Universal To Launch Extortion Attempt On Consumers

[GhostShip]

In a move designed to steal millions more from consumers Universal music is trying to strongarm music player companies into handing over your cash to them.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061128-8309.html

Universal Music Group exec Doug Morris told the Reuters Media Summit that his company is interested in receiving a cut of the profits from each iPod sold.

"It would be a nice idea. We have a negotiation coming up not too far. I don't see why we wouldn't do that... but maybe not in the same way," Morris said. His "same way" comment is a reference to the Zune, which Universal already gets $1 from after signing a deal with Microsoft.

Universal believes that much of the music on portable players is illegal, and the company argues that it deserves a share of the profits from such devices in order to make up for the money lost in album sales. Microsoft's decision to cut a deal seems to have been driven by its need to launch with a large music store for the Zune—and Universal is one of the biggest players in the game. The Microsoft deal will clearly set a precedent for other music labels, who will no doubt try to squeeze cash from both Microsoft and Apple in the coming years.

From one perspective, this looks like an obviously bad thing for consumers, who are being "taxed" even if their music collections are fully legal.

Lets call this what it is folks extortion of the consumer, its not right to ask for cash for "lost sales" when two facts are more than clear , one is that file swappers purchase more content than anyone else on the planet and two universal still wish the right to sue their customers, you cant have it both ways universal, either you sue folks or you make a flat rate system that will generate more than you could ever dream of, greed is a terrible malady.

Universal is morally wrong to steal from those who dilligently purchase all their content from the legal download systems, but what can we expect from a corrupt and selfish industry that delivers pre packed material any flavour you like as long as they get 90% cut and the artist 10%.
Many are now turning away from this anti-creative model and I urge more folks to purchase music from non cartel sources.

[KM]

can't wait for the first time they try to blackmail someone and get a response of "well i already paid you when i bought the player, as per your agreement, so how can you possibly claim it's not payed for?"