Musings of the Great Eric

The former head of the RIAA considers the possibility that maybe suing your customers and crippling the products you sell them isn’t the best business strategy.

I don’t honestly know what I would have done about the individual lawsuits had I stayed. I certainly participated in multiple planning and debate sessions about them. There were good arguments on both sides and the staff at the RIAA are thoughtful, good people who work hard to protect their constituency. Thankfully my plan to leave was firmly in place and I didn’t have to make that tough call or take the heat for the one that was made.

But for the record, I do share a concern that the lawsuits have outlived most of their usefulness and that the record companies need to work harder to implemnt a strategy that legitimizes more p2p sites and expands the download and subscription pool by working harder with the tech community to get devices and music services to work better together. That is how their business will expand most quickly. The iPod is still too small a part of the overall potential of the market and its propietary DRM just bugs me. Speaking of DRM, it is time to rethink that strategy as well……… At some point, I will write more comprehensively about those years and these issues….then again, maybe not.

It’s amazing how many people see the light of common sense and reason once they don’t have any power to do anything about it, isn’t it? Of course, I’m also sure that this new position of hers has absolutely nothing to do with the interests of her new consulting firm.

As a side note, the article sounds like it was written by a third grader. You’d think a former high powered executive would know how to proofread and write intelligently.

Technorati Tags: RIAA, Hillary Rosen, DRM, Lawsuits