Digital Home Thoughts: Gizmodo: March is Boycott the RIAA Month

"Alright, we've been following the RIAA's increasingly frequent affronts to privacy and free speech lately, and it's about time we stopped merely bitching and moaning and did something about it. The RIAA has the power to shift public policy and to alter the direction of technology and the Internet for one reason and one reason alone: it's totally loaded. Without their millions of dollars to throw at lawyers, the RIAA is toothless. They get their money from us, the consumers, and if we don't like the way they're behaving, we can let them know with our wallets. With that in mind, Gizmodo is declaring the month of March Boycott the RIAA month. We want to get the word out to as many people as humanly possible that we can all send a message by refusing to buy any album put out by an RIAA label. Am I saying you should start pirating music? Not at all. You can continue to support the artists you enjoy and respect in a number of ways."



Right on Gizmodo! That's what I like to hear, though I agree that one month's worth of boycotting, followed by a month of gorging on all the CDs you missed isn't going to do anything. If you really want to stick it to them, avoid supporting the RIAA for the rest of your life. Buy the CD direct from the artist off their website, or, barring that, at least buy your music from indepentant online stores (that don't use DRM) or from locally-owned B&M stores in your home town. Hey, I figure if you're going to give the RIAA money in the first place, try to make sure the rest of the money goes to someone deserving. I just wish we could buy movies direct from the director's website. Sticking it to the MPAA is a little harder.