HELP! Serious Moral RIAA Dilemma....

[Raven]

Hey guys, i've got a problem here. I found the perfect Glenn Miller box set for my grandfather on amazon.com. The sucker costs 150 dollars with a 100 dollar used option. Heres my problem.

Well first its the RIAA. I'd like to get the new copy, but seeing that Miller died in 1944 I strongly doubt that any of the 150 bucks will be going anywhere but the RIAA's pocket.

Next its quality. I wouldn't wanna wind up paying 100 bucks for scratched disks that skip and then have to take them down to the used record store and drop 20 bucks to have them repair the discs with their thousand-dollar CD cleaning machine. Although the music has probably been stored on lossy analog media for the better part of a century, theres some peace of mind in knowing that the [FONT=Arial]224kpbs mp3's on your computer are the best they could possibly be.


Thats my scenario here people. I bought my grandfather a 3-disc Glenn Miller set a while ago and he got a kick out of it. Odds are that he would damn near soil his drawers if he opens up a Glenn Miller box set almost FIVE times larger than his current one. Thats damn near 300 songs.

[ASUmusicMAN]

maybe other people can answer this...just a brainstorm. If you buy a CD from amazon UK does that money still end up at the RIAA??

[Raven]

Last time I checked RCA was an RIAA member.

[DudeAsInCool]

if its used, then the recording company was already paid.. i'd go fer it your grandpop is more important than concerns about the riaa, and my guess is that its in mint condition

[Raven]

I'm not really concerned about being stingy, although my grandfather would probly call me crazy for buying a 150 dollar box set. Fifty bucks won't make me or break me. The truth of the matter is that for how hard these tracks would be to find you could consider the price their asking as a bargain.

I'm just worried that it would be hypocritical for me to chastize the RIAA for suing little girls and senior citizens while at the same time buying their product. I feel that buying a used product would be a much more ethical choice because then none of what i'll be paying goes to the RIAA.

But on another note, odds are that my money would probly amount to little more than chump change compared to all the people buying corporate-engineered teeny-bopper music that you can find EASILY online, and with high bitrates.

[ASUmusicMAN]

Just buy the set...you will both be happy.

[HolyMoly]

I'd like to get the new copy, but seeing that Miller died in 1944 I strongly doubt that any of the 150 bucks will be going anywhere but the RIAA's pocket.

I checked out the boxed set you're referring to. The earliest recorded song in the set was recorded in 1938. The prevailing copyright law at the time was the Copyright Act of 1909 which allowed for 56 years of initial and extended protection for Miller's estate. Normally, that would mean that the copyrights expired in 1994. But, recent changes in copyright law have anointed copyrights existing in 1973 with "life plus 50 years" protection. Unfortunately, Miller died in 1944 ... which, coincidentally, also means that copyright protection expired in 1994. So yes, the Miller estate wouldn't see dime one of the money. This doesn't mean the set you speak of is public domain, however. Miller had a copyright on the music ... but the compiler of the set (in 1991) has a copyright to the set collection. And that's RCA (under the RIAA umbrella).

The good news is that the person selling the used set for $99.00 is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars for service ... and he's made over 4,000 sales in the last 12 months. So, he sounds like a reputable used-CD dealer. I'd go for the used-CD set were it me. And when your grandfather opens it up and sees those 13 CDs, he'll shit bricks (grin). Go for it.
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[HolyMoly]

Raven,

Besides giving your grandfather the Glenn Miller set, you might consider giving him something else as well. P2P networks like Kazaa are literally crawling with senior citizens sharing OTR shows (OTR = old-time-radio). The next time you see your grandfather, ask him what his favorite shows were ... then head for your favorite P2P app and start downloading them. Most shows are approximately 30 minutes long (like Dragnet) though some are 60 minutes (like Lux Radio Theatre). But since OTR is AM-radio quality anyway, they tend to be encoded as mono 32kbps MP3 files ... so they download just as quickly as most songs do. And, with MusicMatch or some other MP3-to-WAV converter, you can convert them to burnable audio CD files (128kbps stereo).

Besides, while there are RIAA watchdogs out there looking for people downloading Madonna, Eminem, and Britney Spears songs, I doubt if they pay too much attention to people downloading The Shadow, Our Miss Brooks, or The Lone Ranger shows (grin).
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[matt merch]

Raven,

Besides giving your grandfather the Glenn Miller set, you might consider giving him something else as well. P2P networks like Kazaa are literally crawling with senior citizens sharing OTR shows (OTR = old-time-radio). The next time you see your grandfather, ask him what his favorite shows were ... then head for your favorite P2P app and start downloading them. Most shows are approximately 30 minutes long (like Dragnet) though some are 60 minutes (like Lux Radio Theatre). But since OTR is AM-radio quality anyway, they tend to be encoded as 32kbps MP3 files ... so they download just as quickly as most songs do. And, with MusicMatch or some other MP3-to-WAV converter, you can convert them to burnable audio CD files (128kbps).

