Holiday Gift Guide »

RIAA wants to make sure your next mobile phone can tune into FM radio

Categories: Featured, Government
By: , IntoMobile
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 1:20 AM
RADIO

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which is known for their uncanny ability to crush the souls of men and their insatiable appetite for the blood of infant children, is proposing that all mobile phones sold in the USA should come with an FM radio, and that because every mobile phone has an FM radio, they should get a kickback. The deal is far from final, but it shows the type of thinking that goes on behind the scenes at obsolete corporations trying to survive the often painful transition that technological advancements foster.

Gary Shapiro, Head of the Consumers Electronics Association, the folks who host the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that I’ve officially sworn off for the rest of my life after catching some Asian variant of the common cold that nearly killed me, is a bit ticked off at the RIAA for dragging them into this. “This is a battle that doesn’t involve us,” he said, later adding: “We don’t think Congress should accept a back-room deal on how an iPhone should be designed, we think consumers should choose and companies should choose.”

All of this hullabaloo stems from an age old argument between the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the music industry. The NAB flat out refuses to pay artists to play their songs on the radio, citing that all that free promotion drives album and ticket sales. Radio broadcasters currently pay songwriters, and that’s it.

If the legislation that the RIAA is proposing passes, then they can look forward to an extra $100 million in their bank account every year. Quite a pretty penny, but do we, the people, really want to keep these dinosaurs alive? When will Apple finally launch a Spotify clone and save the day?

I haven’t purchased music since the turn of this century, yet this summer I coughed up 60 EUR to buy a 6 month subscription to Spotify Premium. Give people the music they want, the way they want it, and stop being such sleaze-balls.

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • After Forever

    I honestly cannot tell you the last time I listened to the FM side of the radio. Years ago, frustrated with hearing the same old crap repeatedly throughout the day, I switched over to the AM dial and listen to talk radio and have not looked back since.
    Heck, my HTC Tilt 2 has FM radio built in and I have never turned it on.
    Go away RIAA and leave us alone.

  • jwalter

    It’s the National Association of Broadcasters which is asking for the FM chip in cell phones — not the RIAA. There’s a world of difference, since they’re usually on opposite sides of the fence. It amazes me you would write a piece like this when you apparently don’t have a clue about your subject.

  • theclerk74

    One thing I do agree with is that it’s only a matter of years before broadcast radio becomes completely obsolete. I personally don’t care if my phone has a radio. I do think that if a phone has one, there shouldn’t be any type of fee or kick-back, whether it’s the RIAA or the NAB. I think that RIAA’s attempts to make money and NAB’s also, show a clear indication that the music industry needs a total overhaul.