David Draiman (Disturbed) debases RIAA lawsuits

SAN FRANCISCO (San Francisco Chronicle) - David Draiman - frontman and Disturbed lead singer - thinks that the music industry should figure out how to distribute music on the Internet, instead of suing people who download songs non-legally.

Draiman told the San Francisco Chronicle, "This is not rocket science - instead of spending all this money litigating against kids who are the people they're trying to sell things to in the first place, they have to learn how to effectively use the Internet." Draiman asserts that the actions taken by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are protecting corporate profits, not artists: "For the artists, my ass...I didn't ask them to protect me, and I don't want their protection."

On Monday (September 8), the RIAA filed suit against 261 people - including a 12-year-old girl - who allegedly had more than 1,000 music files on their computers. The RIAA is charging them with copyright violation, seeking as much as $150,000 per violation in some of the cases, and hopes that the lawsuits will help put the brakes on file-sharing.

Disturbed will appear in a documentary called Get Thrashed, due out before the end of the year, which will examine the thrash metal scene of the '80s and its impact on today's heavy rock bands.
A DVD of last spring's Music As A Weapon tour, featuring Disturbed, Chevelle, Taproot, and Unloco, is tentatively scheduled for release on October 22.