobbist controlled Bush administration.
I say - screw them ... don't play label artists ... ever!
If you do, you are a willing slave to RIAA and deserve what you get (nothing)

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 22nd 2007 5:59PM]

More spam for the spamhammer.

[Loonie @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:59AM]

These bastards won't stop until all human beings have a firewall installed between their eyes and ears at birth.

I can but pray that this vile monster's death throes won't last much longer.

[Max @ Jul 24th 2007 2:05AM]

i swear these guys will want to put DRM on peoples asses soon, so if you fart they can sue you

[Jorman @ Jul 25th 2007 8:40PM]

so i guess fining and jailing people for downloading illegally wasnt working.