RIAA shift to CD-burning

Move over file-sharing. The RIAA has decided that CD-burning is now the biggest threat to the recording industry, the Associated Press reports. Copying music to CDs now accounts for "29% of all recorded music obtained by music fans last year," compared to 16% for downloads from file-sharing networks, RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol told the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, citing new figures from market researcher NPD Group. The research also showed that half of all music obtained came from "authorized CD sales" and about 4% from paid music downloads. As a San Jose Mercury News blog put it, "he assumed, as one would expect an RIAA heavy to, that those burned CDs are largely illegitimate. No chance that they're a burn of music purchased via iTunes or a backup copy of a legitimately purchased CD for play in the car, apparently." Brainwol mentioned that copy-protection technology on CDs (also known as digital rights management, or DRM) is the solution to the problem. What he didn't mention was whether the number of lawsuits against file-sharers (another solution the RIAA has taken) would go down. [Thanks to BNA Internet Law for pointing this news out.]