MPAA Goin' Down

Part of the ongoing comedy and tragedy of life in the world's most vibrant economy is the continuing disruption of existing business models and their subsequent replacement and mutation. It's a wondrous and amazing thing. One of my pet peeves is the absolute boneheaded mule stubborness displayed by the RIAA in the futile quest to maintain a business model originally developed in the 1920s and 30s. The RIAA is working hard to ensure that it becomes a relic of history by the refusal to change or adapt the dominant business model of its members to changes in technology. Sucks to be them, I guess. Still, it's irritating to watch the slow disintegration of the major labels. The ongoing collapse makes it harder for me to find good music, since I don't have huge amounts of time to spend looking for new tunes. Well, that could also have something to do with ClearChannel and the low quality of commercial radio around here.

Anyhow, I find it comical that the MPAA is apparently pursuing the same unsuccessful strategy. This week's Carnival of the Capitalists pointed me towards bubblegeneration's post about why the MPAA is going to fail. The economic analysis is spot on, and should be a cautionary tale for Jack Valenti's successor. I doubt it will be. If they didn't learn from watching the mess the RIAA made for itself, why is a blog post going to help? 20 years from now the RIAA and the MPAA are going to be case studies in business school about failing to adapt to changing technology in the market place.