IFPI board member talks tough

UK academic and music industry thinker Andrew Dubber recently posted a fascinating email exchange on his New Music Strategies blog that's really a fascinating read if you've got the time.

Long story short: an IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the RIAA is a member) board member took issue with Dubber's link to this post at Download Squad, and emailed to complain about it:

Andrew

Looking at your site I do think allowing indiscriminate criticism of the RIAA is inappropriate for a Government funded institution.

Paul

Dubber failed to see the problem with the link and offered blog space for a rebuttal, and eventually it comes down to the IFPI board member threatening a formal complaint to Dubber's university (the aforementioned Government funded institution, which Dubber's blog is not directly affiliated with). The argument, amazingly, is that because of careless posts by the likes of Download Squad, individual representatives of the RIAA member organizations have been subjected to generalized nastiness from the hoi polloi.

A few things I took away from reading the exchange:

• Even when they get nasty, British people are sickeningly polite.
• Paul does his industry no favors, essentially reinforcing everyone who's ever said the RIAA are bullies.
• Man, that gray hair really is sneaking up on me!