Major Labels Sue a 12 Year Old

THERE ARE MANY
REASONS
not to buy major label music. This week, the major labels gave us one
more: when you buy a CD, or download a song from iTunes, you’re
supporting an industry that’s suing 12-year-olds. The lawsuits threaten
families with wildly inflated damages–up to $150,000 per song. Any
household that decides to fight risks losing their hopes of a college
education, their home. Then the RIAA’s lawyers offer a $3,000 settlement.
It might be more than 3 months’ rent, or a winters’ heating bill, and they
might prepare a humiliating written statement for you to
recite to the
press, but at least you don’t lose everything. It is very unlikely that
any of these cases will be tried.

A consortium of p2p software companies has given 12-year-old Brianna
Lahara from Brooklyn $2,000. But more than 200 other students, families,
and senior citizens still face similar suits. Downhill Battle has looked
into the possibility of creating a defense fund, and we’ve think we’ve
worked it out. It’s Paypal-based, transparent, and “peer-to-peer,” so
none of the money will go through us. We’re looking into some legal
details and we hope to make an announcement about it by Monday. If you or
anyone you know has been targeted, please contact us.

Many major-label musicians have come out in opposition to the lawsuits,
according to an article

in Thursday’s San Francisco Chronicle. Everyone should read it; musicians
and music fans are really on the same side.