Hilary Rosen, the former head of the RIAA, who oversaw the lawsuits against Napster, Audiogalaxy and MP3.com, has published an editorial questioning the idea of suing music fans as a way of building a sustainable music business. She's also questioned the usefulness of DRM, noting that it's time to "rethink that strategy."
"I am sure there are lots of other things that I've done that people have opinions about. But most successful executives I know have made controversial decisions and have been second-guessed and scrutinized both favorable and unfavorably. It comes with the priviledge [sic] of the work and that's ok. I can also assure you that I don't intend to start using this site as a review of the RIAA or my work there but I certainly can't stop others from doing so."
As well as sharing a concern about the usefulness, or otherwise, of the lawsuits, Risen thinks the labels, "need to work harder to implemnt [sic] a strategy that legitimizes more p2p sites and expands the download and subscription pool by working harder with the tech community to get devices and music services to work better together. That is how their business will expand most quickly.
"The iPod is still too small a part of the overall potential of the market and its propietary [sic] DRM just bugs me. Speaking of DRM, it is time to rethink that strategy as well……… At some point, I will write more comprehensively about those years and these issues….then again, maybe not."
(via Digg)
