I think I'm hitting my saturation point with all of the bullcrap that is flowing out of the record labels nowadays. It's not so much the quality of the music, as it is the way the record labels are treating their supposed customers. Earlier this week, Ed Foster griped about Sony's DRM on their CDs, and how it makes playback impossible under certain circumstances (and also installs drivers without permission, which I find a nice touch in this whole tale). Sony again was found guilty of payola and was fined $10 million dollars. I'm amazed that companies think we're so stupid, but I'm saddened to think they might be right after all. I see people picking up crippled CDs, and I want so much to tell them to save their money. I hear the same song over and over again on the radio, and I wonder if somewhere out there some memo exclaims "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET AUDIOSLAVE ON WKSS THIS WEEK?!!? Whatever you dream up, I can make happen!!!" (Actual quote from a promoter from Epic records). I've come to even distance myself from the music in my library that I've already bought and paid for because the thought of what their labels are doing to them makes the music unpaletable, and taints each note with the thought that no matter how much I enjoy the music of Dream Theater, Anthrax, Sepultura, and Spock's Beard, my purchases help fund greedy record executives who want to protect each digitally encoded note to play as only they intended.

Record Companies, please grow up and return to your distribution channel roots. Let the music sort itself out. Stop promoting shit and let the fans decide what they want to hear. Give us a choice by signing and distributing talent we've never heard before, and support the talent you have that still cares about the music. Stop suing your fans, and treat customers with respect and dignity instead of treating us as criminals waiting to pirate your music. Allow for the distribution of your music via new media, including podcasts, with no time restrictions and no outrageous fees.

We your customers want music, and we want the success of the artists involved. I'm waiting to buy your product, but I'm unwilling to agree to your terms. You had it right before with unencumbered CDs, so don't screw with them. You're so close to allowing the podcasting community to promote your music for you, so why not let them?

I'm giving you one more chance, RIAA, and you'd better get it right. The world is moving on from draconian requirements to more open sources. Positron, Magnatune, Metropolis and all of the artists at Podshow get it. Unless you can provide a superior product (and DRMed content with a DVD is NOT superior product) with reasonable terms, you will be replaced.

And I'll help fund the revolution.