Used CD crackdowns will NOT save the music industry

Need any proof that the entertainment industry has a death wish? Look no further than this Reuters article: Old media turns combative against new media. Yes, that’s right- they’ve become even more clueless about modern culture than your grandfather. The only problem is that your grandfather probably (hopefully) doesn’t have to know about his own biz yet is dangerously, pathologically ignorant of it.

But it gets worse. With the blessing of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, some states are now cracking down on the practice of selling used CD’s, no doubt the number one scourge which is ravaging America now: see this Ars Technica article for more details. Might it occur to the biz that like the RIAA downloading lawsuits, such an ill-advised crackdown will turn yet more people away from music or at least legally approved methods of accessing music? Probably not. Does it also occur to them that the money lost over CD sales will NEVER be turned around into sales of new CD’s? Probably not. Used CD’s are bought up for a reason- many people who buy them aren’t THAT interested in an artist or an album to pay full price for a new copy. If they can’t buy the music used, why would they run out and buy a new copy? They won’t and they’ll probably turn to download and not necessarily the type that the industry approves of.