The Music Industry is Run By Twelve-Year-Olds

So here's the setup: the American music industry, with its ever-expanding appetite, has decided that AM and FM radio broadcasting of music is piracy, and it wants to start charging fees. The AM and FM stations are, of course, resisting this idea. Obviously, a job for the lawyers, yes?

Well, actually, nothing says "serious legal question" like stupid gag gifts.

On Monday, the recording industry sent the National Association of Broadcasters -- the trade group representing the $16 billion a year AM-FM broadcasting business -- a can of herring to underscore that it believes its arguments against paying royalties are a red herring. The NAB says its members should not pay royalties because AM-FM radio "promotes" the music industry.

The herring present followed another gift -- a dictionary, a bid by the recording industry to explain what it saw as the difference between fees and taxes. The NAB describes the latest royalty proposal as a tax.

And two weeks ago, the recording industry, under the umbrella group musicFIRST, sent the NAB four digital downloads: "Take the Money and Run" by the Steve Miller Band; "Pay me My Money Down" by Bruce Springsteen; "Back In the U.S.S.R" by Paul McCartney and "A Change Would Do You Good" by Sheryl Crow.

Like, ZOMG, what a total burn.

H/t Dymaxion John. Apologies to any actual twelve-year-olds, many of whom are undoubtedly more grown up than this.