Audio Video News

If the RIAA has its way, and we know how they like to have their way, a piracy tax will be imposed on each and every person using the web. Yup. Even if you just use the web to look for love on Match.com, the RIAA wants to assume you're stealing music, and you must pay the price.

According to an article on Digital Freedom.org, the RIAA is part of a group lobbying on Capitol Hill to get $5 per month, every month, added to everyone's Internet bills, whether you download songs or not. Legally download songs or not, we should say. They're assuming that everyone is stealing music, and everyone must pay. And of course, we have no idea what they'll actually do with the money they collect. How much do you think actually goes back to the musician?

Another interesting tidbit was mentioned in the article. Own a Zune? Apparently, whenever anyone purchases a Microsoft Zune player (yup, all three of ya!) a fee is paid to Universal Music, because they're assuming you're going to steal some of their music.

Want more? The RIAA is also trying to get the government to withhold financial aid to universities that don't monitor students' online activities to prevent piracy. That's right: Your kid might not be able to go to college because the music business can't get the lid back on Pandora's box.

For the law-abiding, never-stolen-a-thing person, this whole situation is a bit outrageous. Whatever happened to "innocent until proved guilty?" -Leslie Shapiro