Interesting email/letter I received from XM re music industry lawsuit against them...
05-19-06, 08:43 AM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
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Interesting email/letter I received from XM re music industry lawsuit against them...
Received this yesterday & thought it might make for an interesting discussion:
The only thing I did not include was they had a picture of each radio in the email (and they look pretty cool).
So what do you think?
Statement to XM Subscribers - The XM Nation
Everything we've done at XM since our first minute on the air is about giving you more choices. We provide more channels and music programming than any other network. We play all the music you want to hear including the artists you want to hear but can't find on traditional FM radio. And we offer the best radios with the features you want for your cars, homes, and all places in between.
We've developed new radios -- the Inno, Helix and NeXus -- that take innovation to the next level in a totally legal way. Like TiVo, these devices give you the ability to enjoy the sports, talk and music programming whenever you want. And because they are portable, you can enjoy XM wherever you want.
The music industry wants to stop your ability to choose when and where you can listen. Their lawyers have filed a meritless lawsuit to try and stop you from enjoying these radios.
They don't get it. These devices are clearly legal. Consumers have enjoyed the right to tape off the air for their personal use for decades, from reel-to-reel and the cassette to the VCR and TiVo.
Our new radios complement download services, they don't replace them. If you want a copy of a song to transfer to other players or burn onto CDs, we make it easy for you to buy them through XM + Napster.
Satellite radio subscribers like you are law-abiding music consumers; a portion of your subscriber fee pays royalties directly to artists. Instead of going after pirates who don't pay a cent, the record labels are attacking the radios used for the enjoyment of music by consumers like you. It's misguided and wrong.
We will vigorously defend these radios and your right to enjoy them in court and before Congress, and we expect to win.
Thank you for your support.
Everything we've done at XM since our first minute on the air is about giving you more choices. We provide more channels and music programming than any other network. We play all the music you want to hear including the artists you want to hear but can't find on traditional FM radio. And we offer the best radios with the features you want for your cars, homes, and all places in between.
We've developed new radios -- the Inno, Helix and NeXus -- that take innovation to the next level in a totally legal way. Like TiVo, these devices give you the ability to enjoy the sports, talk and music programming whenever you want. And because they are portable, you can enjoy XM wherever you want.
The music industry wants to stop your ability to choose when and where you can listen. Their lawyers have filed a meritless lawsuit to try and stop you from enjoying these radios.
They don't get it. These devices are clearly legal. Consumers have enjoyed the right to tape off the air for their personal use for decades, from reel-to-reel and the cassette to the VCR and TiVo.
Our new radios complement download services, they don't replace them. If you want a copy of a song to transfer to other players or burn onto CDs, we make it easy for you to buy them through XM + Napster.
Satellite radio subscribers like you are law-abiding music consumers; a portion of your subscriber fee pays royalties directly to artists. Instead of going after pirates who don't pay a cent, the record labels are attacking the radios used for the enjoyment of music by consumers like you. It's misguided and wrong.
We will vigorously defend these radios and your right to enjoy them in court and before Congress, and we expect to win.
Thank you for your support.
So what do you think?
05-19-06, 09:23 AM
#3
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Well, technically the XM2GOs, which are at least 1 year old, provide that capability. The inno/Helix have more storage space and give you more data management options, in addition to holding Mp3s.
Anyway....I think the RIAA needs to piss off. They're wrong. And they've lied, in that they are suing for the exact thing they said they wouldn't sue for when the agreement was first agreed upon. And their "logic" is totally wrong--the inno/helix allow even *less* chance of illegal music transfer than a DVR does for video.
The 'damages' they're asking are totally insane. The only bad thing is I think Sirius already caved to the RIAA, so XM is standing alone.
Anyway....I think the RIAA needs to piss off. They're wrong. And they've lied, in that they are suing for the exact thing they said they wouldn't sue for when the agreement was first agreed upon. And their "logic" is totally wrong--the inno/helix allow even *less* chance of illegal music transfer than a DVR does for video.
The 'damages' they're asking are totally insane. The only bad thing is I think Sirius already caved to the RIAA, so XM is standing alone.
05-19-06, 08:03 PM
#4
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Another PLUS for the XM2GO's...when you cancel your XM service, all your XM recorded content gets locked on your player so you cant access it any more
05-19-06, 09:14 PM
#5
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
On the new ones, you mean, I think?
Actually I think you have to receive a certain amount [8 hours] of live content a month. You can keep paying, but if you don't receive live content, your device will lock.
And that feature was most likely throwing a bone to the RIAA, making it so you have to pay to access it. And then the RIAA bites XM in the ass like this.
Actually I think you have to receive a certain amount [8 hours] of live content a month. You can keep paying, but if you don't receive live content, your device will lock.
And that feature was most likely throwing a bone to the RIAA, making it so you have to pay to access it. And then the RIAA bites XM in the ass like this.
