Jonathan Lamy, RIAA Spokesman, Hits Back At SOPA, PIPA Criticism After Wikipedia Blackout

The internet filled with snark on Wednesday, as a slew of websites went dark to protest anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. Not to be outdone by journalists and teenagers, one supporter of the legislation also sounded off.

"After Wikipedia blackrout[sic], somewhere, a student today is doing original research and getting his/her facts straight. Perish the thought," tweeted Jonathan Lamy, Senior Vice President of Communication of the Recording Industry Association of America.

The RIAA has been one of the biggest supporters of SOPA and PIPA, lobbying aggressively and speaking out against internet piracy. They even donated thousands to SOPA author Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX).

He later deleted the tweet, but Gizmodo took a screenshot as evidence.

Wikipedia is just one of thousands of websites who have blacked out in protest of the controversial legislation. Other websites that are partly or fully going dark in protest include Google, Reddit and Tumblr.

Critics of the legislation charge that it won't stop piracy at all and will only hurt law-abiding companies and free expression. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales called the bills "over broad and so badly written."

Make your voice heard on SOPA and PIPA:

Comments

[Ron Baker]

10:00 AM on 01/20/2012

LOL i miss spell a lot.

[Amishguy]

11:38 AM on 01/19/2012

This whole story revolves around one dumb tweet?

COME ON!!!

I actually thought I was going to hear him try to justify this nightmare.

[Makos62]

11:26 AM on 01/19/2012

I find it strange that a man who makes his living with an industry that has has rallied and fought censorship of any kind, stating that artistic freedom is a protected fourth amendment right, can now stand for it.
The bankers and money men have taken over most industries and now the dollar is their only concern. When the people get tired, and just start listening to radio and not buying as many download songs, will he be the first at the hill, begging for our money because we can't afford his fee he charges and he thinks he should be richer?

[Mikdow]

10:43 AM on 01/19/2012

Facts from Wikipedia.

In the seventies an average of 20,000 albums were released in the United States each year.

Only 5% of those albums made a financial impact .

Of those 20,000 albums released per year the average sale per album was 16.5 copies.

Today, 50,000 albums, downloads, etc. are released in the United States each year, but this number is actually higher because many bands record and release their music in house and sell it at performances and as downloads on their websites.

In the seventies I was in bands signed to major labels including WB, Playboy and Mutiny Shadow International. Fortunately, we sold a bit more than the average and were allowed to make more records. I saw 2.5 cents per copy sold split among the four members of the band, or so I was told.

Today, I make my own CDs and sell them at gigs. I make a video every couple of months and upload it to youtube. The most seen has over 17,000 hits. Any of them you can download to your hard drive and enjoy for free.

For the first time in my career I am able to devote myself full time to the music BECAUSE the internet is as it is. Please, pirate my songs and then come to a show. And if you buy a CD you can copy it for your friends. Maybe they'll come to the next show.

visit me at www.beltainband.com

[admiralwrongway]

08:26 AM on 01/19/2012

Recording industry should find a more efficient business and distribution model and reorganize the RIAA. They have certainly raised a lot of credibility issues. They must come up with a better distribution system that will work for consumers and musicians instead of the parasitic fat cat recording executives and lobbyists. Revamping copyright laws to make them more pragmatic as related to the recording industry and decriminalize infringement! Civil court is where most disputes belong in cases related to the recording industry.

[Juan Carlos Mescalero]

07:31 AM on 01/19/2012

That tweet from that twit tells you all you need to know. Bad legislation packaged as good for America. It's censorship pure and simple.

[Rickst75]

06:43 AM on 01/19/2012

The RIAA has no one to blame for it's poor state of affairs other than itself. It spends most of it's money promoting terrible music. Sues it's own customers. And when it became time to move towards internet sales of music, they fought it until it became inevitable for them to merely survive.

[Bruckley]

03:50 AM on 01/19/2012

The RIAA has sued tens of thousands of Americans and it thinks that people are going to listen to it? hahaha!!

[nanoscare]

02:04 AM on 01/19/2012

The RIAA should start doing things for artists instead of trying to pad their expense accounts from corporate coffers.

[coolhand66]

10:59 PM on 01/18/2012

The RIAA & MPAA CANNOT PUT THE GENIE BACK IN THE BOTTLE. The people are not going back to old ways like buying "CD'S" OR "DVD'S".
RIAA & MPAA IF YOU KEEP BULL SHITING THE PEOPLE ABOUT STOPING PIRACY BULL.
IT'S ALL ABOUT POWER & MONEY & GREED...

[MTY INDACHI]

08:27 PM on 01/18/2012

this RIAA senior vice president will need to actually work for a living and not f--- recording artists and consumers for a living.

[BadHaBritt]

08:04 PM on 01/18/2012

I hope the internet proves to be a great leveler of content, music and film/video.
Exorbitant VFX can't hide doo doo scripts and formula direction. The same old stars, mostly of the same nationality as the execs and media owners. We heed a new commercial, not add driven, peoples media distribution system on the net that will give a fair return for material viewed. It will encourage people to start producing low cost intelligent shorts and maybe longer formats without having to conform to the media suits who totally throttle originality at birth.

I'm so sick to death of multitude of poser cops with f***d-up attitude and slaughtered victims put out by the media suits.

[BG2323]

07:42 PM on 01/18/2012

Poor Jonathan.... the world just keeps on spinning no matter how hard he tries to stop it.

[lensman3]

11:11 AM on 01/19/2012

Spinning faster and faster.

[Fredday]

07:13 PM on 01/18/2012

No wonder his last name is Lamy. . . .

[kiyote23]

06:50 PM on 01/18/2012

The RIAA is a loathsome organization that has ripped off artists for decades & pushes overpriced sub-standard swill on a public hungry for diversity. So we should listen to them WHY, exactly?