When I hear the word piracy I immediately picture Johnny Depp in that ugly pirate get-up. Music piracy is another matter. It's serious business. According to the RIAA $4.2 billion is being lost by the music industry every year due to piracy. Part of the loss is suffered via online piracy. But fear not, the Recording Industry Association of America has attacked the problem head-on. No nickel or dimeing, the association is going after the real bad guys - college students. Huh???
When Sarah Barg, a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln got an e-mail from the RIAA she was informed that she owed a $3,000 fee for illegally downloading some 1980 ballads and the Spice Girls. Barg is one of 61 students at UNL and hundreds more at 60 college campuses around the country being targeted. RIAA spokeswoman Jenni Engebretsen warns that "any student on any campus in the country who is illegally downloading music may receive one of these e-mails in the coming months and just one song can bring a lawsuit"...
I saw this story over the weekend and felt I had to comment on it. With that in mind I have some advice for the RIAA:
- The real villains in music piracy are the bandits both here and abroad that duplicate and market the bogus product, making it look as real as the legitimate package by counterfeiting it...
- Stop the bootleggers who record live concerts or music broadcasts and then illegally sell the product...
- And finally why pick on the college kids? It won't come out of their pockets but will become still another expense for mom and dad who are paying through the teeth already for a college education for Justin and Kimberly...
- If you must continue to attack college kids, don't bill any seniors. You'll never see the money...
10 Timeline Memories...
- 1796] You won't feel a thing: English physician Edward Jenner administers the 1st vaccination against smallpox to an 8-year old boy...
- 1853] Elsie's Mom: Gail Borden applies for a patent for condensed milk. I always thought it came from a condensed Elsie the Cow...
- 1897] Strike up the band: "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa is performed for the 1st time at a George Washington statue unveiling...
- 1904] Lighting the flame: The 1st U.S. Olympics opens in St. Louis...
- 1948] Well Stated: Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaims the independent State of Israel as British rule in Palestine comes to an end...
- 1967] Going Yard: Mickey Mantle becomes the 6th player to hit 500 (or more) home runs. He will finish his career with 536...1972] 41-year old Willie Mays makes a dramatic debut with the Mets, hitting a home run against his former team, the Giants, in a 5-4 Met win...
- 1973] Launch Time: The U.S. launches Skylab I, our 1st manned space station...
- 1996] And he couldn't do this for the Mets?: 1996] 31-year old Dwight Gooden pitches a no-hitter for the Yankees in a 2-0 shutout of Seattle...
- 1998] Happy Trails: Pop Icon Frank Sinatra dies at 82 following a heart attack. Here's a special tribute to 'Old Blue Eyes" with great stills while Sinatra sings 'My Way': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEbgB6X6S5c ...
- 1998] An ending about nothing: The final episode of "Seinfeld" airs after 9 years on NBC-TV. This was one of the worst series finale's of all-time...
Music Memories:
- Recorded on this date: 1964] "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" - Jan and Dean. From the Dean Martin show, it's a tiny video version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGdLDOXyWsg ...1968] "People Got To Be Free" - The Rascals...
- Released on this date: 1970] "Ohio" - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young" (10 days after Kent State...
- Guesting on 'The Tonight Show' with substitute host Joe Garagiola in 1968: Paul McCartney and John Lennon...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Amber Tamblyn (24), Cate Blanchett (38), David Byrne (55), George Lucas (63), Jack (Cream) Bruce (64) and Patrice Munsel (82)...
Timeline Countdown: 5 days until the Preakness Stakes and 14 days until Memorial Day...
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