RIAA Pettitions Judges To Lower Artist Royalties: Musicians Deserve Less?

If you ever make music, one thing that you want to make sure is that your works get paid the royalty fee when someone uses it. RIAA has been a reliable organization that helps musicians receives what they deserve. At least, until the growth of the Internet file sharing and music piracy that was blamed for rapidly declining album sales around the year 2000.

When iTune Music Store came along, things had been changed since buying the online music become conveniently available. And, the RIAA had done their job to protect musicians' right. However, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the RIAA is currently petitioning the panel of federal government Copyright Royalty Judges to "to lower the rates paid to publishers and songwriters for use of lyrics and melodies in applications like cell phone ring tones and other digital recordings."

Does it seem right for the RIAA to let artists down when they are in need? In the changing of time when the CD recording is not a major sell anymore, cell phone ring tones are one of the remaining highly profitable mediums. What is the beautiful claim that artists need to be protected from piracy. The organization seems to be just the tool of the major record labels and publishers who have been known for never really care about the artists in the first place.

RIAA petitions to lower artist royalties, weakens piracy arguments [via engadget]