Red Hot Chili Peppers, QOTSA, T.I. Rock For Zune

Yesterday, Microsoft agreed to share revenue from Zune sales with record labels and artists. Forcing the issue was Universal Music Group, which at deadline is the only label named in the program. UMG refused to license its music to the Zune unless it could receive a percentage of each device sold, in addition to standard music licensing fees for downloads and subscriptions. “These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it,” UMG chairman/CEO Doug Morris says. “So it’s time to get paid for it.”

In typical RIAA fashion they accuse customers of stealing and force anyone they can to pay them money. This news of Microsoft paying off Universal because their device has the potential to store music that the customer either didn’t pay for or didn’t pay the extortionists “approved” price, is just a long line of news about how the RIAA screws over the American consumer.