Archive for June, 2009

Yesterday presented another set of circumstances that suggest, if you will indulge us for the moment, that USVO is part and parcel of what is happening in the world.

You might not have noticed that The US Open began play at Bethpage in New York. Rain shortened the day, and a bunch of unknowns led. Two members of the USVO team hit the links yesterday as well, playing in a relatively unknown charity tourney for the Providence St. Joseph Burbank Hospital Foundation. The event is so unknown that the hospital has no mention of it on its website even though the event raised over $300,000 in a day. Providence is the home of the Roy & Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center, and the Disney company features prominently in the production of the tournament. Operational staff from Disney, Universal and Warner Bros studios- the half of the big six studios based in the valley that also houses the two hospitals that are the beneficiaries, populate the organizing committees and many of the foursomes.
It was a great place to enjoy the sunshine, compete in a friendly match of skills ( or lack thereof) and gauge the thinking of some of the business middle management.

What can be reported is that people are interested in new ideas, especially about increasing sales. Getting new ideas in front of this crowd costs money, and then once they are on board, requires the ability to execute on those ideas. While USVO wasn’t in a position to use the golf event to push our agenda, the good news is that our competitors weren’t even there, much less sponsoring a hole, or a prize. We were the ones taking the opportunity to shift people’s focus from their hooks and slices to their digital delivery strategy and concerns.

Another item you might not have noticed yesterday, while you are doing what constitutes your daily business, was the announcement of a court verdict of $1.92 million against a single mother of four in Minneapolis for downloading 24 songs. The RIAA, which spearheaded the suit, has provided a great demonstration of what we here as USVO have been stating about the issue. In winning the suit, the RIAA has created a lose/lose result.
Headlines abound, and analysis make it clear that in winning, the record industry has cemented it’s reputation as the least sensible sector of the digital economy. While the RIAA spokespeople express satisfaction with the verdict, the revenues of the members’ music units continue to slide.

The absurdity of prosecuting a single mother of four for downloading, while ignoring those that actually facilitate and exploit that activity for material gain seems to be lost on the RIAA. While it has promised to not sue any individuals, thousands of individuals have received the lawsuits that are the method of message delivery to the public that while listening to music for free on the radio is ok, copying that music and sharing it with others isn’t.

It also brings out those who wish to challenge the constitutionality of the suit and award.

While out on the course, we discussed these and other important issues. The world is in need, dire need, of a proactive and credible way for rights holders to brave the digital distribution world. USVO is in need of the means to deliver it. That’s what we are working on everyday.