thou shalt not steal (killing is okay)
Remember the olden days, when your friend got that sweet dual cassette player that offered high-speed dubbing?
That device meant you could grab all of your buddies’ music and copy it onto 90 minute blank cassettes with noise reduction technology. You and your friends stole music like nobody’s business. No one cared.
FFWD a couple years to a time when Napster became the dual-cassette deck of the world, and some, if not most, of your friends have the name myspace/ in front of their chosen screen names. Suddenly everyone cares. You are no 
longer a music listener but a music theif. Jammie Thomas-Rasset found out the price of music theivery, and it is akin to a financial lynching. She was charged $80,000 per song she shared on Kazaa. 24 songs. Total price for giving the gift of music = 1.92 million dollars. She really liked that guy friends.myspace/78364664902 male, age: 101, from Saskatchewan. But who doesn’t; he’s a winsome devil.
The first question we need to ask is: what were these exclusive tracks she was sharing? They must have been highly sought-after, rare European Pearl Jam exclusives, right? Nope. Journey and Gloria Estefan. “I see you in a smokey room… smell of wine and cheap perfume…” (on Kazaa you can roll the dice, the fee goes on and on and on and on). And there is this gem: “Turn the beat around (on Kazaa) love to feel the passion (of my money-grubbing attorneys). Turn you upside down (until your pockets are empty).
The music industry has been blaming internet piracy for poor record sales for the past decade and a half. No mea culpa for pimping Reuben Stoddard or Clay Aiken should be expected. In the words of Ryan Seacrest, “America voted…” and as a result, the recording industry was the Biggest Loser.
Thomas-Rasset describes herself as a music lover, a libelous statement for which I believe she should be tried and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But I digress…
In other news, Cleveland Browns wide-receiver, Dante Stallworth was given 30 days in jail for killing a man while driving drunk. The man who was killed was not in a crosswalk. The Stallworth lawyers also made the case that the deceased may have run into the street without looking. Fine, I get it. If Stallworth were 100% lucid, the result may have been the same. Still, Stallworth was drunk…
Recap: a poor (musically tasteless) lady is sued for 1.92 million dollars. A millionaire football star kills a guy and gets 30 days in jail. Justice is 
blind. And without a soul.
Allow me to get “all biblical.” For stealing (and internet piracy is stealing) the penalty is full payment plus one fifth. That would mean in the current market Ms. Thomas-Rasset would owe the likes of Journey and Gloria Estefan about one dollar and twenty cents per song. For about the cost of 3 classic Starship albums her debts would be paid in full. Journey should be grateful someone is still “forever yours, faithfully.”
In cases of accidental death, the law of Moses set up cities of refuge for offenders. Since Mr. Stallworth is already a Cleveland resident, he gets to stay put; no one will come looking for you in Cleveland, Dante. Numbers 35 deliberates cases of accidental death. If the death is ruled accidental he shall live out the rest of his days in his city of refuge. This means that Dante Stallworth will be a Cleveland Brown for life.
When you put these two cases side-by-side it is funny, and it is sad. It’s screwed up. A rich conglomorate of companies can ruin a woman’s future, and a rich sports hero can avoid restitution of any kind. What do you think?
For more on the Thomas Trial please read this ARStechnica post.
For Stallworth news read the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Music sales are down because most music made today is shitty. Most of what is played on the radio today is shitty.
It’s really simple to see. Go to the iTunes store. On any given day, the most downloaded song will be by Soulja Boy, Lady GaGa, Britney, etc. But the most downloaded album will be by Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones, etc.
People like buying music. They just don’t like buying shitty music. Why else would the Beatles have sold the most records than anyone else in the world for FIVE DECADES in a row?
Yes, Joshua, you are very correct.
I agree it is sad. Our “Justice” system is fraught with inequities. Looking back through the past 20 years or so, you can see this problem appear with almost every case that involves some kind of a “celebrity”—I think we can trace it back to OJ or maybe before that. It is good to note that Dante will never be able to drive again legally because his driver’s license has been suspended for life (we’ll see how long that lasts).
Since our penal system works so well to ”reform” those placed in prison by the court systems and these prisons stay full and our communities are ever building additions to them and new ones too, the insanity can’t stop here! Let’s put exorbitant prices on lawsuits and bankrupt otherwise decent citizens because they walk into a gray area of the law-copying music—And since we can’t find a bed at the local prison for someone who made a really bad decision to get behind the wheel of a car and run over someone who also made a bad decision to cross a street in an area that was not declared as a crosswalk, let’s just let this guy hang out at home for a couple of years and be taxied around to his NFL games next season where he’ll probably be making about 1.92 mil a game…………….
I realize that the music industry is just trying to make an example of that poor lady, but she will NEVER make that much money.
On the flip side, celebrities SHOULD be made example of, because they’re the ones who our children look up to. I say “our children” loosely, ’cause I know for people that read this blog, we’re not going to let media raise our kids. But the rest of the world seems pretty keen on the idea.
In any case, I think it’s bullshit that money has taken priority over life, both in the case of the obviously-wealthy-accidental-murderer and the middle-class-lady-who’s-never-going-to-have-a-dime-again-to-feed-herself-thus-killing-her-and-her-family. (Hyphens are the new hip, dig it?)
Hyphens are awesome, Dave. Good points, Patty. With regard to OJ, the other day was the 15 year anniversary of the white ford bronco chase.
That’s funny, previous generations have way better defining moments. “I remember exactly were I was when Kennedy was shot.” Me, I remember where I was when OJ was running from the law. Playing pool (that’s all I did that year).