The difference isn’t as big as you might expect. Here’s a breakdown of what every major label, the RIAA, and Google spent on lobbying this year, based on federally-mandated disclosures.
Companies are required to disclose this information by law. All data pulled from the US House of Representatives lobbying disclosure page, here. Q4 funds are estimated.
And, our complete breakdown of various labels and Google disclosures, here (it dates back to 2006).
You can add about 10x to the Google pile.
All of their ‘think tank’ offsprings and ‘consumer groups’ they fund personally and institutionally.
“You can add about 10x to the Google pile.”
Yeah, at least.
The same can certainly be said of the RIAA.
It’s silly to mention Google and the RIAA in the same sentence.
RIAA have no influence on ordinary people’s lives.
But Google?
Well, today I tried to find Golden Eye, a company that recently won an important legal battle against the Piracy Industry.
So I googled “golden eye” “copyright”.
But couldn’t find it.
I searched again, and it turned out that Google had buried Golden Eye’s own website as search result number 7.
So what was search result number 1?
This:
https://torrentfreak.com/received-a-letter-from-golden-eye-international-help-is-at-handl-120808/
A website known for its intimate connections with Organized Crime.
Look at the market capitalization of Google (and other tech companies) compared to the major labels, and it will make more sense. Google is like an order of magintude larger than all the majors combined.
The music industry still spends far more money per capita on lobbying than technology industry does.
“The music industry still spends far more money per capita on lobbying than technology industry does”
Oops, you forgot the documentation.
Plus — what’s way more important — Google & the Pirate Industry spams the Internet with anti-artist propaganda 24/7.
And the RIAA and copyright holders don’t spam the internet with anti-Google propaganda 24/7? Of course they do. I don’t see your point.
“I don’t see your point”
No, but that’s no my fault.
Big Tech owns the Internet, and that’s that…
Actually it is the plumbing industry behind it all, since the Internet is a series of tubes.
LOL
Most of Google’s lobbying has nothing to do with music however.
No, it has to do with their war on art and copyright in general.
How shallow minded we are.
Google is a massive company, spending lots of money on lobbying in relation to software and hardware patents and ISP regulations. They have a lot more to do than just fight copyright rules. Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle are far bigger opponents than the RIAA or some copyright holder. And ISPs threatening net neutrality and low caps with low speeds threaten Google’s existence.
Google […] have a lot more to do than just fight copyright rules. Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle are far bigger opponents than the RIAA or some copyright holder.
Nothing is more important to Google than their War on Art.
If they lose that war, they lose it all.
And they know it.
Hardly.
The Google exists only to Destroy Art. It is written that the Google and their wicked army of Freehadists shall fall on the gallows and the Glorious Artist shall rule for a Thousand Year Kingdom. Banners of True Art are already being erected in all the World’s Major Cities. Casey, don’t be on the wrong side of history.
You need to work on your sarcasm…
true professional art stands the test of time, shitty fads come and go. if you don’t treat artists right, someone else will and also take your market share you built by exploiting artists in the first place.
Sorry, Ya but the BS monitor is screaming your name.
“True professional art” is BS for “commercial pop art.”
Every artistic movement is derided as a “shitty fad” from Fritz Kreisler, to Rock & Roll, to Rap/Hip Hop to Ramones’ “roll-less rock.”
Sometimes when I read these DMN threads I think that I said something I have no recollection of, then I realize that it’s a different Casey. Who’da thunk there could be two on the same comments of a music biz site?
I do agree with the other Casey that Google ‘s lobbying is a lot broader than IP. Also, I’d suggest that pre-SOPA numbers would look a bit different, but I don’t have a handy chart. One thing is for sure: the entertainment lobby was there first. I’d like to see what this breakdown would look like with the major studios and MPAA factored in.
Just for the sake of argument.