Comments, Questions, Concerns: RIAA CEO Reflects On Responses To His New York Times Op-Ed

I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to write comments in response to my op-ed in the New York Times on February 8th. I read them all (yes, really) and, not only were there many thoughtful and constructive comments, but the totality provided a diverse array of opinions that were interesting to consider and understand.

I obviously cannot respond to each of the many comments, but a number of common themes seemed to emerge from them, so I thought it might be useful to convey some thoughts in response.

• Some comments reflect out-of-date criticisms about the entertainment industry’s transition to digital.
• Some comments reflect a misunderstanding of the current marketplace.
• A lot of comments focused on copyright itself, and the term of protection in particular.
• Civic engagement online is wonderful.
• A number of comments reiterated many of the complaints about the flaws in SOPA and PROTECT IP, as if the legislation were still viable.