No. So I'm not exactly sure why they think they can own .music on the Internet? There are a few entities bidding on the ICANN (the establishment that controls and issues all top-level naming schemes on the Internet such as .com, .edu & .org) so it's not certain right now if the RIAA will gain control of .music if the ICANN does indeed create it. If they do get control of .music no one but accredited music establishments (read: THE RIAA) can use the top-level domain. Anyone that does use .music will be regularly patrolled for copyright infringement. No court systems and no formal DMCA takedowns – just the RIAA hitting the kill button any damn time they feel like. Besides not being able to get a .music domain, no one that pirates music would want one. There are plenty of .com's around they can use for their illegal activities. Illegal activities that existing laws already cover. So what's the point? BULLYING that's what.
Listen, copyright infringement is very serious. I am not saying that we should all go out and steal music. I have plenty of friends that produce and sell their own music that rely on that income to feed themselves and their families. Pay for the product, plain and simple. The issue here that the RIAA repeated wants to circumvent existing laws and be the judge and jury themselves, for their own financial gain.
From the article:
Starting in May, ICANN will also give members of the public the opportunity to comment on any new gTLD application.
Oh, you can be sure there will be a lot of people commenting once that opens up. Every independent musician should be out of their minds crazy that, again, the RIAA thinks it's their way or no way. This is just a desperate, failing industry grasping at straws to breathe as they are already head under water.
h/t to my husband +Dave Young for the article share
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Music fans not welcome in RIAA-backed .music • The Register
The company secured the support of a "loose coalition of organisations" formed by the RIAA last summer, beating several other would-be applicants, Far Further president John Styll told El Re…
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This is a similar topic to the porn industry trying to avoid using the new .xxx domain. They don't want to be trapped on .xxx, then regulated to death. Indie musicians should pay attention to what's happening.
What about the rest of the world, outside if the US. How can they have sole use of .music? crazy.
+Andrew Jarvis EXACTLY! The RIAA isn't global. Recording Industry Association of America.
The .music TLD is being proposed by an international consortium of music industry associations, of which the RIAA is one. They want to have a TLD where they will be allowed to regulate and control the domains on their own, without judicial oversight. What companies haven't learned yet is that "vanity" TLDs don't work well for brands. The RIAA and others are pursuing an internet where they have full control and where piracy won't exist. They're wrong, of course, but if they want to create a TLD (and pay for it), I say let them.
The rest of the world will just keep on using the .com TLD.
I can see a day where the RIAA and other international music rights organizations control a .music domain for the mythical "signed" artists, while the rest of the worlds musicians will thrive on the traditional domains. I'm not sure what the point is, but it's a worthwhile experiment. If only to prove to the RIAA how ridiculous their thought process is. "Intellectual Property" is an oxymoron. People in the future look back on these days and laugh when I try to tell them we used to charge money for conceptualized ideas. Then I have to explain "money" to them.
I think this is an ideal use of the new gTLDs. It gives them a new, fresh namespace so there is less risk of cybersquatting or other conflicts. They can decide their own dispute resolution process. They could even regulate age-sensitive content. The com TLD is and will remain a bit of a wild-west zone but not everyone wants to live in the badlands.
Soon you'll need a license to hum a tune…
I've given some more thought to this. It is probably the best thing that could happen to the music industry. Keep all the canned music in one place. The rest of us can just get on with being more creative and innovative and sell directly to the public.