Boy, the IFPI does not like file sharing. Oh, for anyone who does not know what the IFPI is, the statement below was taken from their mission page:

IFPI represents the recording industry worldwide with some 1400 members in 75 countries and affiliated industry associations in 49 countries.

Here are few things they call “Inconvenient Truths” on the topic of file-sharing, released recently.

1. Pirate Bay, one of the flagships of the anti-copyright movement, makes thousands of euros from advertising on its site, while maintaining its anti-establishment “free music” rhetoric.

Sure they make money. The United States government was founded on the pretenses it would provide protection, freedom, and of course, lets not forget taxation. So, is the IFPI suggesting we damn any establishment that makes money? Or, just this one because they allege their part of some anti-establishment movement? Oh, and since when was setting up software, for a community of people sharing what they have, an anti-establishment movement? Perhaps you’re missing the REAL point of Pirate Bay, friends. Besides, that doesn’t even make sense. An established anti-establishment movement? Sounds like a good joke I once heard from Mitch Hedberg, “I’m against picketing, but, I don’t know how to show it!”

Still, it seems to me, the IFPI is just being shown exactly who is in control of the establishment, and its not them, so they don’t like it.

Oh, and I’d like to clarify, the Pirate Bay doesn’t even take part in file sharing itself. They have made an on-line safe-harbor for the people who wish to share files in the form of a kind of forum, where they can post “torrents”. Torrents are files which can give a BitTorrent client, information on people who might have pieces of a particular file, and, are open to sharing them. I make this distinction because if people did not want to share files, they would not have created BitTorrent, and the Pirate Bay would have already dried up long ago. So, this not inconvenient, nor is it a truth of any kind. Sorry, Mr. Record Industry Man.

2. AllOfMP3.com, the well-known Russian web site, has not been licensed by a single IFPI member, has been disowned by right holder groups worldwide and is facing criminal proceedings in Russia.

Oh well, you got me there, though, I don’t know with exactly what. You’ve discovered one unsuccessful music sharing site? Wow. Be careful, don’t hurt yourselves, Mr. Recording Industry Man.

3. Organized criminal gangs and even terrorist groups use the sale of counterfeit CDs to raise revenue and launder money.

Organized Crime creates gambling venues for Sporting Events too. Should we stop all playing Football, Basketball, and Baseball? Seriously, stop lumping file-sharers in with organized crime, please? You have no idea how poor an analogy it is.

First thing, I’ve yet to hear someone die from downloading music. Second, frankly all money is by virtue, blood money. So, get over these points, or we’ll be running in circles. Why? Because terrorists buy your legit releases too. So, it would be just as easy, albeit just as as inaccurately suggested, that the Recording Industry is funded by terrorism. This is why these ideas are ridiculous.

Besides, massive recording companies that purposely market sales ploys, which will result in massive amounts of revenue with no concern for art (the aforementioned American Idol “bankers” — hey, you brought it up), don’t seem very different from counterfeit CD salesmen — they’re both selling a kind of counterfeit art, right?

The difference is, its pretty easy for anyone to spot a counterfeiter selling CDs on the street, given the scale of their operation — the musty blanket helps. While, on the other hand, its a bit difficult for anyone to spot marketing ploys put on by massive corporations… that is, given the scale of their operation.

4. Illegal file-sharers don’t care whether the copyright-infringing work they distribute is from a major or independent label.

Thats correct, they care about amassing the best collection of art in their own respective opinion, and then helping to share what they consider to be the best amassing of art with others — those evil bastards!

I guess Mr. Recording Industry Man would rather their consumers remain in cultural poverty, without their artist’s art, until we’re able to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, and take three to four hours of our minimum wage earnings, to go purchase a sixty-five minute piece of overproduced shit — thanks!

5. Reduced revenues for record companies mean less money available to take a risk on “underground” artists and more inclination to invest in “bankers” like American Idol stars.

It sure does, but only if you think your talent is not worth a few risks. What happened to you Mr. Recording Industry Man? There was a time you were so into risks, you pushed for the revolution of Rock n’ Roll. Remember that artistic innovation? Hey wait, perhaps, like the Information Technology Industry, the Recording Industry could… I don’t know… innovate maybe?

Try developing a model of operation which is less willing to afford for business-related spending, especially in areas like marketing — very simply, reduce the ridiculous overheard of brand and image building. Instead, focus your spending on the only really important aspect of the artists, the substance of their actual art. It seems the people figured out mass distribution before you could. Why cry over spilled milk?

6. ISPs often advertise music as a benefit of signing up to their service, but facilitate the illegal swapping on copyright infringing music on a grand scale.

Thats because telling the public the truth — that music is available on the Internet, and its mainly free — brings people to their service. Quit passing the buck, Internet Service isn’t the problem, nor is providing it.

7. The anti-copyright movement does not create jobs, exports, tax revenues and economic growth–it largely consists of people pontificating on a commercial world about which they know little.

This is smooth. Call the people who are listening to you, dumb. That was subtle.

People aren’t dumb though, at least, not in this case. They’re rather smart if you think about it — smart enough in fact, to circumvent every order of protection that has been put out by you, Mr. Recording Industry Man.

Yet, I happen to think, a true artists needn’t that kind of protection at all anyway. True artists want little more than their self-expression or their art — otherwise, how can they consider themselves an artist?

Besides, how well off would the Recording Industry be, if artists made the same kind of assumptions? As in: The Recording Industry consists of people pontificating on the art world about which they know little.

They’d be out of business, thats how well off they would be. And, an anti-copyright movement, if such a thing actually exists, would indeed create many jobs, and much economic growth, just not within the Recording Industry (maybe thats why they dislike it).

8. Piracy is not caused by poverty. Professor Zhang of Nanjing University found the Chinese citizens who bought pirate products were mainly middle- or higher-income earners.

Exactly! Do you know what that proves? Most people who work for a living, and those that don’t (so a wide cultural spectrum), consider it a bad idea to be paying there way through a label, to get to their favored artists. And by the way, Mr. Recording Industry Man, remember this, “the customers always right.”

9. Most people know it is wrong to file-share copyright infringing material but won’t stop till the law makes them, according to a recent study by the Australian anti-piracy group MIPI.

Further proof that the majority intuitively does not consider it stealing, to absorb and share with their peers. And, that these people are so willing, they’d risk their own freedom for access to art. Does that tell you anything about your consumers, Mr. Recording Industry Man?

10. P2P networks are not hotbeds for discovering new music. It is popular music that is illegally file-shared most frequently.

First, are you brain-dead?

How would it be considered popular music, if it wasn’t the most frequently requested, listened to, and then obviously, shared.

Oh, wait, yes, you must be brain-dead.

After screwing up your own industry, losing the majority of your proponents and value, falling off the technological edge, nearly becoming entirely irrelevant to culture, and then, calling your own consumers dumb here, you think you know why people are using point-to-point file sharing networks, and to what ends? Wow. Not only are you insulting, and incompetent, Mr. Recording Industry Man, you’re also incredibly arrogant. Why don’t you just keep your hands out of my pockets, and to yourself from now on?

In the words of this generation, Mr. Recording Industry Man: “K. Thx. Bye.”