In addition to not buying CDs, we can write letters to the record companies to tell them why we are not buying. This sends a loud and clear message. Writing to legislators is also good way we can make sure that the voices of the entertainment cartels are not the only ones they hear. Below are some form letters to fill in the blanks and send. They will be most effective if each of us rewrite them in our own words, rather than just copying. Also, postal mail and faxes send the message better than email, which can be simply deleted, or lost in a deluge of spam. Multiple signature at the bottom of a letter also add impact.
Complaint to record company
Dear (name)
I recently purchased (title) and paid (price.) The disc will not play in my
computer,( / my car stereo/ my DVD player, etc.) as it is encoded with a so-called copy protection scheme.
My computer( / my car stereo/ my DVD player, etc.) is the player I prefer to use, (or the only player I own, or
I travel a lot, and use my laptop to listen to music etc.) so the disc is useless to
me. Since the disc has been opened, the store will not take it back. By making
copy protected discs under the assumption that I will make unauthorized copies
and offer them on file trading networks, or hand out burned copies to friends,
you violate my right to
fair use, and my personal property rights, as well as calling me a thief. As a
result of this insult, I will never purchase
your products again, and will encourage others to boycott you as well. How many of us do
you think you can alienate before you have no customers left?
Sincerely,
(Name)
Letter about file trading to legislators
Dear (legislator)
I am sure you have heard a great deal of lobbying from the
recording industry, but nearly nothing from consumers, I hope to add my voice to
this debate. They claim that piracy is destroying their industry, and they need
new legal protections beyond current copyright law to save their businesses.
Nothing could be further from the truth. So-called piracy is actually free
promotion. Studies have conclusively shown that CD sales were up while Napster
was online. Now, CD sales are down because of high prices, a recessed economy,
and fewer CDs being produced.
File trading and CD burning are much like home taping in
the 1980s and 1990s.When I was in high school most of
my friends had dozens of home tapes. So did I. That was a low-tech version of
Napster, and Kazaa. I was exposed to all my favorite artists through home
tapes, trying before buying, and eventually did purchase hundreds of titles on
LP, CD, and cassette once I had disposable income, and knew what I liked. So did
my friends. Commercially produced recordings offered me tangible things like
artwork and lyrics that home tapes did not, and I was glad to pay for music I
enjoyed when prices were reasonable.
Now they claim that the rules have changed since CD recording and MP3 trading allow flawless copies, and
tapes did not. This is untrue. Not only are MP3s not perfect copies, but sound
quality has never been an issue. In the era of
tapes, most of us bought the cheap iron oxide tapes, not the expensive chromium
oxide or metal tapes. The pricey ones sounded as good as a CD, and iron oxide
did not, but so what? We weren?t listening to symphonies, just popular music.
There will always be people trying before they buy, but then wanting more
tangible things. Content providers will be able to sell them, and be profitable
as long as they are reasonable. What this is really about is fear of a new
technology, and the recording industry has fought every new technology ever
devised since the phonograph. They unjustly fought the production of player
piano reels, the playing of music on the radio, and all varieties of home
recording equipment. They already receive royalties on the sales of all blank
media based on the assumption that they will be used to create unauthorized
copies, even though only a small portion of blank media are used in that manner.
Why do they need new legislation, too?
Sincerely,
(signature)
A letter about the No Electronic Theft (net) act.
In 1997, Congress passed a law called the No Electronic
Theft Act, also know simply as NET. It was advocated by lobbyists as a necessary
tool to combat rampant piracy, which was destroying the entertainment industry.
On the contrary, existing law was adequate to combat counterfeiters of music and
movies. The recording industry has petitioned the justice department to begin
prosecutions of file traders and CD burner users with this draconian measure.
For the simple act of using Kazaa or Napster, or by burning a CD, a young
person, or anyone else could be convicted of a felony, fined $250,000 and
subject to prison terms of up to three years. I urge you to repeal it
before that happens.
Studies have clearly shown that while Napster was online,
sales of CDs were up. File trading provides a method of promotion that the
recording industry should be grateful for, as does home taping and home CD
burning. The recording industry already has been granted a tax that pays them a
royalty on the sales of all blank media, including tapes and recordable discs.
This is based on the assumption that blank media will be used to make unauthorized copies.
Why do they also need the NET act?
When I was in high school most of my friends had dozens of
home tapes, and so did I. That was a low-tech Napster, and free promotion for the
recording industry. I was exposed to all my favorite artists through home tapes,
and eventually did purchase hundreds of titles on LP, CD and cassette once I
had disposable income, and knew what I liked. So did my friends. Commercially
produced recordings offered us tangible things like artwork and lyrics that home
tapes did not, and we were glad to pay for music we enjoyed when prices were
reasonable.
The record companies claimed in 1997 that digital
technology makes it possible to create perfect copies, and this is why piracy is
a greater threat than ever. This is untrue, as quality has never been an issue,
and MP3s, contrary to popular belief, are not 100% as good as the original.
In the era of tapes, most of us bought the cheap iron oxide
tapes, not the expensive chromium oxide or metal tapes. The pricey ones sounded
as good as a CD, and iron oxide did not, but so what? We weren?t listening to
symphonies, just rock, rap, and sometimes country. There will always be people
trying before they buy, but then wanting more tangible things.
Content providers will be able to sell them, and be
profitable as long as they are reasonable. What this is really about is fear of
a new technology, and the recording industry has fought every new technology
ever devised since the phonograph. They unjustly fought the production of player
piano reels, the playing of music on the radio, and all varieties of home
recording equipment.
I hope that you will consider that many of the things that
the NET act would make felonies should not even be crimes, and no one,
especially not our youth, should be subject to outrageous fines or prison terms
just because business fears new technologies.
Sincerely,
(signature)