In a sublime example of everything that is wrong with the Recording Industry Association of America, Universal Music has demanded that a mother take down a 29-second video of her toddler dancing while Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy plays in the background. Apparently, the use of this song (playing on a radio in the kitchen) is worthy of a takedown notice in the eyes of the RIAA.

Here’s the video that Universal has demanded removed from YouTube:

What a terrible violation of copyright! This woman is obviously a criminal attempting to illegally profit from Universal’s intellectual property. Somebody stop her before she strikes again with another toddler video!

Ironically, Prince himself is very open to experimenting with different methods of music distribution, giving away copies of his newest album with a UK Sunday newspaper last month and giving away copies with tickets to his upcoming concerts.

Artists now that records released under a record deal with a major label rarely produce profits for anyone except the RIAA, and they are responding accordingly, either by releasing their music independently or viewing it as a promotional device to bring audiences to live shows (where musicians make much higher profits).

Buying music from labels represented by the RIAA unfortunately seems to do little except provide funding for industry lawyers to hunt for ‘copyright violations’ like this toddler video.