RIAA keeps blood money
March 1st 2008
New York Post reports that the RIAA has shared little if any of the hundreds of millions of dollars the group has collected from copyright scofflaws. Thereupon, artists and their representatives are considering lawsuits to get their share.
"Artist managers and lawyers have been wondering for months when their artists will see money from the copyright settlements and how it will be accounted for," said lawyer John Branca, who has represented Korn, Don Henley, The Rolling Stones and others. "Some of them are even talking about filing lawsuits if they don't get paid soon."
"They will play hide and seek, but eventually will be forced to pay something," said Irving Azoff, manager for The Eagles and Jewel. "The record companies have even tried to credit unrecouped accounts. It's never easy for an artist to get paid their fair share."
For years, the RIAA has claimed to represent artists when seeking damages from copyright scofflaws. The music industry's attack dog has collected hundreds of millions of dollars from Napster, Kazaa and Bolt, as well as millions from thousands of individuals snared by "John Doe" lawsuits brought by the group.
Editor's note: Did anyone expect the RIAA to actually honor their word and represent artists?