Besides, while there are RIAA watchdogs out there looking for people downloading Madonna, Eminem, and Britney Spears songs, I doubt if they pay too much attention to people downloading The Shadow, Our Miss Brooks, or The Lone Ranger shows (grin).

nothing cheaper than cdrs for presents i just dont know how ppl can even consider givin cdrs as presents

[DudeAsInCool]

a gift is a gift. its the thought that counts. and this glen miller set sounds perfect for gramps.

[HolyMoly]

nothing cheaper than cdrs for presents i just dont know how ppl can even consider givin cdrs as presents

... when what's on them can't be gotten by any other means easily or for free. But, there are a lot of options besides giving a bland gray CDR. If a person has a decent inkjet, CD label-maker software/paper and a fair artistic ability, they can make the end product look pretty spiffy -- both the CD and the jewel-case inserts.

[rainbowdemon]

You asked a bunch of p2p'ers a question like that? We all know what to do about this problem. And so do you. Or you wouldn't be on a p2p site!!

[HolyMoly]

You asked a bunch of p2p'ers a question like that? We all know what to do about this problem. And so do you. Or you wouldn't be on a p2p site!!

I think he was just looking for a little moral support, rainbowdemon. And, this may have been the first time he's ever considered buying a used-CD ... which I hope he does. It's bad enough when the RIAA gets a cut of the sale price ... but 100% of the profit off that CD set (sold retail) goes directly into RCA's pocket ... with the RIAA getting their own indirect cut.

[rainbowdemon]

I think he was just looking for a little moral support, rainbowdemon.
I didn't mean to be as sharp as that sounded. My mother likes music from that era. I make cd's for her on a regular basis. It just seemed kind of obvious to me. I was not trying to offend the dude!!

[notbob]

downloading has nothing to do with morals

that's just what the RIAA wants you to think

there is nothing in the constitution guaranteeing monopolistic fatcats like the RIAA 1000% profit margins

is there anything in any religious codes you know of that say

"though shalt not make copies theorhetical, non existent properties, by which said action causes a collective clearinghouse that owns the rights to such theorhetical objects, is possibly deprived of a cash flow theorhetically due to them, though the people they represent are long since dead, and said parties have done nothing in the creation of said properties"?

there is something in the constitution about "sciences and useful arts", but last time i checked music was a frivolous art for personal enjoyment, not like a cure for cancer or something

[method77]

make a box set yourself.
-Download all the Miller songs that you can find
-take an empty corn flakes box, download a bunch of Miller photos and print so you can stick them on the box
-write a Miller biography
-burn the tracks on 4 cds
-put everything in the box and make sure the Kellogs part doesn't show
granpa will be very impressed and he will appreciate all the work you did just for him

....this will cost you 10cents +tax

[HolyMoly]

I didn't mean to be as sharp as that sounded. My mother likes music from that era. I make cd's for her on a regular basis. It just seemed kind of obvious to me. I was not trying to offend the dude!!

I know ... and I wasn't meaning to be critical. And, I was kinda hoping he'd read between the lines of my lengthy post citing copyright law and (ahem) take the hint. Maybe he did. But, I suspected he wanted to give his granddad something "professional" so I didn't come right out and say it.

It it was my grandfather, I'd have made a list of every song on that 13-CD set and gone straight to my KazaaLite. Remember, the copyright is on the "set," not on the songs. The songs are now in the public domain. If the RIAA scanned my directory and saw a bunch of Glenn Miller songs there, they couldn't to shit. Anyway, there are a lot of Glenn Miller fansites online. I'd have downloaded all the songs, burned them to 13 CDRs, and swiped a few graphics from fansites. I've got CD-label software and label paper ... and with those graphics, I could have designed bang-up labels for the CDs and spiffy looking jewel-case inserts. Cost?

13 CDRs X 28 cents per CDR = $3.64
13 maxi-size jewel cases X 50 cents = $6.50
TOTAL = $10.14 (plus a little elbow-grease and time, paper costs negligible)

And, while the CDs wouldn't have an RCA label on them, they'd look pretty good. In fact, they might even look better than RCA's artwork (grin).
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[baghdad_steve15]

Buy the set. I think your grandpa would appreciate a nice wrapped jewel box than a CD-R.

[Raven]

I've bought several used cd's before, just not online. Theres a good used-record store in town with this expensive CD-cleaning machine. Its just the idea of spending a hundred bucks on a used product that you can't see before you buy.

[HolyMoly]

I've bought several used cd's before, just not online. Theres a good used-record store in town with this expensive CD-cleaning machine. Its just the idea of spending a hundred bucks on a used product that you can't see before you buy.

A couple of notes, Raven. First, if you decide to buy the used CD set, ask the seller first if it includes the 141 page listening guidebook about Glenn Miller as the new set does. Not that the guidebook is necessary to the set or to your grandfather's enjoyment. But, it is one thing you might want to consider. Secondly, if you decide to buy the new CD-set, DON'T buy it from Amazon.com. You can get it 10 bucks cheaper at CD Universe:

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1111419&cart=164688115&style=music
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